5 comments about Fragments of Grace: My Search for Meaning in the Strife of South Asia.

1. it is a good book. and this good book has a good title - The Fragments of Grace. i live in new delhi and commute everyday to a 9-6 office. in the morning rush hour, as my bus crosses over the yamuna river, we always get stuck in a traffic jam....the buses in which I travel are always clogged tight with sweating commuters and it feels like hell......in such a distressing situation im always reminded of nazi cattle cars used for transportation of jews......at times while trapped inside these baked tin drums, i happen to look out from a side window and see the calm, dream-like, majestic dome of emperor humayun's tomb standing just across the road.......somehow someway it always make me feel beautiful about myself. while being crushed, pulled, pushed and mauled by surrounding commuters, I always try to frame a phrase that would exactly describe that nice feeling on seeing that beautiful monument. but the quest for that perfect articulation always eluded me.......thankfully, pamela constable's book-title did that job for me......humayun's tomb stands out like a 'fragment of grace' even as all sort of maddening chaos continue to fret and fume round it........

   there are many decent writers around but a good writer is one which helps to articulate the reader's own feelings and perceptions even if that was not the intention in the first place.....so i was very moved and almost screamed out saying 'hey, this is me' when constable talked about her parents: 'even when we are in the same room, we remain worlds apart".......or when she confessed "seeing friends and mates they were never able to accept"......such paragraphs in this intensely personal memoir made me pause and think about my own parents and about my own life.......and ms constable was bang on target when she said that her parents still try to "improve the way i look and dress'......how does she know so much about me and my parents? how come she took my innermost perceptions and family secrets out of ME and translated them into words for HER book?

   Each chapter in the book deals with her sojourn in some south asian country and ends with a deeply intimate interlude. reading the latter made me slightly uncomfortable, hesitant and anxious. it was like as if i had secretly tip-toed into somebody's attic one sleepy afternoon and was going through personal correspondence with half my alertness distracted towards the door from where that 'somebody' can enter anytime and catch me redhanded........at one point when constable wrote about a sudden in-your-face meeting with a long-lost journalist friend, once very intimate, in a crowded press conference, i felt embarrassed as if i was intruding into her privacy. indeed it makes for a very brave and kind person to write so gracefully about events so personal. thankyou pamela.

   i may be sounding melodramatic but i loved the ending of this book. it was a gradual close. it was like a fading piano tune echoing from the stone walls long after the concert has ended and the audience has returned home....

   finally if pamela constable happens to read this review, i want to tell her that many a times i have passed over that yamuna bridge on the banks of which lies a shanty where the elephants live. everytime i pass over that part of the city, i always instinctively look down under to wonder about those sad-looking elephants. i even made a guess after looking at some hoardings that it must be a muslim settlement. now after reading this book , whenever i will pass over that bridge again, i will know that delhi's total of 23 elephants camp there and that i know the name of at least one mahout who resides there - ghayar ali. constable should know that I too have noticed that place, that tiny fragment of grace.

   really it is a book not to be borrowed and read but to be bought and read and re-read....




2. This is an extremely important piece of literature. It is relevant and a must-read for any American who values her/his freedom.
   Pamela Constable is an honest, articulate and engaging writer. I couldn't put her book down. I feel far more informed about South Asia and the strife we can only begin to TRY to imagine here in the U.S.
   M.A.Bashaw
   Phoenix, AZ



3. I read most of this book on a long flight from Delhi to Los Angeles. I was inspired to buy the book by a favorable review in an Indian newspaper... For me, the greatest value of the book is the personal story of what it takes to bring us "the story" from conflict-ridden parts of the world, particularly Afghanistan in this case, but also Pakistan and to a lesser extent, Sri Lanka. Anyone aspiring to be a foreign correspondent should read this book... However, it must be admitted that Ms. Constable does not have a real sense of history. Her history on Kashmir and even the lead-up to the Taliban regime is full of gaps, as is the history of the Sri Lanka conflict. Noone should read this book alone and think they understand why Kashmir is what it is, who the Taliban were and how they came to power, and what is the diversity of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka or the long history of that conflict since colonization. Ms. Constable should not be faulted for this, she admits herself that this is more a personal document than history... As a personal document, and as a person, Fragments of Grace and Ms. Constable are worthy of admiration. What courage, what honesty, what compassion, what literature - her book was written not for personal profit, only somewhat for public enlightenment, it was written most of all out of a personal search for meaning, and on these terms it excels. One can only admire what it takes for journalists to give us the story we read with our daily cup of coffee, far far away from the conflicts we follow and can hardly fathom.



