{"product_id":"nine-lives-of-pakistan-9781408868492","title":"Nine Lives of Pakistan","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''All those interested in South Asia and its complex politics and culture should read this book'' - Pankaj MishraThe demise of Pakistan - a country with a reputation for volatility, brutality and radical Islam - is regularly predicted. But things rarely turn out as expected, as renowned journalist Declan Walsh knows well. Over a decade covering the country, his travels took him from the raucous port of Karachi to the gilded salons of Lahore to the lawless frontier of Waziristan, encountering Pakistanis whose lives offer a compelling portrait of this land of contradictions.He meets a crusading lawyer who risks her life to fight for society''s most marginalised, taking on everyone including the powerful military establishment; an imperious chieftain spouting poetry at his desert fort; a roguish politician waging a mini-war against the Taliban; and a charismatic business tycoon who moves into politics and seems to be riding high - till he takes up the wrong cause. Lastly, Walsh meets a sp\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDeclan Walsh describes, with\u003cb\u003e intellectual power and cool elegance\u003c\/b\u003e, a much-misunderstood country. \u003cb\u003eAll those interested in South Asia and its complex politics and culture should read it\u003c\/b\u003e -- Pankaj Mishra\u003cbr\u003e[A] \u003cb\u003ethrilling, big-hearted\u003c\/b\u003e book … a \u003cb\u003erichly observed\u003c\/b\u003e study of how humans respond to the extraordinary pressures of a sometimes-choking society -- Memphis Barker * Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003ewonderful\u003c\/b\u003e book that \u003cb\u003esets a new benchmark\u003c\/b\u003e for non-fiction about the complex palace of mirrors that is Pakistan …\u003cb\u003e as profoundly nuanced as it is sharply perceptive\u003c\/b\u003e -- William Dalrymple\u003cbr\u003eAn \u003cb\u003eirresistible\u003c\/b\u003e combination of storytelling panache and in-depth knowledge; Declan Walsh brings vividly to life characters and situations that illuminate some of the most significant phases of Pakistan’s history -- Kamila Shamsie\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCaptivating\u003c\/b\u003e … What shines through is the relish with which Walsh throws himself into the far corners of Pakistan, into crowds, celebrations and rites, with a drive born of fascination with the land and its people -- Julian Borger * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRarely have revelations about Pakistan made for such good reading\u003c\/b\u003e -- Farzana Shaikh * Literary Review *\u003cbr\u003eIf you want to read one book about contemporary Pakistan, it has to be \u003ci\u003eThe Nine Lives of Pakistan\u003c\/i\u003e. An \u003cb\u003eintimate yet sweeping \u003c\/b\u003eaccount of Pakistan's contemporary history ... [it] left me breathless -- Mohammed Hanif, author of 'Red Birds'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eClear-sighted \u003c\/b\u003eand exhaustive, these dispatches paint a \u003cb\u003escrupulously layered\u003c\/b\u003e portrait of a country that defies easy explanations * Irish Times *","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48866822422871,"sku":"9781408868492","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781408868492.jpg?v=1722280156","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/nine-lives-of-pakistan-9781408868492","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}