Rumi's forty rules of love

Many have  heard Elif Shafak speak on TED and become inspired but not many read this book

The Forty Rules of Love

by Elif Shafak

229 Pages, Penguin Group

Genre: Fiction

Ella Rubinstein, a loving mother of three and wife for forty years files for divorce suddenly after she reads a manuscript called "Sweet Blasphemy" by A.A. Zahara sent to the literary agency where she works. Is it possible to fall in love via email, so much so that you are willing to risk it all? What triggers Ella who leaves her husband and grown up children and her comfortable home, family and friends – to leave everything and everyone and move out of her comfort zone though she still loves them? What are the forty rules of love? Elif Shafak asks and answers these questions and much more in her beautifully written novel, "The Forty Rules of Love."

From Baghdad of the 13th century to Massachusetts of the 21st century, the author flits in and out narrating a wonderful tale that holds true for today. As readers, we are made to realize not much has changed in 800 years in the mental makeup of the people of the world. In fact, we need the forty rules of love now more than ever as religiosity and spirituality are assumed to be the same when it is not.

Elif Shafak is a Turkish American author. Her writing style is smart as the story is narrated with a varying pace – it slows down when you need to reflect and picks up speed when you wish to learn what happened next! It is almost like the author is there helping you as you read her book. The multiple points of view of the characters doesn’t confuse the reader and works to advance the story providing insights that are unique. 

This is an inspiring book for all people from any part of the world as it breaks down barriers and brings in better understanding. I cannot think of a better way to start the New Year except by reading this book.

© 2014 by Deepa Kandaswamy

To buy the book go here  

I am Malala

The Noble Prize winner who is talked about a lot but whose book many didn't read - so here is the review

I am Malala: The Girl who stood up for Education and was shot by the Taliban
By Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb.
320 pages, Orion Publishing Group
Available in different formats.
Genre: Non-fiction

Are you aware of the struggle a girl has to go through in North West Frontier Province of Pakistan to get an education? Why was Malala shot? Who exactly are the Taliban? What do you know of Swat valley and the people who live in it? These are some of the questions asked and answered by Ms. Yousafzai in her amazing book, I am Malala.

From a child seated on the lap of her father listening to him and his friends talking politics and education in the Swat Valley before the Taliban to being operated in a hospital in Birmingham, to grilling Pakistan General Kayani about why the army was unsuccessful in capturing Fazlullah to being just a teenager in school who is competitive in class and enjoying picnics with her friends, the narrative of Malala spans decades of political history intermixed with her story laced with humor. It is hard to believe she is just 16 years old as the penmanship is that of a mature political analyst who understands what is going on and is trying her best to explain it to others. Maybe this is because of co-author Christina Lamb who is a veteran journalist covering Pakistan and Afghanistan for decades. Most importantly, it is amazing to see what she has gone through for education and will definitely inspire school drop outs, to think again as many take education for granted in other countries. Throughout the book, her fearless attitude towards the Taliban and her love for her parents shines through, especially for her father.

The style of writing is no nonsense but the prologue sets the mood and tone for the rest of the book as even the most hardened person on Earth will be moved by it. The book's title is Malala's answer to the Taliban. The book is insightful, informative rich with history but more importantly tells the story of a people whose story has not been read and puts a face to people who are just termed "Pashtuns" and to places "Swat Valley" and "North West Frontier Province" which are subjected to American drone attacks. She even explains why Pashtuns don't say thank you as it is just a phrase and they believe kindness should be reciprocated through action and not just words.

Malala Yousafzai is clear about what she wants - education for all but more importantly has a vision for the future of Pakistan and hope she gets to go back and fulfill it as she is no flash in the pan and is a world figure to contend with in the years to come. I truly believe if there is anyone in the world who can defeat the Taliban, it is this girl and girls like her in Pakistan. A must read book.

© 2013 by Deepa Kandaswamy

Buy her books here  

Back again with a Vengance

Hi, it has been years since I posted on this blog. Life caught up meanwhile :)

And the Mountains Echoed
By Khaled Hosseni
216 pages
Genre - Fiction



What would you have done if as a child, you were forcefully separated from the only person you truly loved? How would you react if the people who caused the separation were your own father and uncle? Would you look for the person you lost when you grew up? Would you even remember as you were only a child yourself when the separation happened? Khaled Hosseni asks and answers this and much more in his beautifully crafted novel, “And the Mountains Echoed.”
From the villages of pre-Taliban Afghanistan to the romantic streets of Paris during the hippie days, from a small island in Greece to the sunny restaurants in California, Hosseni tells a powerful story of love and fear, expectation and hope that spans over 60 years in the life of Pari and Abdullah, and through them the ordinary Afghan people and all the others who came into Afghanistan during that time.
The style of writing is simple, elegant, straightforward and unpredictably beautiful. The multiple points of view used works to the advantage as the author slips easily from the Afghan to the Greek, man to woman effortlessly. What is extremely uncanny is it is as if Hosseini can read the soul and mind of a woman! Momentarily, you forget the author is a man until his male characters begin to speak as the story moves forward. The narrator catches you by surprise at every turn at the same time shows the emotional vulnerability of the characters that kills the stereotype most of us use when we think of Afghans and Afghanistan. It also tears apart the stereotype the media feeds us with about Muslims and NATO workers in Afghanistan.
The book is extremely insightful and makes the reader emotionally vulnerable to the various characters and not just one, a rare feat performed with a lack of drama that almost borders on humility that makes this book outstanding. A highly recommended read if only for the simple reason it makes you more humane.

© 2013 by Deepa Kandaswamy

Buy the book here