4. The value of this book is the simple albeit not so scholarly observations of the author. Reading it one feels like someone encountering with both curiosity and a bit of fear, new territory. Sure the historical or even common sense elements may be missing here and there, but it's the westerner sharing from western eyes, two world views that proves invaluable. Few authors who serve in third world areas like Pakistan and Afghanistan, ever write about the dizziness of returning to the United States where even the poor live in splendor compared to third world people. And I appreciate the authors reminder to me a woman from the United States, that I am spoiled and really have no idea what true oppression is all about. And as a side note I appreciate the authors love of animals in need.



5. Read it. Fall in love with the author because of her objective appraisal of herself; her resilience, adaptablity and wits to survive in the trenches of alien cultures; her universal compassion for the ordinary people and the animals alike; and because of her stirring, evocative and almost poetic writing style.
   Ignore a few inconsequential errors of historical facts.
   
   Asif A. Shah
   Washington, D. C. 20001

5 comments about A Day in the Life of India (Day in the Life).

1. This book is a must for every international traveller's coffee table!! Indian households especially should be proud to display this book for it is surely a most priceless homage to all the beauty our country has to offer!



2. While many photography books about India focus on the landscape and monuments, this book focuses on the people living in this great land. From tending to the fields to attending grade school, the pictures are a glimpse into what India is really about.



3. I was thoroughly dissapointed by this book. The photos aren't too interesting or unique. The only good point of this book is that all the photos come with fairly descriptive captions. Most of the full page photos are so grainy, they could have been taken with a disposable camera. I don't blame the 2 dozen photographers who contributed to the book. Just seems the publisher decided to use a lower print quality in order to sell the book at a lower price. If you want a much better book with photos that will blow you away, check out Steve McCurry's South Southeast.



4. This book is a definate "Coffee Table" book. It will shock you by its large size, let alone its stunning photographs. I have been to India and am traveling again in one week. I just can't get enough. This book will practically take you theretoo. Enjoy!



5. For anyone who isn't intersted in India to see the Taj Mahal and leave, this is for you! Photographs that show how life really is in India, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Wonderful photographs, that will draw you in again and again. A coffee table book that will actually get read!

2 comments about Bhutan.

1. I have been interested in Butan for the past 10 years, and when I got the amazing opportunity to visit this country in 2001, Pommaret's book was the first book I bought. I had read the whole thing over twice before I had visited the country, and it's factual yet interesting writing style, gave me information that made me the "expert" of our group (most of my companions hadn't read relly anything).
   Pommaret is a person who has years of experience in dealing with the Himalayan region for over 20 years, and has written a few other books on Bhutan as well. The book has loads of large colorful pictures, interesting facts, and also draws from explorers from the past 230 years such as , White, Bogle, Turner, Griffith and Eden. Specific sites of interest from each open province are listed, and there is even details on every major trek offered by tour companies. There are books by people who travel to various countries, and then there are ones written by people who KNOW a particular country. Out of the 4 or 5 travel books I have read about Bhutan this is the "King James Version".



2. This book is very useful for both people who read about Bhutan for the first time and those who are more acquinted with this magical buddhist kingdom. Pommaret selected the right material for this book and you are going to love the photographs also. Very factual and informative, thoroughly prepared. It will make you want to go there.

No comments about Raghu Rai's India: Reflections in Colour.

1 comments about Lonely Planet India & Bangladesh: Road Atlas (Lonely Planet Road Atlas).

1. I was very fortunate to get my hands on a new copy of this handy dandy road atlas in Delhi in 2004. I used it and abused it and brought it back home with me to savor the journey. The roads and "highways" are all there. I found that what is considered a highway varies from area to area of the country - but you will not get lost following the maps.
   
   We had hired a driver and a car - and we used the book to find our way across over 6,500 miles of India. It came in handy for our driver and for us; so that we knew where we were going, where we were and showed us how to get where we wanted to be.
   
   The maps are really top quality and easy to use. The book really does cover all of the country from the mountains to the beaches. There are some city maps for just the major cites and then they only show the key roads - but it really is enough to get you around. I used this book in 2004 - and I am not sure if there are any newer editions out there. In India this book is easy to find if you cannot locate a copy in your home country.
   
   I totally recommend this as an added book to carry on your journey to India.

5 comments about When Heaven & Earth Changed Places.

1. Not having lived a very memorable life, my own writing has leaned toward fiction. Nevertheless, I tend to judge memoirs--and this is a good one--by the same standards I use for great literary fiction. One of those standards is the opener, or first line, in this case, "SUFFOCATE HER!" the midwife told my mother when I came into the world.
   
