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Alive and Well in Pakistan
How wide is the gulf in understanding between the West and the Muslim world? How real is the risk of nuclear war on the subcontinent? What will be the long term effects of the Afghan Wars? How widespread - and how justified - is resentment towards the US and the West? Ethan Casey examines these compelling questions while living, working and teaching in Lahore, Pakistan - a Muslim country on the frontline of the US-declared 'war on terror'.
Hardcover
First published September 23, 2004
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About the author
Ethan Casey
10 books32 followersEthan Casey is a veteran journalist and author of books of topical narrative travel. His books include Home Free: An American Road Trip (2013), Bearing the Bruise: A Life Graced by Haiti (2012), and Alive and Well in Pakistan: A Human Journey in a Dangerous Time (updated 10th-anniversary edition, 2014). He lives in Seattle. Full bio and more at www.ethancasey.com.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 24, 2020
As the author puts it,this book is a little rough around the edges,but so was his stay in Pakistan and so is Pakistan itself.
As a journalist,Ethan Casey made two trips to Pakistan.The first time in 1995,and the second time in 2004,when he stayed five months.
Unlike several Western female journalists,who seem to have enjoyed a high level of access to influential figures in Pakistan,Casey doesn't seem to have met too many notable people.His is mostly an account of his encounters with ordinary people in Pakistan,alongwith a few Pakistani writers and journalists.
He has relied heavily on his diary entries,taking lengthy notes while talking to Pakistanis.At times,this makes for tedious reading,while at times it becomes fairly interesting too.
During his first trip,he went to both sides of Kashmir,on the Pakistani and Indian sides.It is a rather bland account and a fairly neutral one.
However,he does describe meeting a Kashmiri activist Jalil Andrabi,who would soon end up dead.
In 1995,he talks about working on the story about the killing of two US consulate employees in Karachi.He watches news about sectarian strife and the killing of a prominent religious leader.News stories were breaking very fast,crowding out the previous ones very quickly.
He was a free lance journalist,the lowest rung on the ladder,and that alongwith his gender,might have restricted his level of access.On his second five month trip,he stayed mostly in Lahore.His account provides the flavour of Lahori life,playing tennis at the Gymkhana,attending parties and interacting with the tight knit socialite community of Lahore.
He also attended an international cricket match,at Qaddafi Stadium.(Yes,still named after the Libyan leader).Cricket is Pakistan's national obsession.As one Pakistani told him,"Pakistanis like cricket because they are lazy and it goes on for five days."
Most Pakistanis,on the street,invariably asked him,"where are you from?" In the cricket match,he sat on a cement block,until his back became sore.Spectators,seeing an American became very curious and some heckled him.As the match ended,he notes,it was each man for himself as the crowd surged to the exits.
He talks about the Lahori kite flying festival of Basant,when children fall from the rooftops trying to collect kites.Kite string is doctored with powerful chemicals,which can sever the human jugular.All this happens in the name of culture and fun.
He visits Islamabad,which had witnessed frenzied international media activity after 9/11 and the bombing of Afghanistan.He goes to the town of Darra Adam Khel on the North West Frontier.The sole industry of this town is the making of replica assault weapons from American,Russian and Chinese designs.These have a ready market.
He talks about the two assassination attempts on General Musharraf,Pakistanis' views of him and Benazir Bhutto.Watching Benazir on TV,he calls her "awfully frumpy."
He goes to Peshawar,so different from Lahore. Peshawar,on the Afghan border had already seen its share of "mujahideen" during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and was again in turmoil,after the US invasion.He talks about ordinary Pakistanis' views of America,George W.Bush and his wars.
He meets the author Ahmed Rashid and the future TV anchor,Najam Sethi,impressed by both.But I was rather disappointed by the general lack of notable people he met.
There are some memorable observations :
"It takes a certain amount of nerve and imagination to come to Pakistan.Any old backpacker can go to India." (Well,yes,Pakistan has become rather a dangerous place).
"In Pakistan,one is always confronted with history in the making,it drains you of physical and emotional energy.Nothing is ever settled or certain,but it's never dull."
"Pakistan is the freest country in the world.You can put a family of five on a motorbike and nobody seems to mind." (Again sadly true,there are no traffic rules,it's absolute chaos).
And as one local says to him,"he who obeys the rules in Pakistan,suffers." (Again sadly,all too true).
It is a rambling book,but overall still fairly interesting.It does touch upon several serious issues in contemporary Pakistan,though only in passing.
