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1st out of 8 books
—
4 voters
A Free Man: A True Story of Life and Death in Delhi
by
Aman Sethi
Like Dave Eggers's Zeitoun and Alexander Masters's Stuart, this is a tour de force of narrative reportage.
Mohammed Ashraf studied biology, became a butcher, a tailor, and an electrician's apprentice; now he is a homeless day laborer in the heart of old Delhi. How did he end up this way? In an astonishing debut, Aman Sethi brings him and his indelible group of friends to li...more
Mohammed Ashraf studied biology, became a butcher, a tailor, and an electrician's apprentice; now he is a homeless day laborer in the heart of old Delhi. How did he end up this way? In an astonishing debut, Aman Sethi brings him and his indelible group of friends to li...more
Hardcover, 230 pages
Published
October 22nd 2012
by W. W. Norton & Company
(first published July 25th 2011)
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A fascinating look at the life of day laborers in Delhi, A Free Man is both an exceptional work of journalism and a compelling character study. Deeply embedded in the milieu he seeks to describe, Sethi delivers an account that is as vivid as it is authentic: his pitch perfect ear for dialog renders conversations that made me (as someone who attended high school and college in Delhi) homesick, his keen eye for telling detail provided the exact balance between the personal and the general, and his...more
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The blurbs rave about it. If you can stop smirking at the obviously PR induced sound-bytes and look inside the book you'd find it worth a read. In fact it is a recommended read. The writing might be a bit similar to a rushed notes in journal kind but the acute sense of 'people watching' and, awareness of language ('helpery' - a word that I last heard in the college canteen from the canteen attendant) make it a good reason to stick till the end. And, at the end you'd ask yourself whether you were...more
A free man, for sure will never leave your mind free of thoughts, once you have put down the book. It’s one of the rare books which will leave an impact on you for a long time. I guess it will take a long time for me to avoid thinking of Ashraf's character when I look at laborers’ sleeping on the pavement and wondering how long they have been away from home and for what reason.
In a very subtle but detailed narration author has brought in very touchy topics. The BIS system for beggars, the condit...more
In a very subtle but detailed narration author has brought in very touchy topics. The BIS system for beggars, the condit...more
What is a human being worth? James Joyce lampooned the typical thinking on this in Ulysses: "You love a certain person and this person loves that other person because everybody loves somebody but God loves everybody." God may, but humankind sure doesn't---if you need proof, take a look at modern-day India. "A Free Man" tries to understand the life of day-laborer Mohammad Ashraf, an itinerant alcoholic with a past full of painful failure. The book begins cheerfully---Ashraf claims that his way of...more
This was a fairly interesting book focused on day labor in Delhi, and one laborer in particular. It wasn't brilliant, but it kept my interest and had its moments:
But why am I telling you about Raja again? How did we start this conversation? I remember now — I was telling you the way home from Raja’s house. But for that I had to first tell you where his house was and then of course how he got the house. Funny how every short story is actually just the beginning of a really long one.
‘The santrash...more
Thought provoking and realistic- whether it's the life of a laavaris, what if I was the one in Ashraf's shoes? What does it feel to be anonymous with nowhere to go, no door to knock on? , or the unpolished language used in the book or the casualness of the casual labourers and of life at Bara Tutti. The book, for most parts, is both a little haunting and disturbing and yet, rejoices the prosaic and trivial nuances of everday life which the privilaged ones take for granted.
Ashraf's life is a mos...more
Ashraf's life is a mos...more
*Won through a a Goodreads Giveaway*
If I were walking through the aisles of my favorite book store, I would probably have not given this book a second glance. I ususally don't read too many biographies so I can only review this book based on how entertaining and enlightening it is for me. A Free Man: A True Story of Life and Death in Delhi is a rather short book and I was able to read it in one sitting and has a pretty interesting voice that isn't stoic or depressing, as I have found some biogra...more
If I were walking through the aisles of my favorite book store, I would probably have not given this book a second glance. I ususally don't read too many biographies so I can only review this book based on how entertaining and enlightening it is for me. A Free Man: A True Story of Life and Death in Delhi is a rather short book and I was able to read it in one sitting and has a pretty interesting voice that isn't stoic or depressing, as I have found some biogra...more
It was fun to read (very quotable, deliberate?) and a quick, brisk read, but it was unmistakably poverty porn. The ONLY reason it worked the way it worked is because you cannot imagine yourself living like that, with that much money to wrangle. Nothing wrong with that, nothing wrong with tasteful poverty porn. Also as far as poverty porn goes, this is subtly and beautifully done. Aman has weaved himself into the stories very well, and the stark difference to his own life is also beautifully part...more
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I've begun to think that people generally think it's politically incorrect to give negative reviews of books about very sad circumstances. I am empathetic about the very poor people in Delhi and I think this book portrays the situation I observed there well. The topic and increasing awareness of the poverty and abuse are important. But independent of that this book is really bad. It might have worked as an article but there isn't enough material for a book and the manuscript hasn't been worked e...more
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Thank you Goodreads First Reads for this great book!