   This is what we in the business call a 'zinger,' the equal of Camus' "Mother died today." or Melville's "Call me Ishmael." What a beginning! On trial for her life right from the git-go. This opener effectively signalled the continuous trials and potential consequences Le Ly would face for the rest of her life. She would have to come from stern stock if she were to survive, and her mother held her genetic end up with her smokin' response to the midwife, "I will bury her when she stops breathing. Now get out of here."
   
   I have been a student of the Vietnam War since I first joined the Army as a chopper pilot in 1967--ironic because I've never set foot in that unfortunate land. I suppose I'm motivated by survivor's guilt. Anyway, Le Ly's fine memoir anchors a good bit of my newly won understanding of that longest and strangest of American wars. Coming from a Republican military family and growing up in the Cold War as I did, I believed at the time that everybody knew about and accepted the Domino Theory. And with my father a Korean War veteran (as well as WWII and Vietnam) I believed that any communists that were brazen enough to encroach from the north could be pushed back with a proper dose of American military muscle. I served in S. Korea myself many years after that war and things seemed to be plugging along rather nicely, thus preserving in my mind the validity of the Domino Theory. Then came Vietnam and the awful realization that we were not invincible. Hell, we got our butts kicked! Initial study from an unbiased source--General Westmoreland--suggested that America didn't lose the war, the South Vietnamese did. And he was right in a sense. Marvin the ARVN was quite content to sit back and let Joe slug it out with the VC and the NVA. I couldn't understand this. How could they take such a lackadaisical attitude about the fate of their nation when they had so much at stake? Did this mean they were for communism??? How could anybody with half a brain be FOR communism? I am not and never have been a practicioner of 'Jane Fonda logic' wherein if America makes a few mistakes, then the injured party must be lily-white, Q.E.D. I could see what rats the VC and NVA were. I knew they were just a front for a repressive dictatorship. Why couldn't the South Vietnamese see that? I was baffled.
   
   Well, along comes a nice lady with the incongruous name of Le Ly Hayslip, who writes a book about those very South Vietnamese who didn't care about their government, or their nation (at least as we Americans tried to define it for them), or to my great surprise, communism or democracy or freedom (again as we defined that term). All they really cared about was getting the rice crop in and raising a few sons to do the same. Then the VC came into their village and beat everybody up, so they felt obliged to follow communism. Most of them didn't really know what that meant, but if the VC would stop beating them up, they'd learn a few songs and dig a few bunkers, then get back to the rice crop. The VC would leave and the Vietnamese Republicans would come in and beat them up again. So they were obliged to pay a few bribes and act 'patriotic' so the new bully would go away and again they could get back to the rice crop. This bizarre pattern only seemed normal to them. Throughout their recent past they had always been plagued by one bully or another--the French with their Morrocan allies, the VC, the NVA, the Republicans, the Americans--they were all the same to them. There was always somebody trying to get between them and their rice paddies. Deep down inside they were as apolitical as the grains of rice they were so diligently trying to harvest. You can eat rice. you can't eat dogma. The rice had fed them for generations. The VC et al. only fed them baloney. I get it now, Le Ly. Thank you.
   
   --Ejner Fulsang, author of "A Knavish Piece of Work." Aarhus Publishing, 2006



2. Le Ly Hayslip has gone through one of the worst wars in American history. And she has lived. Past the rape, past the sexual inequality, past the emotional destruction of her family, past the threats and brushes with death. Le Ly Hayslip now is an accomplished author and owns several real estates throughout California.
   
   This is a powerful memoir and I will not rob it of that. However, the only reason I gave it 3 stars (an "It was OK" rating) instead of 4 is because I feel that Hayslip could have cut out about... maybe 1/6th of the book out and nothing will have been missed. Not that it didn't relate to the story, but Hayslip does occasionally go off about this or that, her re-arrival back to Vietnam as an adult also heads towards the digressing end of the spectrum a lot of time and sometimes she goes from reporting her troubles and potential sympathy to just plain whining. Perfect for the college kid looking to dig as much quotes and intangibles to write an essay (as was I) but as a reader I felt it was too much.
   
   Overall, still an excellent read.



3. An honestly told story by an author able to see both sides. This is a also a story of forgiveness. Her story is a heroic journey and the author gives the reader a perspective into the many ways the Vietnam War has affected Americans and Vietnamese Americans.



4. Recommended by my Vietnamese tour guide in October 2007, this book describes the dreadful plight of those Vietnamese families living on the border between North and South Vietnam in what the Vietnamese term the "American War". During the day, the villagers had to demonstrate allegiance to the South and at night the VC demanded their loyalty. The families would not leave their land as their ancestors are buried there. The authors, Le Ly Hayslip and her son James, describe her experiences in surviving the hell imposed upon her family by the opposing forces and her eventual emigration to the USA. The sequel, "Child of War, Woman of Peace", describes the difficulties she experienced as a Vietnamese in the USA.



