A review by aayjaysbookshelf
My Brother by Fatima Jinnah

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

A biography of one of the most influential man in history, written by his sister plus comrade, My Brother is a well written book. It's divided into three parts, and the book sort of does a reverse gear, starting from Quaid's death and then zooming into his rise in politics and the birth of Pakistan, then pans out and reels back to his ancestral village in Paneli, India and the tales of Jinnah Poonja(his father) and how he came to migrate to Karachi and ultimately establish his family and life there as a businessman, then zooms back to Muhammad Ali Jinnah's departure to London and his journey of becoming a barrister. The book is speckled with emotions and tenderness that can only come from a sister's pen for her brother and tells about the lesser known side of Quaid, the soft and sensitive soul inside the tough exterior of a great leader. One thing that stands out for me throughout the book is Quaid's sense of pride and integrity, whether as a child playing on streets to an old man having formed a country. Not surprising, since we all do associate a keen sense of discipline behind those sharp eyes. What surprising for me was to know his struggles in academics and that he wasn't always a gifted child, and found more interest in playing than studying till a long time. This, and a lot more insights into his life and character are offered by this book, and in a way, it was also a little sad reading it, knowing how extremely far we are as nation from his idea of this country. 
The ending of this book is rather abrupt, though, and I found it incomplete. I had also heard about it being a controversial book, but except for a single account, I didn't find anything to be a matter of as grave an account to be censored or banned. All in all, a good book. An inspiring read.