As a journalist,Ethan Casey made two trips to Pakistan.The first time in 1995,and the second time in 2004,when he stayed five months.
Unlike several Western female journalists,who seem to have enjoyed a high level of access to influential figures in Pakistan,Casey doesn't seem to have met too many notable people.His is mostly an account of his encounters with ordinary people in Pakistan,alongwith a few Pakistani writers and journalists.
He has relied heavily on his diary entries,taking lengthy notes while talking to Pakistanis.At times,this makes for tedious reading,while at times it becomes fairly interesting too.
During his first trip,he went to both sides of Kashmir,on the Pakistani and Indian sides.It is a rather bland account and a fairly neutral one.
However,he does describe meeting a Kashmiri activist Jalil Andrabi,who would soon end up dead.
In 1995,he talks about working on the story about the killing of two US consulate employees in Karachi.He watches news about sectarian strife and the killing of a prominent religious leader.News stories were breaking very fast,crowding out the previous ones very quickly.
He was a free lance journalist,the lowest rung on the ladder,and that alongwith his gender,might have restricted his level of access.On his second five month trip,he stayed mostly in Lahore.His account provides the flavour of Lahori life,playing tennis at the Gymkhana,attending parties and interacting with the tight knit socialite community of Lahore.
He also attended an international cricket match,at Qaddafi Stadium.(Yes,still named after the Libyan leader).Cricket is Pakistan's national obsession.As one Pakistani told him,"Pakistanis like cricket because they are lazy and it goes on for five days."
Most Pakistanis,on the street,invariably asked him,"where are you from?" In the cricket match,he sat on a cement block,until his back became sore.Spectators,seeing an American became very curious and some heckled him.As the match ended,he notes,it was each man for himself as the crowd surged to the exits.
He talks about the Lahori kite flying festival of Basant,when children fall from the rooftops trying to collect kites.Kite string is doctored with powerful chemicals,which can sever the human jugular.All this happens in the name of culture and fun.
He visits Islamabad,which had witnessed frenzied international media activity after 9/11 and the bombing of Afghanistan.He goes to the town of Darra Adam Khel on the North West Frontier.The sole industry of this town is the making of replica assault weapons from American,Russian and Chinese designs.These have a ready market.
He talks about the two assassination attempts on General Musharraf,Pakistanis' views of him and Benazir Bhutto.Watching Benazir on TV,he calls her "awfully frumpy."
He goes to Peshawar,so different from Lahore. Peshawar,on the Afghan border had already seen its share of "mujahideen" during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and was again in turmoil,after the US invasion.He talks about ordinary Pakistanis' views of America,George W.Bush and his wars.
He meets the author Ahmed Rashid and the future TV anchor,Najam Sethi,impressed by both.But I was rather disappointed by the general lack of notable people he met.
There are some memorable observations :
"It takes a certain amount of nerve and imagination to come to Pakistan.Any old backpacker can go to India." (Well,yes,Pakistan has become rather a dangerous place).
"In Pakistan,one is always confronted with history in the making,it drains you of physical and emotional energy.Nothing is ever settled or certain,but it's never dull."
"Pakistan is the freest country in the world.You can put a family of five on a motorbike and nobody seems to mind." (Again sadly true,there are no traffic rules,it's absolute chaos).
And as one local says to him,"he who obeys the rules in Pakistan,suffers." (Again sadly,all too true).
It is a rambling book,but overall still fairly interesting.It does touch upon several serious issues in contemporary Pakistan,though only in passing.
February 7, 2015
Ethan Casey frequently visited Pakistan over ten years from 1995 to 2004, travelling around the country, talking to the people. From those experiences, he wrote this book, providing an intimate look at the lives and attitudes of the people of that country during that period. The author has a clear attachment to the place and its people, and he carefully avoids the kind of generalizations that fill conventional media descriptions. Probably the most important lesson to take away from this book is that in spite of all the differences, we all share a common humanity.
This ten year anniversary edition includes a number of additional essays that detail the events in the subsequent decade after the book was written, and the author's reactions to them. These essays do repeat some of the information already presented in the book, but provide additional insights into the author's views.
This ten year anniversary edition includes a number of additional essays that detail the events in the subsequent decade after the book was written, and the author's reactions to them. These essays do repeat some of the information already presented in the book, but provide additional insights into the author's views.
September 28, 2014
I won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway.