5. This book is a page-turner, an amazing non-fictional look at the lives of people caught between the southern regime and the Viet Cong during the Viet Nam conflict. The protagonist herself gives an intimate view of her life that is too strange to believe.

5 comments about Ancient Angkor (River Book Guides).

1. A lovingly prepared compilation of superb color photographs, maps, history and scholarly explanations of the major world monument that is Angkor Wat. The authors thoughtfully include suggested itineraries ( ranging from one to six days ), sites ranked by interest, peak times and locations for photographing and even helpful suggestions for accomodations. A must for planning a visit to Angkor Wat or for preserving memories.



2. This book is a fantastic combination of pictures and facts for people wanting to visit the Angkor temples. The pictures stir the imagination and the text provides the facts to go with the pictures.

   In fact I recently used this book as my guide while visiting Angkor. It provides a section for each of the most-visited temples and will also give you information on suggested time to put aside for each visit and the best time to go. In fact, my guide at Angkor said this was the best guide book he had seen, and I saw other people using this same book to guide themselves around the temples like I did.

   This book provides suggested itineries to the temples and the best times to visist for photography. whether you can actually manage to combine the two is debatable on a short visit. The books main downfall is not its content, but its weight which is quite heavy because of the good quality paper used.

   The climate (extremely hot and humid - air conditioning is a worthwhile investment) can make visiting these monuments as trial at times, but they are worth the effort. All the buildings are unique, covered in exquiste carvings (which books can only hint at) and original. Some are still partly swallowed by the jungle. Straight out of indiana Jones.

   Get this book, let your imagination wander and visit these amazing ruins if you can before too many other tourists turn up - for they are a world wonder not to be missed. And don't forget your camera - these are places begging to be photographed.




3. This book will guide you step by step (literally) through the magnificant temples of Angkor. And even if you weren't planning to go, you will want to for sure, after viewing Michael Freeman's superb photographs and reading Claude Jacques' expert commentary.

   No matter where you wander on the very large site of Angkor, Freeman and Jacques are right alongside you, suggesting places to look and explaining what you are looking at. There are maps and temple plans, a glossary, and an index. For visitors with limited time, the suggested itineraries (from one to seven days' length) will let you make the most of your visit.

   The book is especially helpful for photographers. Freeman, who has photographed professionaly at Angkor for over a decade, describes the best vantage points and subjects, suggests the best time of day to shoot, and provides itineraries that take you to each location just when the light is best.

   The book is well designed and contains many helpful features. For example, a cross-referenced list of architectural features and mythological scenes makes it easy to locate temples that contain whatever the visitor is most interested in seeing.

   In short, carrying this book with you is like having an expert photographer and historian as personal guides during your visit to Angkor. You probably won't even need to engage an actual guide, unless you want to pick up a bit of local color; everything you need is right there in the book.




4. Claude Jacques is an expert on Angkor, and has studied its history for 30 years. Photographer Michael Freeman has been taking pictures of Angkor for over 15 years. Together Ancient Angkor is the product of a partnership that has yielded over 350 color illustrations, and a well-written guide to the ruins of Angkor.
   
   Included are detailed plans and descriptions,[even of lesser known temples not found in other guides]. The book is well thought-out -with suggestions of various itineraries, and information on hotels and other items pertaining to travel . This serves not only as a great tourist guide for travellers planning a trip to the ancient ruins but also a great book for armchair travellers with lush color illustrations and meticulous descriptions.



5. Buying this terrific Angkor temple guide book does not mean you shouldn't hire a licensed Khmer guide (not to be confused with a driver, who are not allowed to take tourists inside the temples) because the guides are schooled in the history of the temples, are fluent in a particular foreign language, able to advise on shopping, touring the countryside, cultural tours, but can take you to see temples when the light is best, the crowds the smallest & then explain what you are seeing. Buy this book, figure out what temples you want to see, read the history section & the sections on the temples you're going to see. Once you return, reread the sections on the temples you've seen, as it will give you a greater enjoyment of the incredible artistry & majesty of Ancient Angkor. This book does not replace a licensed guide, it enhances the experience. I also recommend Dawn Rooney's book because she writes about remote temples that are not in this book & in more detail, but I found her floor plans confusing.

2 comments about Let's Go India & Nepal 8th Ed (Let's Go India and Nepal).

1. When I was about to leave for an 8-month assignment to New Delhi, I went to my local book store to buy Lonely Planet's guide to the country. But unfortunately (or fortunately) the store only had this book instead.
   
   After reading it -- or more like browsing through -- and experiencing the country, I've found that the guide's very informative and spot on. The thing that I found to be most helpful is about the Indian culture and the street life. These are especially important if you intend on taking to the streets, where you'll see that anything is possible.
   
   The prices mentioned in the book tend to be a bit off, but not that much.
   
   The book also has a lot of humor without losing focus, and also more entertaining than the Lonely Planet book I have (Central Europe)..
   
   Now I'm off to look for the France version.
   
   Highly recommended!



2. After winding up pretty much abandoned in NWesn India (long story), my copy of Let's Go: India was my bible. Their writers are accurate, observant, pithy and ballsy. The info's good, the recommendations excellent and *they're funny* which I cannot say for any of the Lonely Planet guides I've read.
   
   Let's Go is a book for a budget traveler -- there are some higher-end listings but you won't find Bangkok's Taj Mahal hotel listed. Instead, you'll find tiny guesthouses run by tiny women overflowing with personality and good advice -- who can paint your hands with hemp, teach you the fine points of Bollywood cinema or take you sari-shopping.
   
   I used Let's Go throughout Rajastan and Gujurat as well as in Bombay/Mumbai. It was so good that I've taken versions to Peru, London, Thailand, Malaysia and Italy. I recommend the entire series.

5 comments about River of Colour the India of Raghubir Singh.

1. India is a difficult country to understand and even more difficult to explain, in words or pictures! Rughubir Singh has captured the chaos of India which take you right into the bylanes of Varanasi/Banaras. This is my favourite(infact the only picture book) gift to a lot of my western friends, most of whom have visited India before. The pictures are simply too powerful. If you have any facination for that land, you cant afford not to have a look at Mr. Singh's pictures.



2. I first bought this book in its paperback edition... I was so taken by the photographs that on learning that Phaidon was re-releasing the book, I gave my pbk copy to an Indian friend of mine (who loves it, as it reminds him of home). Looking forward to the re-release of this book, I was eagerly looking for it to become available.
   
   The re-release arrived just the other day. I can say that the photos are just as moving, heart-melting, and colorful as the original copy. HOWEVER, Amazon's "shrink-wraping process" ruined the cover of the book, and many of the pages of the book.
   
   So, I paid full Amazon price for the book, but were I to try to re-sell it, it would be "damaged."
   
   To say that I'm a little piss#d is an understatement.
   
   It _is_ a beautiful book, with a wonderful overview of Singh's work - my favorites are the boys diving from the tops of submerged temples on a flooded Ganges, and a pic of a muscician from Tamil Nadu...
   
   I just wish the condition of the book were better.



3. Raghubir Singh was born in India and began his photography career in 1965 - but until this collection, very few of his works reached audiences outside the country. RIVER OF COLOUR: THE INDIA OF RAGHUBIR SINGH uses a wide-angle panoramic layout which will prove a shelving challenge to most art library collections - but a delight to any who seek fine display materials. It's the only retrospective of Singh's works and by choosing an elongated, oversized display format, the color photos of Indian topics come to life and nearly spring off the page. RIVER OF COLOUR is recommended not just for art photography libraries, but for any collection strong on India history or culture.



4. Raghubir Singh's River of Colour is a book that beautiful in many ways. Not only was he a very talented photographer, he also brings out a tremendous sense of patriotism with his book. His photographs capture the essence of Indian culture.



5. I was given this book (softcover edition) by a friend some years ago, and it has resonated with me as one of the finest compilations of documentary photography on India. Raghubir Singh's photograph captures moments in the lives of ordinary Indians, in a way that is without a doubt timeless. This book is a collection of his best works from his many years of photography in India and it's simply a marvel, especially for anyone who has a special interest in India or comes from India, who can really appreciate the imagery.
   
   I hands down recommend this book to anyone and everyone and always show it off to friends. Try and get some of his other works as well - Bombay, The Grand Trunk Road, Kerala, Banares, Kashmir, if you can find them. You will be equally impressed.

1 comments about The Ganges.

1. The Ganges is the fascinating and informative personal story of one man's pilgrimage along the famous and revered river Ganges, ranging from it's sources in the Himalaya mountains to its ultimate destination in the Bay of Bengal. 123 impressive, unforgettable color photographs enhance a deeply engaging text by contemporary photographer Raghubir Singh. Both image and commentary blend to document Singh's undeniable eye for detail, and fill the 192-pages this remarkable travelogue and memorable tribute to a timeless and sacred river.