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The elegant and compelling novel about a Pakistani man's abandonment of his high-flying life in New York—an extraordinary portrait of a divided and yet ultimately indivisible world in America post-9/11.
At a café table in Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with an uneasy American stranger. He begins to tell the story of a man named Changez, who is living an immigrant's dream of America. At the top of his class at Princeton, he is snapped up by an elite valuation firm. He thrives on the energy of New York, and his budding romance with elegant, beautiful Erica promises entry into Manhattan society at the same exalted level once occupied by his own family back in Lahore. But in the wake of September 11, Changez finds his position in his adopted city suddenly overturned, and his relationship with Erica shifting. And Changez's own identity is in seismic shift as well, unearthing allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and maybe even love.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Awards
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Release date
April 3, 2007 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780156033121
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780156033121
- File size: 1049 KB
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- ATOS Level: 8
- Interest Level: 9-12(UG)
- Text Difficulty: 6
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Reviews
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December 11, 2006
Hamid's second book (after Moth
\t\t Smoke) is an intelligent and absorbing 9/11 novel, written from the
\t\t perspective of Changez, a young Pakistani whose sympathies, despite his fervid
\t\t immigrant embrace of America, lie with the attackers. The book unfolds as a
\t\t monologue that Changez delivers to a mysterious American operative over dinner
\t\t at a Lahore, Pakistan, cafe. Pre-9/11, Princeton graduate Changez is on top of
\t\t the world: recruited by an elite New York financial company, the 22-year-old
\t\t quickly earns accolades from his hard-charging supervisor, plunges into
\t\t Manhattan's hip social whirl and becomes infatuated with Erica, a fellow
\t\t Princeton graduate pining for her dead boyfriend. But after the towers fall,
\t\t Changez is subject to intensified scrutiny and physical threats, and his
\t\t co-workers become markedly less affable as his beard grows in ("a form of
\t\t protest," he says). Erica is committed to a mental institution, and Changez,
\t\t upset by his adopted country's "growing and self-righteous rage," slacks off at
\t\t work and is fired. Despite his off-putting commentary, the damaged Changez
\t\t comes off as honest and thoughtful, and his creator handles him with a
\t\t sympathetic grace. -
May 28, 2007
Hamid grabs hold of the American Dream as seen through the eyes of a young Princeton grad from Pakistan in a post-9/11 world. As the protagonist, Changez, finds moderate business success and romantic love in New York City, his heritage and identity will be lost in a sea of subtle and blatant bigotry as well as international politics. In relating this journey from loving to loathing of all things American, Changez speaks to a nameless and speechless American whom he encounters in the marketplace of his home city, Lahore, Pakistan. Bhabha’s English-influenced Pakistani accent proves soothing and inviting for listeners. His gentle demeanor captures the courteous and polite manner of Changez. His American accent comes in the form of a Midwestern accent with a confident—almost arrogant—lilt. He lapses when it comes to vocalizing women. Though lighter, his voice exudes a stoic resonance instead of a feminine one. But the casual tone of Changez telling his life story translates perfectly with the help of Bhabha’s velvet voice. Simultaneous release with the Harcourt hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 11).
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