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More copies of this ISBN:Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy, and the Westby Benazir Bhutto
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan in October 2007, after eight years of exile, hopeful that she could be a catalyst for change. Upon a tumultuous reception, she survived a suicide-bomb attack that killed nearly two hundred of her countrymen. But she continued to forge ahead, with more courage and conviction than ever, since she knew that time was running out — for the future of her nation, and for her life. In Reconciliation, Bhutto recounts in gripping detail her final months in Pakistan and offers a bold new agenda for how to stem the tide of Islamic radicalism and to rediscover the values of tolerance and justice that lie at the heart of her religion. With extremist Islam on the rise throughout the world, the peaceful, pluralistic message of Islam has been exploited and manipulated by fanatics. Bhutto persuasively argues that America and Britain are fueling this turn toward radicalization by supporting groups that serve only short-term interests. She believed that by enabling dictators, the West was actually contributing to the frustration and extremism that lead to terrorism. With her experience governing Pakistan and living and studying in the West, Benazir Bhutto was versed in the complexities of the conflict from both sides. She was a renaissance woman who offered a way out. In this riveting and deeply insightful book, Bhutto explores the complicated history between the Middle East and the West. She traces the roots of international terrorism across the world, including American support for Pakistani general Zia-ul-Haq, who destroyed political parties, eliminated an independent judiciary, marginalized NGOs, suspended the protection of human rights, and aligned Pakistani intelligence agencies with the most radical elements of the Afghan mujahideen. She speaks out not just to the West, but to the Muslims across the globe who are at a crossroads between the past and the future, between education and ignorance, between peace and terrorism, and between dictatorship and democracy. Democracy and Islam are not incompatible, and the clash between Islam and the West is not inevitable. Bhutto presents an image of modern Islam that defies the negative caricatures often seen in the West. After reading this book, it will become even clearer what the world has lost by her assassination. Review:"There are some things only the dead can get away with saying, and some deaths speak more powerfully than anything the living can write. This book, finished just before its author was assassinated in Pakistan in December, sends out an urgent warning to her fellow Muslims and to Western democratic powers — a warning one hopes may now find greater resonance with both audiences. Benazir... Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review) Book News Annotation:Apparently finished in the days just prior to her assassination, not
to mention in anticipation of her US-sponsored return to power in
Pakistan, this book by former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto addresses
Western audiences in an effort to dispel misconceptions about Islam,
the role of Islam in politics and its compatibility with democracy,
and the strategies of the US "War on Terror." She discusses the
history and practice of democracy around the Islamic world,
particularly noting Western policies that have undermined democracy,
such as the overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mossadegh in 1953, or
US support for the Pakistani military dictatorship of Muhammad
Zia-ul-Haq (who had her father executed in 1979). In the end, she
denies that a "clash of civilizations" is inevitable and calls for a
host of policy changes designed to preclude that possibility.
Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Review:"If Ms. Bhutto's own life reads like a Greek tragedy, she was nonetheless a very modern politician, and the book she has written is part manifesto, part spin job, part selective history and part term-paper analysis." Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times Review:"[T]he book is — like the woman — alternately fascinating, frustrating and opaque in a dodgy sort of way." The Los Angeles Times Review:"Despite its flaws of self-indulgence and omission, this book contains a larger truth. Islam does need to find its place as a moderate guiding force for millions of followers in the modern world, instead of being stolen by jihadists and written off as the religion of suicide bombers." The Washington Post Book World Review:"This is a courageous and powerful answer to hatred and intolerance, written by an extraordinary woman. Reading Benazir Bhutto's Reconciliation shows just how much we lost with her death. You'll finish it and mourn for what might have been." Arianna Huffington Review:"It is impossible to understand today's world without knowing Pakistan; and impossible to understand Pakistan without reading this book. A courageous woman — tragically killed — speaks to us of reconciliation. We owe it to her — and to ourselves — to listen, comprehend, and act." Madeleine Albright Review:"Benazir Bhutto's book is a powerful and insightful analysis of the formidable challenges that confronted an extraordinary woman who paid the ultimate price for daring to attempt to bring democracy to Pakistan. President Kennedy would have called her a Profile in Courage." Ted Kennedy Review:"This book is an eloquent reflection of traits which defined the life of Benazir Bhutto — an unshakable optimism about the future, a firm belief in the power of dialogue, and a commitment to democracy. The strength of her message of hope underscores how much was lost in her tragic death." Nancy Pelosi Synopsis:Before her untimely death, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan wrote of the rapidly growing tension between Islam and the West. Reconciliation offers a realistic overview of ways to bridge the cultural, political, and economic chasms that separate these differing cultures. About the AuthorBenazir Bhutto was the prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996, and the chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party. Born in 1953 in Karachi, Bhutto was the first woman ever to lead a Muslim state. She lived in exile since 1999 and had returned to Pakistan in October 2007, two months before her assassination. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
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