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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
I've loved Rushdie for a long, long while. And I'm grateful and relieved that he survived that most horrific of days.
This book was powerful and moving and exceptionally eloquent. And a testament to the power of love to conquer hate.
This book was powerful and moving and exceptionally eloquent. And a testament to the power of love to conquer hate.
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
What a thrilling and haunting reflection on survival, love, and the resilience of the human spirit. What struck me most is how Rushdie shows that love truly conquers all, not just the love from his support system, but also the radical empathy he tries to extend toward his attacker and those who share that mindset. It’s a bold reminder that hate doesn’t have to be met with hate.
The book also shines a light on how dangerous it is when religion is politicized or worse, weaponized. He doesn’t shy away from exposing these risks, while also urging us to look inward and question the flaws within our own beliefs. Live and let live feels like an unspoken mantra running through the pages.
His reflections on trauma are deeply honest reminding us that healing isn’t only physical. It’s emotional, psychological, and deeply personal, and there’s no shame in taking your own time. What knife taught me the most was the crucial importance of free speech and the courage it takes to keep speaking when silence would be safer.
reflective
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
medium-paced
Everyone knows Salman Rushdie CAN write and damn does he write well. However, his most endearing or charming skill is his way of writing fiction that we have come to call, magical realism. Stripped of that and getting dropped into writing a personal story, I felt he faltered. There are moments we get a glimpse of that, but it is not enough to keep you invested in the book. The book could have been shorter.
I also find that the whole making-up interview with his assailant was a tad bit narcissistic. This is a very subjective take, but it felt unnecessary. The points he wanted to raise could have been done in the form of an essay or a book chapter as well. To me, it was similar to how religious folks make up interviews in their literature of how atheists really are and vice versa. This one-sided argumentation, where the interviewer comes up as an intellectual and the interviewee as a bumbling idiot, so the interviewer could feel good about themselves, is now so passe.
I also find that the whole making-up interview with his assailant was a tad bit narcissistic. This is a very subjective take, but it felt unnecessary. The points he wanted to raise could have been done in the form of an essay or a book chapter as well. To me, it was similar to how religious folks make up interviews in their literature of how atheists really are and vice versa. This one-sided argumentation, where the interviewer comes up as an intellectual and the interviewee as a bumbling idiot, so the interviewer could feel good about themselves, is now so passe.
Glad I listened to the audiobook. Not sure I would have been able to appreciate the author’s point of view for what it is, had I only read it.
dark
emotional
informative
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced