"The Reluctant Fundamentalist" by Mohsin Hamid - Islington Branch Book Club - Past Titles

About the Author: Mohsin Hamid

Mohsin Hamid is a Pakistani-born author known for his critically acclaimed novels exploring themes of identity, globalization, and the human condition in the contemporary world. Here's a brief biography of Mohsin Hamid:

Early Life and Education: Mohsin Hamid was born on July 23, 1971, in Lahore, Pakistan. He spent his early years in Lahore before moving to the United States with his family. Hamid attended Princeton University, where he studied under the renowned writer Toni Morrison and earned his bachelor's degree in 1993. He later attended Harvard Law School, graduating with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in 1997.

Career: After completing his education, Hamid worked briefly as a management consultant in New York City before transitioning to a career in writing. He moved to London and began working as a freelance journalist and essayist for publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Washington Post, covering topics ranging from politics to culture.

Hamid's literary career took off with the publication of his debut novel, "Moth Smoke," in 2000. The novel, set in Lahore, explores themes of love, class, and corruption in Pakistani society. It received widespread critical acclaim and established Hamid as a rising literary talent.

In 2007, Hamid gained international recognition with the publication of his second novel, "The Reluctant Fundamentalist." The novel, which follows the journey of a Pakistani man named Changez living in post-9/11 America, garnered praise for its incisive commentary on identity, belonging, and the impact of global politics on individual lives. It was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and adapted into a film in 2012.

Hamid's subsequent novels further solidified his reputation as a leading voice in contemporary literature. His third novel, "How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia" (2013), is a satirical take on self-help books and the pursuit of wealth in modern Asia. His fourth novel, "Exit West" (2017), a genre-bending love story set against the backdrop of a world in flux due to migration and political upheaval, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and received widespread critical acclaim.

In addition to his novels, Hamid has also written essays and short stories that have been published in various literary journals and anthologies. He is known for his keen observations of the complexities of modern life and his ability to capture the nuances of human relationships in a rapidly changing world.

Personal Life: Mohsin Hamid currently resides in Lahore, Pakistan, with his wife and children. He continues to write and is actively involved in promoting literature and storytelling through his work and public engagements.

Mohsin Hamid's distinctive voice and insightful storytelling have earned him a loyal readership and critical acclaim worldwide. Through his novels and essays, he continues to explore themes of identity, globalization, and the human condition with depth, empathy, and intellectual rigor.

Synopsis

Changez 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.

Discussion Questions

Identity and Belonging:
- How does Changez's identity evolve throughout the novel? What factors contribute to this evolution?
- Discuss the significance of Changez's dual identity as a Pakistani and an American. How does this impact his sense of belonging?
- In what ways does Erica's struggle with her identity mirror Changez's own journey? How do their backgrounds and experiences shape their identities?
Perception vs. Reality:
- Explore the theme of perception versus reality in the novel. How do characters perceive each other, and how does this perception differ from reality?
- How does the unreliable narration influence the reader's perception of events and characters? What is the effect of having Changez tell his story directly to the American listener?
Global Politics and Personal Lives:
- Analyze the role of global politics, particularly the aftermath of 9/11 and the war on terror, in shaping the characters' lives and relationships.
- How do the events of 9/11 impact Changez's identity and worldview? How does his perspective on America change over time?
- Discuss the parallels between the political turmoil on the global stage and the personal conflicts faced by the characters.
Alienation and Otherness:
- Explore the theme of alienation in the novel. How do characters experience feelings of alienation or otherness, and how does this influence their behavior and relationships?
- Discuss the significance of the beard as a symbol of otherness in the novel. How does Changez's decision to grow a beard affect his interactions with others?
- How do characters navigate the tension between assimilation and maintaining their cultural identity in a foreign environment?
Love and Loss:
- Analyze the portrayal of love and loss in the novel, particularly in the relationship between Changez and Erica. How does grief manifest differently for each character?
- How does Erica's unresolved grief for Chris impact her relationship with Changez? In what ways does Changez attempt to fill the void left by Chris's death?
- Discuss the role of nostalgia and longing in the novel. How do characters grapple with their desires for the past versus the reality of the present?
The American Dream:
- Explore the concept of the American Dream as presented in the novel. How do characters like Changez and Erica pursue their own versions of the American Dream, and how does their pursuit shape their lives?
- How does Changez's disillusionment with the American Dream reflect larger societal critiques of capitalism and imperialism?
Power and Privilege:
- Discuss the themes of power and privilege in the novel. How do characters like Jim and Erica wield their privilege, and what are the consequences of their actions?
- Analyze the power dynamics in Changez's relationship with Jim. How does Jim's influence over Changez evolve throughout the novel?
The Ending:
- Explore the ambiguity of the novel's ending. What is the significance of the open-ended conclusion, and how does it contribute to the overall themes of the novel?
- How does the ending reflect Changez's journey of self-discovery and reconciliation with his identity?