At a point in my life when I feel tied down to a not-so-great job, desperately looking for a better one, or fantasizing about irrational alternatives (like opening an indie bookstore!) to be free of dysfunctional offices and bad bosses, the idea of working and living wherever and whenever you want, working for money and living until the money runs out, leaving a city at the drop of a hat to go live and work somewhere else for a few days or mont...more
At a point in my life when I feel tied down to a not-so-great job, desperately looking for a better one, or fantasizing about irrational alternatives (like opening an indie bookstore!) to be free of dysfunctional offices and bad bosses, the idea of working and living wherever and whenever you want, working for money and living until the money runs out, leaving a city at the drop of a hat to go live and work somewhere else for a few days or mont...more
Indian non-fiction is, in fact, in a much healthier state than Indian fiction. A Free Man is one of the most compelling arguments for this hypothesis. It lays bare the world of the Delhi itinerant labourer, but never gets lost in idle rhapsodising or armchair politics. What it does instead is to lose itself into the rhythms of its subject- this is about Md. Ashraf the mazdoor, not Aman Sethi the writer. Special mention must be made of the excpetional use of language in the book- while it's obvio...more
Uncluttered and straightforward writing of complex lives. The lines which stay with me...
'The ideal job,' Ashraf once said, as if elucidating a complex mathematical function, 'has the perfect balance of kamai and azadi'. Through the course of his life, a working man must experiment with as many combinations as he can before discovering the point where these counteracting forces offset each other to arrive at a solitary moment of serenity - a point when he is both free and fortunate. At that poin...more
'The ideal job,' Ashraf once said, as if elucidating a complex mathematical function, 'has the perfect balance of kamai and azadi'. Through the course of his life, a working man must experiment with as many combinations as he can before discovering the point where these counteracting forces offset each other to arrive at a solitary moment of serenity - a point when he is both free and fortunate. At that poin...more
Funny n depressing in parts, its amazing how beautiful and believable the story of one of the unnamed faces around us could be. Not too difficult to relate to and something that may just flash through the mind when one just so much as glances at those invisible ones.
The book is interestingly divided into three equally varied but related sides of such lives, with colloquial quotes & pithys, both in English and Hindi. The details are well researched making the existence of the characters quit...more
The book is interestingly divided into three equally varied but related sides of such lives, with colloquial quotes & pithys, both in English and Hindi. The details are well researched making the existence of the characters quit...more
//A Free Man: A True Story of Life and Death in Delhi// by Aman Sethi is a great read, a book comfortable in its own skin just like the people it portrays. Sethi started out with the intent to tell the life story of one man, Ashraf, but his attempts to fill in a “timeline” are waylaid over the course of five years. Sethi fortunately wrote the book anyway, depicting the travails and explaining the tenets of street life of laborers in Bara Tooti Bazaar, featuring Ashraf and others whom he formed f...more
**I received this book free of charge courtesy of Goodreads First Reads Giveaways**
Wow. Just wow. This book has left me speechless, I am sure I cannot do it justice in a written review but I will try.
This is the true story of one reporter who followed homeless workmen throughout their day on/off for years in Old Delhi. In particular a man named Mohammed Ashraf. He wanted to get their perspective on things and used an audio recorder & hand written notes throughout his interviews with them. T...more
Wow. Just wow. This book has left me speechless, I am sure I cannot do it justice in a written review but I will try.
This is the true story of one reporter who followed homeless workmen throughout their day on/off for years in Old Delhi. In particular a man named Mohammed Ashraf. He wanted to get their perspective on things and used an audio recorder & hand written notes throughout his interviews with them. T...more
when i bought this book, i had no idea it was as much a story of Delhi, as it is of the protagonist - md Ashraf. And that was a pleasant surprise!
