Kansastan

Farooq Ahmed

really liked it 4.00 · Rating details · 6 ratings · 3 reviews

Inspired by the American Civil War, KANSASTAN takes place in a dystopic Kansas that is besieged by its neighboring state, Missouri. Close to the state line, an orphaned and disabled goatherd lives atop a minaret and is relegated to custodial work by the mosque’s imam while the threat of occupation looms. When his aunt and cousin arrive, the mosque’s congregants believe ...more

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Paperback, 204 pages

Published September 16th 2019 by 7.13 Books

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Oct 25, 2019 Clif Hostetler rated it liked it

Shelves: novel

This is the story of a young and crippled goatherd who is given the lowliest and least desirable of mundane tasks at an Islamic Mosque located in early Kansas territory during the border war era (circa 1854 to 1861) of the American Civil War. Even John Brown and his sons are part of the story.

In case you’re wondering what a Mosque is doing in an origin story of Kansas, this is what you can call alternative history. It’s American history rewritten with Islam being the dominate religion. In This is the story of a young and crippled goatherd who is given the lowliest and least desirable of mundane tasks at an Islamic Mosque located in early Kansas territory during the border war era (circa 1854 to 1861) of the American Civil War. Even John Brown and his sons are part of the story.

In case you’re wondering what a Mosque is doing in an origin story of Kansas, this is what you can call alternative history. It’s American history rewritten with Islam being the dominate religion. In reality it’s hard to imagine that there would have been any Muslims living in this part of USA during the mid nineteenth century. Whether there might be some message, lesson or satire that comes with such a reconfiguration of history, I’ll let others speculate.

Normally, when a story is narrated in the first person voice of a poor young and crippled boy as is the case in this book, the reader can expect such a character to be deserving of sympathy. However, such is not the case in this story. The story’s protagonist has a narcissistic messiah complex and perceives himself to be unappreciated by the Mosque community. He spends much time imagining his being in charge of the Mosque and even hides a barrel of gun powder in his sleeping quarters for the sense of power that comes from being able to blow things up.

The aunt and cousin are recognized by the Mosque community as holy and blessed—worthy of honor and even worship. This of course creates much jealousy in the heart of the story’s narrator.

Was I not the one who tended to the Mosque?
Was I not the one who found the snake?
Was I not the one whose game found the well?
Was I not the one with nearly as many names as the Lord?
Was I not the One?

Our would-be hero arranges to take revenge and gets away with it for awhile. (view spoiler)

Out protagonist flees toward Colorado, is run down by the sons of John Brown, and returned to the Mosque community to face justice. It is at this point that the barrel of gun powder comes in handy.

It’s sort of a double origin story. It’s the origin of Kansas as a state, and it’s the wished for beginning of a profound and prophetic religious life of the story’s protagonist—which ends up in the sky.

Here's a link to a KCUR interview of the author:
https://www.kcur.org/post/kansas-nati... ...more

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Nov 01, 2019 Wade rated it really liked it

And on this shelf, we have an alternate history of the great state of Kansas (my home state, I should disclose), in the form of a grandly styled, satirical legend.

This is not a book to dive into willy nilly. You should take a moment to prepare yourself. The language is crafted, rhetorical, and original. It takes you to a different time and mythology, and tells a different kind of story. It pays homage to sacred texts and stories, and to Kansas plains mythology. The author tells the story with a ...more

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Nov 25, 2019 Sarmat Chowdhury rated it liked it

Interesting alternative history and concept, but execution could have been improved with a clearer timeline, less complicated syntax and deeper world building. But, a good start to the introduction of Islamic fiction.

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