Jason Burke on Islamic Militancy

Just because he's an amazing knowledgeable journalist:

Jason Burke interview

I read Giles Keppel at SOAS so I remember the book well. I haven't read the revised edition which came out post 9-11.

Ruthven is incredible on the Muslim Brotherhood, and again read another one of his books at SOAS. I have not read A Fury for God, but will get round to it.

Heghammer's Jihad in Saudi Arabia is exactly the type of measured commentary and analysis we should all read to understand islamic militancy. I wonder if he will explore Jihadists in Pakistan or other areas. Would be interesting to see the parallels and contrasts.

I read The Secret Agent after I had read A Heart of Darkness by J Conrad. I do agree with Jason Burke that the book reveals how the psyche of ideologies work. Extremists/militants/whateverists aren't very often groups of individuals who are well organised or slick in their execution of tasks or capabilites. All too often, they are groups of amateurs who are motivated by a passion for a cause.

Philip Roth is not going to walk into a bookstore and see his work in the 'Jewish Male' section.

I think the above quote from the Performance Poet and bestselling author: Sapphire is so true.

The amount of times I walk into a bookshop and roll my eyes at all the "categories" that exist; which actually don't help me as a book reader. Why should I have to look for a book by Alex Wheatle or Courttia Newland in the "black fiction" area. What the hell is "black fiction?"

These "labels" are not helpful and as my friend Helen Ayinde says: extremely divisive. I think it's acceptable to have areas determined by subject but to determine bookstore shelves along sexual orientation or ethnic categories is just pointless. I don't read books because I am a British Asian of Indo-Bangladeshi heritage, nor do I read books because my faith is Islamic. I read because I fucking love books! I don't want to be "steered" to an area of books in a book shop where the authors may have the same skin colour or tone or religious beliefs as me. I want to read about the European Enlightenment, about Henrietta Lacks (awesome book by the way by Rebecca Skloot "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks), and about Caitlin Moran telling me "How to be a Woman." I don't want to necessarily read Roy's "The God of Small Things" or Jhumpha Lahiri's "The Namesake," (both absolute amazing books); I just want to have all my choices available to me when I walk into a book shop.

That is what I find most offensive about book shop categorisations: if you are telling me that all the black authors or all the LGBT or vertically-challenged or diet-phobic fiction is only available to me in the dark nether regions of the shop, what you are actually doing is judging me for my choice of reading. I am being judged because I want to read about a young illiterate black girl who is horrifically abused (Push by Sapphire) or a young American-Bengali boy trying to fit into american culture (The Namesake by Jhumpha Lahiri). I won't be judged if I want to read Stephen King or Lee Childs or James Patterson.

I have to say that as an Amazon downloader (independent bookshops - please don't hate me), they too are guilty of categorising fiction by ethnic or sexual orientation. I am not sure who these categorisations actually help or benefit. I don't have any white friends who announce "I am going to buy some black fiction today," and promptly march to the nearest Waterstones and demand to be shown to the black fiction section.

Books are all about removing those labels and categories. Books are open sources of information and entertainment. Ghettoising certain books is restrictive and just adds to the PC brigade's armoury of ever-more foolishness.

Sapphire

Forthcoming reviews

I have been meaning to get around to list my forthcoming reviews, however time stands still for no WO-man and I've only just got around to doing this! As Loretta Young once said: "A charming woman is a busy woman."

So below is a list of books which I have either read and yet to post a review or neither read or reviewed:

• Ken Follett's "A Dangerous Fortune"
• Michelle Lovric's "Book of Human Skin"
• Rafik Schiami's "The Dark Side of Love"
• Lola Shoneyin's "The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives" 
• concluding review of GRRM's "A Dance with Dragons"

I could list more books, but these are the ones which have really grabbed my attention this year. I read Shiami's The Dark Side of Love last year and I was bowled over by the sheer scale and story telling of this amazing Syrian author.

I came across Lola Shoneyin's book during a random Amazon search of new fiction and downloaded both sample and book straight away. Her writing is witty and revealing and far from demonising polygamous marriages, her fictional account reveals the deep cultural attachment and positive benefits to polygamous marriages in Nigerian society.

Back to the grind, a short post to detail future reviews !

Will Self reviews Honey Money: The Power of Erotic Capital by Catherine Hakim

I don't normally refer to other reviews unless I'm a fan of the reviewer or the book which is reviewed. I noticed this review of Catherine Hakim's book by Will Self and if anything, it has made me curious to read Hakim's treatise. Most of the reviews of Hakim's work are on Amazon which has averaged a review score of 2.9 out of 5... so I was curious to read Will Self's take on Hakim's post-feminist arguments.

I have not read Honey Money yet, but interesting its title appeals as "No money, no honey" is one of Poppa Rahman's favourite sayings. Although as a devout Muslim, I am sure he means to use it in a different context to that of prostitutes in Jakarta.

Anyway here is the link to Self's review and you can make your mind up for yourself !

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/aug/19/honey-money-catherine-hakim-review

Gold Dagger Shortlist is revealed !

A distinctly testeroney list. Only one woman is nominated, but glad to see one of my fav reads from this year: AD Miller's Snowdrops is in.

Snowdrops was an excellent, evocative read and I will get round to posting my review of it as soon as I have finished the beast that is A Dance with Dragons !

In the meantime, here's the list of the shortlisted candidates for the Gold Dagger

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/aug/19/gold-dagger-shortlist-revealed?CMP=twt_fd

Boyd Tonkin also reviews Brenton Brown

Well timed review of Brenton Brown by Boyd Tonkin.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/brenton-brown-by-alex-wheatle-2335931.html

Andrew Blackman agrees re Brenton Brown !

A London based author Andrew Blackman, author of "The Holloway Road" http://andrewblackman.wordpress.com/ has also reviewed "Brenton Brown." We both are in agreement regarding the brilliance of this book which closes the circle for Brenton and his "boys" from "East of Acre Lane."

A request to Alex Wheatle to follow up on Dennis and Akeisha from "The Dirty South" please !

Ok done rasta !