For this gem, and gem of a book it is - is not the story of Delhi that we see in Khushwant Singh's Delhi or Dalrymple's City of Djinns! this is the story of the Modern Delhi - the 'glistening metropolis of a rising Asian superpower' - A city constantly under construction and the biggest magnet around for migrants from Northern India. And its brutally h...more
For this gem, and gem of a book it is - is not the story of Delhi that we see in Khushwant Singh's Delhi or Dalrymple's City of Djinns! this is the story of the Modern Delhi - the 'glistening metropolis of a rising Asian superpower' - A city constantly under construction and the biggest magnet around for migrants from Northern India. And its brutally h...more
Received this book as a winner of a FirstReads competition. Definitely would recommend it for a colorful, thought-provoking look into Indian culture. The characters are great and kept me interested. I love the opening into the book, as it really grabbed my attention and kept me interested throughout the read. The only complaint I have is that there was a lot of vocabulary I was unfamiliar with because I am not native to the culture. It wasn't really explained throughout the read, so I had to loo...more
Aman Sethi's attempt at presenting a ringside view of the lives of the working poor is a bold venture. He does well in charting out their daily uncertainties regarding employment, money and even location, of a daily wage worker. Very early in the narrative, he describes the hierarchical 'lines' system that classifies skilled labour (the mixing of cement, the skinning of chickens) and unskilled labour (the optimal way of lifting crates). Sethi does a fine job of translating the dialogue which is...more
A moving dissection of individuals of whom we only know as some statistical entities or forms, conspicuous yet invisible to most. It's a funny, dark and disturbing tale of daily wage earners and their microcosm, depicting their life in minutiae. It also covers the various urbanization spells and its effect on these people. It makes the reader aware of the upheaval caused by various recent events which sadly have been just news-events for us. As depressing it may sound it is essentially a story o...more
I was so pleased to win this on Goodreads and appreciate the opportunity to check it out as I have a great interest in what is happening around the world.It might be an unfair rating, because I did not get too far with the book.This rating is more a reflection of how difficult it was to read. I read books from other cultures/countries all the time, and this is the first one I had to put down in frustration. There was no dictionary at the back of the book to help translate the many, many many Ind...more
Armed with a Sarai CSDS Fellowship, Sethi ventured into the labour market of Sadr Bazaar and befriends Ashraf. What follows is a series of conversations and journeys of discovery which expose the underbelly of Delhi, or any metro for that matter. But all said and done, I somehow didn't find the book riveting or engaging. The only lasting memory is probably going to be the various deals that happen in Sadr Bazaar day in and day out. Now on, a painter or a mason will no longer be just a painter or...more
Amid the streets of Bara Tooti Chowk, one of New Delhi’s oldest and largest labor markets, and in between marijuana joints, shots of cheap liquor and good old tea, Mohammed Ashraf offers insights on what it is to become a 40-year-old (“a man starts to fear strangers”) on the career ladder for construction workers, and the creed of his profession. “Azadi, Aman bhai, Azadi. Azadi,” says the house painter. “Azadi is the freedom to tell the maalik to f**k off when you want to.”
Ashraf is the main cha...more
Ashraf is the main cha...more
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A Free Man: A True Story of Life and Death in Delhi by Aman Sethi is a hard look into the lives of those work live on the streets and work enough to just get by in Dehli and other cities in India. The book focuses in particular on a man name Ashraf and his group of companions. For much of the book, Ashraf is reluctant to give the author more than a few anecdotes from his life, but eventually the author is able to gather more information about what his life was like before he ended up on the stre...more
Ever wondered what chilling with some street laborers in Delhi would be like? Well join Aman Sethi on a journey to India's capital city. Sethi will make you laugh, get sentimental, maybe even shed a few tears as you dive into the hard life endured by the masdoors/laborers.
This book was suggested by Oprah.com as a suggested read and I am glad I read it.
I read the book but also listened to it before bed sometimes and I was impressed by Vikas Adam's reading. So, check out the novel either in it's...more
This book was suggested by Oprah.com as a suggested read and I am glad I read it.
I read the book but also listened to it before bed sometimes and I was impressed by Vikas Adam's reading. So, check out the novel either in it's...more
Firstly, a big kudos to Aman Sethi for - 1) the unimaginable effort he has put into writing this book and 2) for the book itself.
A Free Man dwells into the lives of Mohammad Ashraf - a daily wage labourer - and his cohort and shows what it takes to live as a poor and marginalized in the streets of Delhi. It's wonderfully documented, is thought provoking, is funny, but at the same time is quite disturbing and certainly makes for a compelling read.
A Free Man dwells into the lives of Mohammad Ashraf - a daily wage labourer - and his cohort and shows what it takes to live as a poor and marginalized in the streets of Delhi. It's wonderfully documented, is thought provoking, is funny, but at the same time is quite disturbing and certainly makes for a compelling read.
I received the book A Free Man: A True Story of Life and Death in Delhi for free through Goodreads First Reads. I applaud the effort to write about those overlooked by society, in this case a homeless itinerant day-labourer in Delhi. I couldn't get into the story of Mohammed Ashraf and found those of his friends much more interesting. The hospital scenes were quite sad. Silly me, I didn't realize this was a true account of people the author met and befriended until about halfway through. However...more
I absolutely loved this book--actually finished it in one night! Aman Sethi does an amazing job transporting the reader to Delhi. The people he chose to write about are colorful and insightful. I hope the author decides to do more research on the lives of those struggling in the slums of India. It's a section of the global population that is largely ignored. I truly felt like I was given a window inside the lives of these interesting people.
A really original, insightful look at the life of a Delhi day-laborer. I learned so much from this book -- about Delhi's tiered liquor laws (one set of rules for Indian booze, another for Western booze), about the shifting kinds of work opportunities available for India's underclass, about TB hospitals ... Aman Sethi's approach (of essentially living on the streets with his subjects) is a bold one and it works, but with some complex consequences; by the end of the book I wondered whether his "fr...more
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