REVIEW: Children of Dust by Ali Eteraz

Children of Dust
by Ali Eteraz

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 337
Rating: 4/5
Read: Nov. 16 – Dec. 3, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; Countdown Challenge 2010
Yearly Count: 63

First Line: In Mecca fathers become inclined to give up their sons.

This is not a book that I would have picked up from a bookstore or the library. It’s not even something that would have attracted my attention on a shelf. But when I was contacted by Julie Harabedian of FSB Associates about reviewing this book, I was intrigued by the description. I will admit that I know little about Pakistan and their people and their faith. It’s just never anything that I studied in school or on my own time. However, after reading this book I find myself interested in learning more. But to focus on the point of this post: the review of Children of Dust. This is really an enlightening book. It is extremely well written, by which I mean that it really flows. (For anyone who pays attention to the above listed dates in which I read this book, please ignore them: I went out of town and left the book at home because I have a huge fear of leaving books on airplanes). This book is not a slow read by any means. It begins with the Mr. Eteraz’s early childhood in Pakistan and how things were. We then follow him to the United States, when his family immigrated. It was very interesting to see how Mr. Eteraz describes trying to just be a normal kid when he had such a strict upbringing in regards to his home life. But my favorite section of the book was when he returned to Pakistan. I think his years in the United States really opened his eyes up to what his childhood was really like and what his life would have been like had he never immigrated to the United States. As Americans, a lot of us do not understand the kind of impact that religion has on other people around the world. I, for one, am not extremely religious, nor is anyone in my family. And this book really demonstrates quite well how there is a fine distinction between religious belief and religious extremism. I enjoyed this book quite a lot. It allowed me to learn more than a few things about the Pakistani world and their religious beliefs. If you want a really raw emotional book, this is a good place to start.