Book Þ The Association of Small Bombs 288 pages Download

Mobi The Association of Small Bombs

Book Þ The Association of Small Bombs 288 pages Download ↠ ➶ [Read] ➲ The Association of Small Bombs By Karan Mahajan ➾ – Gym-apparel.co.uk FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD 2016When brothers Tushar and Nakul Khurana two Delhi schoolboys go to pick up their family’s television set at a repaAlded across the world detonates in the Delhi marketplace instantly claiming the lives of the Khurana boys to the devastation of their parents Mansoor survives bearing the physical and psychological effects of the bomb After a brief stint at university in America Mansoor returns to Delhi where his life becomes e “The bomb was a child a tantrum directed against all things”When I started this novel I was captivated absorbed thoroughly in awe of the author’s writing and the subject matter he was tackling How often do we try to put ourselves in the shoes of the terrorists? We are often so appalled by the acts of terrorism happening around the globe we don’t delve deeply into the minds of the terrorists? What purpose are they working toward? What outcome do they expect? What events led up to their becoming terrorists? In this novel the terrorists are not radicalized islamists but political activists They have tried peaceful demonstrations without successThe story sets out in Dehli with the Kurana boys both Hindu and their Muslim friend Mansoor at the market when a small bomb goes off The Kurana boys are dead however Mansoor survives with an injury only to his arm He walks off not with much direction or purpose but ends up at home His life is forever impacted by the blast It is as if by being associated with that bomb he is never able to be free of it The bomb has determined his fateThe book also follows the terrorists Shockie had become a terrorist out of frustration for the way Muslims were treated in Kashmir his home province He feels he is fighting for independence for a land he is in exile from The novel poignantly describes his conflicting feelings about setting off bombs When he calls his mother beforehand he hopes to be summoned home to attend to her health There is a sense of desperation a knowledge that not much will be accomplished by the blast an anger that there is not money to make a bigger impact “They fucking want freedom but this fucking cheapness with never go away” Interestingly he finds closeness with Malik who is working for the same cause however believes in the Ghandian philosophy and is very much laughed at by the others in their group for his ideas Malik tells Shockie ” What do you think these attacks are going to achieve? Today when you were talking about the blast not being big enough I was thinking It doesn’t matter It’s all wrong Blasts are a way of hiding”The Kuranas lost two sons to the blast They deal with the loss in different ways and in various stages There is pregnancy and birth of a daughter there is an arranged meeting with one of the accused terrorists Malik there is an affair there is the creation of a group for victims and families of victims of small bombs Finally there is the realization that even though they have been so active in the world of supporting terrorist victims they are helpless in trying to get a dear innocent friend out of jail as this book comes full circleAs a young adult Mansoor becomes active in an NGO working for communal harmony As part of their mission this group advocates for speedier trials for accused terrorists and feels that many of those jailed were falsely accused Seemingly the pressure to arrest people in the aftermath of a bomb leads to many false arrests with torture and inconceivable years in prison prior to trial He becomes good friends with Ayub a Muslim who is very much influenced by Ghandi However after a disappointing break up and disappointing peaceful demonstrations he begins to think like a terrorist Is this all it takes? A theme of excess sexual frustration energizing anger in an ineffective manner is a steady current throughout this book After setting off a bomb at another busy market place Ayub literally becomes the bomb The bomb here and throughout this book is a metaphor for a useless and reckless way of dealing with problemsThis book is fatalistic It takes on an enormous task looking at terrorists victims families of victims even the falsely imprisoned in the bomb’s aftermath It is dense and extremely well written The topic is tough especially since the moral in this book is that these bombs are an exercise in futility – no one will win everyone has much to lose I needed to take breaks from this book; I just didn’t want to think about the book for a while I do think it’s an important book though It raises uestions It is uniueFor discussion uestions please see

