Synopses & Reviews
Awais Reza is a shopkeeper in Lahore's Anarkali Bazaar the largest open market in South Asia whose labyrinthine streets teem with shoppers, rickshaws, and cacophonous music.
But Anarkali's exuberant hubbub cannot conceal the fact that Pakistan is a country at the edge of a precipice. In recent years, the easy sociability that had once made up this vibrant community has been replaced with doubt and fear. Old-timers like Awais, who inherited his shop from his father and hopes one day to pass it on to his son, are being shouldered aside by easy money, discount stores, heroin peddlers, and the tyranny of fundamentalists.
Every night before Awais goes to bed, he plugs in his cell phone and hopes. He hopes that the city will not be plunged into a blackout, that the night will remain calm, that the following morning will bring affluent and happy customers to his shop and, most of all, that his three sons will safely return home. Each of the boys, though, has a very different vision of their, and Pakistans, future.
The Bargain from the Bazaar the product of eight years of field research is an intimate window onto ordinary middle-class lives caught in the maelstrom of a nation falling to pieces. Its an absolutely compelling portrait of a family at risk from a violently changing world on the outside and a growing terror from within.
Review
"As a long-time scholar, diplomat and writer on South Asia, Haroon Ullah understands the complexities of modern South Asia. In The Bargain from The Bazaar he takes us back to the most romanticized corner of Lahore to show how generational change requires us to shift our focus in understanding modern Pakistan. Neither the lens of Partition nor tensions with India capture the country's profound internal transformations as it grasps for stability. This powerful and gripping account of a family struggle in the middle of chaos fills the void. A must read for anyone." -Reza Aslan, author of No god but God and Zealot
In The Bargain from The Bazaar, Haron Ullah has narrated a fascinating portrait of a family set against the backdrop of Pakistan's history and politics. A stunning debut.” Ziauddin Yousafzai, father of Malala Yousafzai, best-selling author of I am Malala
The Bargain from The Bazaar is simply remarkable. There is no other way to describe it. Haroon Ullah's deep understanding of the South Asian culture and his masterful story telling makes this book a masterpiece. Through Haroon Ullah's vivid imagery, I was again transported back to the streets that I once frequented. I knew these people, I know these people. This book is a reminder of the struggles people face every day in that part of the world. Haroon Ullah has done an amazing job of telling their story. Bravo!” Faran Tahir, CEO of Javelin Media and Hollywood actor/star in Star Trek, Iron Man and Elysium
In The Bargain from The Bazaar, Haroon Ullah, one of the best young scholars and frontline diplomats in tumultuous South Asia, takes us back to the most romanticized corner of Lahore to show how generational change requires us to shift our focus in understanding modern Pakistan. Neither the lens of Partition nor tensions with India capture the country's profound internal transformations as it grasps for stability. This powerful story fills the void.” Parag Khanna, author ofThe Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order
We finally have a senior Pakistani-American diplomat commenting on the explosive interaction between the state, democracy and religion in a Muslim country. And Haroon Ullah delivers. He offers an insightful and nuanced perspective that benefits from his deep knowledge and experience of the field. As nothing can be more important to the US than to build bridges with the Muslim world, this book is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand a major Muslim country like Pakistan and the challenges it faces today.” Ambassador Akbar Ahmed Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University, Washington, DC and former Pakistan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
The Bargain from the Bazaar' is an epic novel of family life in contemporary Pakistan from a fresh, sure voice. I read this novel in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it.”Eboo Patel, author Acts of Faith and Sacred Ground
Haroon Ullah has crafted a masterful story that epitomises the ideological tussle of modern Pakistan. Through the eyes of a middle-class family in Lahore, Ullah captures the everyday struggles between families and generations, set against the background of a crumbling state. In a vivid portrayal of Pakistani life, Ullahs story weighs the human quest for identity against the deepest divisions in the nations social, economic and political order.