It took me awhile to read this because I am more of a fiction person. However, I am trying to branch out and read more non-fiction, so I entered the giveaway.
If I had to sum this book up in one sentence it would be this. *There are two sides to every story, and the truth lies somewhere in between.*
All the stereo-types and pre-conceived ideas go both ways. Both sides only really know is what is reported by the media, which is hearsay. To me, what it boils down to is we are all human beings and we should all love each other for who we are individually. There are bad apples everywhere, but we can't judge a whole group by those few bad apples.
Even the people in this book, the view of the West varies from person to person and are quite different. I found that the majority, no matter how much they dislike the idea of us, all envy our freedom and the opportunity that it provides. This book made me even more thankful that I live in the United States.
It took me awhile to read this because I am more of a fiction person. However, I am trying to branch out and read more non-fiction, so I entered the giveaway.
If I had to sum this book up in one sentence it would be this. *There are two sides to every story, and the truth lies somewhere in between.*
All the stereo-types and pre-conceived ideas go both ways. Both sides only really know is what is reported by the media, which is hearsay. To me, what it boils down to is we are all human beings and we should all love each other for who we are individually. There are bad apples everywhere, but we can't judge a whole group by those few bad apples.
Even the people in this book, the view of the West varies from person to person and are quite different. I found that the majority, no matter how much they dislike the idea of us, all envy our freedom and the opportunity that it provides. This book made me even more thankful that I live in the United States.
March 25, 2015
I won Alive and Well in Pakistan10th anniversary edition last year through Goodreads Giveaway. The topic was of interest but unfamiliar to me so my reading was deliberate and accompanied by a map.
Ethan Casey’ offers a soulful account of his travels through Pakistan from 1995 to 2004. He provides a vivid and nonjudgmental narrative of his encounters with its people without tainting the story with a political agenda or a contention to be proved. His honest and warm description of his experiences and the daily lives of the Pakistani, invites us to open our minds and find a “common humanity”.
In the new material included in this 10th anniversary edition, Ethan Casey reflects on the major changes within and relating to Pakistan since the first publication of his book. He talks about these changes, like the massive flood in Pakistan, the capture of Osama bin Laden and the role of drone aircraft, to reinforce the idea of common human experience and of humanity being of “interest to each other”.
Alive and Well in Pakistan is a brilliant story with the message of showing curiosity in each other's story in order to understand. Casey writes, “In the no man’s land between where you’re at and where I’m at is where we find our common humanity."
Ethan Casey’ offers a soulful account of his travels through Pakistan from 1995 to 2004. He provides a vivid and nonjudgmental narrative of his encounters with its people without tainting the story with a political agenda or a contention to be proved. His honest and warm description of his experiences and the daily lives of the Pakistani, invites us to open our minds and find a “common humanity”.
In the new material included in this 10th anniversary edition, Ethan Casey reflects on the major changes within and relating to Pakistan since the first publication of his book. He talks about these changes, like the massive flood in Pakistan, the capture of Osama bin Laden and the role of drone aircraft, to reinforce the idea of common human experience and of humanity being of “interest to each other”.
Alive and Well in Pakistan is a brilliant story with the message of showing curiosity in each other's story in order to understand. Casey writes, “In the no man’s land between where you’re at and where I’m at is where we find our common humanity."
August 4, 2014
i received this book for free through goodreads fist reads.
First of all, this book left me in awe. I too imagined a Pakistan a lot different from how it is portraied in this . but i guess if the author was a woman that would have gone very differently so still i have to see a woman view of it to be able to make my opinion.
second of all, i loved it, easy to understand and very well written, educational too.
i Higly recommend it.
First of all, this book left me in awe. I too imagined a Pakistan a lot different from how it is portraied in this . but i guess if the author was a woman that would have gone very differently so still i have to see a woman view of it to be able to make my opinion.
second of all, i loved it, easy to understand and very well written, educational too.
i Higly recommend it.
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October 17, 2014I won this book through Goodreads and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, It was definitely an eye opener especially after the terrorist attacks on our homeland. I was left with a feeling that the people of Pakistan are more like we are than we realize and that most of them are a humble, gentle people who live daily around terrorism and truly despise the atrocities many of them have faced. I pray they will find the peace and independence they are looking for.
September 6, 2016
Best for those seriously interested in Pakistan. It was slow going to start but quite interesting as he described several long stays in Pakistan. I found it useful to have access to google/Wikipedia to look up ethnic groups and historical figures while reading.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews