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Pakistan at War with Itself
Random House
July 2011
On Sale: July 19, 2011
352 pages
ISBN: 1400069114
EAN: 9781400069118
Kindle: B004ZZH5XG
Hardcover / e-Book
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Non-Fiction
A volatile nation at the heart of major cultural, political,
and religious conflicts in the world today, Pakistan
commands our attention. Yet more than six decades after the
country’s founding as a Muslim democracy, it continues to
struggle over its basic identity, alliances, and direction.
In Playing with Fire, acclaimed journalist Pamela Constable
peels back layers of contradiction and confusion to reveal
the true face of modern Pakistan. In this richly reported and movingly written chronicle,
Constable takes us on a panoramic tour of contemporary
Pakistan, exploring the fears and frustrations, dreams and
beliefs, that animate the lives of ordinary citizens in this
nuclear-armed nation of 170 million. From the opulent,
insular salons of the elite to the brick quarries where
soot-covered workers sell their kidneys to get out of debt,
this is a haunting portrait of a society riven by inequality
and corruption, and increasingly divided by competing
versions of Islam. Beneath the façade of democracy in Pakistan, Constable
reveals the formidable hold of its business, bureaucratic,
and military elites—including the country’s powerful spy
agency, the ISI. This is a society where the majority of the
population feels powerless, and radical Islamist groups
stoke popular resentment to recruit shock troops for global
jihad. Writing with an uncommon ear for the nuances of this
conflicted culture, Constable explores the extent to which
faith permeates every level of Pakistani society—and the
ambivalence many Muslims feel about the role it should play
in the life of the nation. Both an empathic and alarming look inside one of the world’s
most violent and vexing countries, Playing with Fire is
essential reading for anyone wishing to understand modern
Pakistan and its momentous role on today’s global stage.
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