MLN Materials

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Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar
Call Number: FICTION Akhtar
A deeply personal work about identity and belonging in a nation coming apart at the seams, Homeland Elegies blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of longing and dispossession in the world that 9/11 made. Part family drama, part social essay, part picaresque novel, at its heart it is the story of a father, a son, and the country they both call home.
Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala
Call Number: FICTION Iweala
On the surface, Niru leads a charmed life. Raised by two attentive parents in Washington, D.C., he's a top student and a track star at his prestigious private high school. Bound for Harvard in the fall, his prospects are bright. But Niru has a painful secret: he is queer--an abominable sin to his conservative Nigerian parents. No one knows except Meredith, his best friend, the daughter of prominent Washington insiders--and the one person who seems not to judge him. When his father accidentally discovers Niru is gay, the fallout is brutal and swift. Coping with troubles of her own, however, Meredith finds that she has little left emotionally to offer him. As the two friends struggle to reconcile their desires against the expectations and institutions that seek to define them, they find themselves speeding toward a future more violent and senseless than they can imagine. Neither will escape unscathed.
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Call Number: FICTION Muchemi-Ndiritu
Soila is a lucky girl by anyone's estimation. Raised by her stern, conservative mother and a chorus of aunts, she has lived a life of privilege in Nairobi. Soila is headstrong and outspoken, and she chafes against her mother's strict rules. After a harrowing assault by a trusted family friend, she flees to New York for college, vowing never to return home. New York is not what she imagined it would be. Instead of a golden land of opportunity, Soila finds herself shocked by the entitlement of her wealthy American classmates and the poverty she sees in the streets. She befriends a Black American girl at school and witnesses the acts of racism her friend endures, forcing Soila to acknowledge the legacy of slavery and the blind spots afforded by the privilege of her Kenyan upbringing. When she falls in love with a free-spirited artist, a man her mother would never approve of, she must decide whether to honor her Kenyan identity and what she owes to her family, or to follow her heart and forge a life of her own design.
In the Light of What We Know by Zia Haider Rahman
Call Number: FICTION Rahman
One September morning in 2008, an investment banker approaching forty, his career in collapse and his marriage unraveling, receives a surprise visitor at his West London townhouse. In the disheveled figure of a South Asian male carrying a backpack the banker recognizes a long-lost friend, a mathematics prodigy who disappeared years earlier under mysterious circumstances. The friend has resurfaced to make a confession of unsettling power. In the Light of What We Know takes us on a journey of exhilarating scope-from Kabul to London, New York, Islamabad, Oxford, and Princeton-and explores the great questions of love, belonging, science, and war. It is an age-old story: the friendship of two men and the betrayal of one by the other. The visitor seeks atonement, and the narrator sets out to tell his friend's story but finds himself at the limits of what he can know about the world-and, ultimately, himself. Set against the breaking of nations and beneath the clouds of economic crisis, this surprisingly tender novel chronicles the lives of people carrying unshakable legacies of class and culture as they struggle to tame their futures.
A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum
Call Number: FICTION Rum
Palestine, 1990. Seventeen-year-old Isra prefers reading books to entertaining the suitors her father has chosen for her. Over the course of a week, the naïve and dreamy girl finds herself quickly betrothed and married, and is soon living in Brooklyn. There Isra struggles to adapt to the expectations of her oppressive mother-in-law Fareeda and strange new husband Adam, a pressure that intensifies as she begins to have children -- four daughters instead of the sons Fareeda tells Isra she must bear. Brooklyn, 2008. Eighteen-year-old Deya, Isra's oldest daughter, must meet with potential husbands at her grandmother Fareeda's insistence, though her only desire is to go to college. Deya can't help but wonder if her options would have been different had her parents survived the car crash that killed them when Deya was only eight. But her grandmother is firm on the matter: the only way to secure a worthy future for Deya is through marriage to the right man. But fate has a will of its own, and soon Deya will find herself on an unexpected path that leads her to shocking truths about her family -- knowledge that will force her to question everything she thought she knew about her parents, the past, and her own future. Set in an America at once foreign to many and staggeringly close at hand, A Woman Is No Man is a story of culture and honor, secrets and betrayals, love and violence. It is an intimate glimpse into a controlling and closed cultural world, and a universal tale about family and the ways silence and shame can destroy those we have sworn to protect.