Ullahs novel is haunting and gripping. His descriptions of Pakistans tumultuous governance befit an accomplished scholar and native son. A must-read for any hoping to understand the depth of divisions in Pakistani cultureand the human cost of radicalization.” Sajjad Karim, member of the European Parliament
Review
As a longtime scholar, diplomat, and writer on South Asia, Haroon Ullah understands the complexities of modern South Asia. In The Bargain from the Bazaar, he takes us back to the most romanticized corner of Lahore to show how generational change requires us to shift our focus in understanding modern Pakistan. Neither the lens of Partition nor tensions with India capture the countrys profound internal transformations as it grasps for stability. This powerful and gripping account of a family struggle in the middle of chaos fills the void. A must-read for anyone.” -
Reza Aslan, author of No god but God and ZealotIn The Bargain from The Bazaar, Haroon Ullah has narrated a fascinating portrait of a family set against the backdrop of Pakistan's history and politics. Malala and I both so enjoyed this stunning debut that brings to light so many of the issues that she has devoted her life to seeing exposed and resolved.” Ziauddin Yousafzai, father of Malala Yousafzai, best-selling author of I am Malala
Ullah intimately examines the effects of America's War on Terror on the everyday people of Pakistan through the story of one family living and working in Lahore
.Using a sharp journalistic eye, Ullah brings the bustle of Lahore and its market to life. He manages to quietly convey America's role in the conditions facing this long-troubled country without becoming preachy or needlessly partisan. Ullah is more interested in the common Pakistani experience and he makes these moments shine
These instances powerfully demystify Pakistan for western audiences.”Publishers Weekly starred review
[A] highly readable narrative
.Ullahs straightforward depiction of bravery, love, and hard and illuminating truths about contemporary Pakistana shaky nation that might just hold the key to victory over the superpowers of terror”makes this an excellent book-club choice.” Booklist
The Bargain from The Bazaar is simply remarkable. There is no other way to describe it. Haroon Ullah's deep understanding of the South Asian culture and his masterful story telling makes this book a masterpiece. Through Haroon Ullah's vivid imagery, I was again transported back to the streets that I once frequented. I knew these people, I know these people. This book is a reminder of the struggles people face every day in that part of the world. Haroon Ullah has done an amazing job of telling their story. Bravo!” Faran Tahir, CEO of Javelin Media and Hollywood actor/star in Star Trek, Iron Man and Elysium
"In The Bargain Bazaar, Haroon Ullah delivers a moving portrait of a family struggling amidst the chaos of living in Pakistan. Ullah's rich storytelling brings the setting to life and helps to illuminate the country's complex history and politics. A wonderful debut from a promising young scholar."Jared Cohen, founder and director of Google Ideas and author of The New Digital
Synopsis
The story of one struggling middle-class Pakistani family, compellingly narrated by a young scholar and diplomat who has observed the traumas of the region firsthand.
As a young boy, Awais Reza's family moved from Indian Kashmir to Lahore in Pakistan after Partition. Now middle-aged, Awais is a shopkeeper in the Anarkali Bazaar. Married, with three sons, he looks back on his journey from idealistic young nationalist to increasingly watchful and anxious member of the mercantile class at the heart of Pakistani life. Awais's eldest son has drifted, but returned to help his father run the shop; the middle one is involved in radical Islamist politics; and the youngest is a law student who believes that a secular future is Pakistan's last and only hope. Their lives unfold against an increasingly turbulent and violent background as suicide bombers enter the life of urban Lahore with devastating consequences.
Haroon K. Ullah's portrait of a middle class family oppressed by a state falling apart around them is a remarkable piece of storytelling. Radical Islam is confronted not only in distant mountain passes by the armed forces, but most personally and tellingly across the kitchen table as families like the Rezas debate their future.
Synopsis
A lively, up-to-date investigation of the expanding influence of social media in the Islamic world
Synopsis
The role of social media in the events of the Arab Spring and its aftermath in the Muslim world has stimulated much debate, yet little in the way of useful insight. Now Haroon Ullah, a scholar and diplomat with deep knowledge of politics and societies in the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, draws the first clear picture of the unprecedented impact of Twitter, Facebook, and other means of online communication on the recent revolutions that blazed across Muslim nations.
The author carefully analyzes the growth of social media throughout the Muslim world, tracing how various organizations learned to employ such digital tools to grow networks, recruit volunteers, and disseminate messages. In Egypt, where young people rose against the regime; in Pakistan, where the youth fought against the intelligence and military establishments; and in Syria, where underground Islamists had to switch alliances, digital communications played key roles. Ullah demonstrates how social media have profoundly changed relationships between regimes and voters, though not always for the better. Looking forward he identifies trends across the Muslim world and the implications of these for regional and international politics.
About the Author
Haroon K. Ullah is an American scholar, diplomat, and field researcher specializing in South Asia and the Middle East. He grew up in a farming community in Washington state and was trained at Harvard Universityand#8217;s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he served as a senior fellow and completed his MPA and PhD. He was a William J. Fulbright Fellow, a Harvard University Presidential Scholar, and a National Security Education Program Fellow. Haroon served on the staffs of Richard Holbrooke and Secretary John Kerry and is currently a Senior Advisor at the U.S. State Department, where he focuses on public diplomacy and countering violent extremism.