Kindle ☆ The Association of Small Bombs à Karan Mahajan

FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD 2016When brothers Tushar and Nakul Khurana two Delhi schoolboys go to pick up their family’s television set at a repair shop with their friend Mansoor Ahmed one day in 1996 disaster strikes without warning A bomb one of the many “small” bombs that go off seemingly unher I'm somewhere between 3 and 35 stars on this oneAnd you know what happens when a bomb goes off? The truth about people comes outDense and well told although a bit meandering Karan Mahajan's The Association of Small Bombs is a thought provoking look at the causes and effects of terrorism the human cost even small bombs can exact and how a terrorist can be grownOne day in 1996 two young boys Tushar and Nakul Khurana are sent by their father to a crowded Delhi market to pick up the family's television set While they were supposed to drop off their friend Mansoor first they convince him to join them on the journey to the market And then disaster strikes—a bomb detonates in the marketplace killing the brothers instantly and injuring Mansoor Bleeding and in pain from his injuries Mansoor finally makes it home to the relief of his overprotective parents but finds himself in the midst of the Khuranas' crushing griefThe Khuranas try to understand why their sons were killed who was responsible for the bombing and what cause they were trying to further But the course of Indian justice rarely runs smoothly and while there is suspicion that the perpetrators arrested for the bombing were even responsible there are continuous roadblocks and delays in the prosecution which frustrate and sadden the couple The grief the anger the guilt starts to take its toll on their marriage their health their future and not even positive events can help them for longMeanwhile Mansoor physically and psychologically scarred by the bombing feels smothered by his overprotective parents as he grows older He dislikes the stigma of being one of very few Muslims in his part of India so he chooses to go to the US for college to pursue a career in computer programming and put the past behind him But his injuries are compounded by carpal tunnel syndrome so he has no choice but to return home to IndiaBack in India rudderless he becomes friends with Ayub a passionate activist who is determined to change the world But although he projects a confident exterior Ayub too is rudderless and easily persuaded by forces looking to use him Through Ayub and Mansoor's eyes you see how uickly situations and perceptions can change in a post 911 world Their stories are juxtaposed with that of Shockie a master bomb maker from Pakistan who has sacrificed relationships and a real life for his devotion to his craftWhile terrorist attacks have increased across our world in recent years The Association of Small Bombs provides the perspectives of those who live with the threat of these attacks on an almost daily basis It is fascinating and horrifying to watch the callousness of some who witness these bombings and are focused on how their livelihood can continue rather than the loss of lives Watching as an activist is influenced until they become motivated to kill is eually disturbingI thought this was a well written and powerful book Mahajan does a good job shifting narrative perspectives between the affected the aggrieved and the perpetrators I don't think I can say however that I particularly liked the book; despite the raw emotions it examined it felt strangely cold to me But in the end this is an important piece of fiction one that makes you think especially when you hear news of bombings in other countriesSee all of my reviews at

Karan Mahajan à The Association of Small Bombs Epub

The Association of Small BombsNtangled with the mysterious and charismatic Ayub a fearless young activist whose own allegiances and beliefs are malleable than Mansoor could imagine Woven among the story of the Khuranas and the Ahmeds is the tale of Shockie a Kashmiri bomb maker who has forsaken his own life for the independence of his homela This book is a uick read about difficult subject matter While the message is important I was kind of lukewarm on the delivery and I never really got into the book At times it was interesting but there were a lot of other times I found my attention wanderingAny story about religion and terrorism has the potential to be riveting What I think is the most interesting about this one is that it takes place primarily in India and addresses the HindiMuslim conflict I am familiar with stories and events that tend to be Christian vs Muslim or at least Muslims in America It is always fascinating to see other viewpointsAlso I think two other important elements addressed in this book are the lives of victims after bombings as well as thoughts from Muslims regarding Muslim terrorism While a fictional story I expect that a lot of what is included reflects realityIf you have an interest in stories about religious conflict recent terrorist activities and how average citizens respond to it all this is worth checking out But again if you have the same experience I did you may enjoy what you learn but the journey will be rough