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Capitalism: A Ghost Story (2014)

by Arundhati Roy(Favorite Author)

4.01 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1608463850 (ISBN13: 9781608463855)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Haymarket Books

review 1: About three years ago, my family and I visited India, the country of my birth in the middle of my freshman year in high school. Carrying my backpack filled with textbooks and schoolwork through the crowded, air-conditioned Mumbai airport, I was not happy. When I finally walked out of the airport, the humidity was as burdensome as it was relieving . The humidity stayed with me from Mumbai to my hometown in the state of Gujarat. When we finally arrived. the town I saw in front of me was very different than the one I had stored in my memories. The farm fields had become just pieces of lands that people did not want to burden themselves with anymore. Land. That was the talk of the town. This man sold his land for this much and to to this business and so on. The farms were bein... moreg replaced by businesses. India was becoming modern. The changing sites only dismayed me. I did not want the green, never-ending farm fields from my younger years to fade. I complained (I usually do) to my mother about the changes. Instead of agreeing with me which is what I had expected her to do as this was the town where she had spent majority of her existence, she exposed my hypocrisy: "These people want to have what you have back home. You cannot not criticize them changing their way of life when you yourself enjoy going to the mall, eating out, and going on various excursions." Yes, the American way. The way many overzealous, "The Daily Show"- watching teenagers like myself make a habit of criticizing only to return to the our smartphones and plan "get-togethers" at the mall. Arundhati Roy in her merciless tearing-apart of corporate culture and influence also acknowledges the hypocrisy that the middle class isshrouded in when she asks, "Which of us sinners was going to cast the first stone? Not, me, who loves off royalties from corporate publishing houses, We all watch Tata Sky, we surf the Net with Tata Photon, we ride in Tata taxis, we stay at Tata hotels...."(20). The list continues on. Being a hypocrite is the only thing I am certain about myself nowadays, whether it be in global issues or day-to-day interactions. Perhaps the most common form of our hypocrisy is forgetting. We get easily aroused global injustices, then proceed to stand on our precarious soap-boxes and go on emotional rants. Then after everything had died done, we forget or unconsciously ignore our rants and return to "normalcy." All in all, I do commend Roy refusing to censor her thoughts with countless treats she receives and expressing them as a talented, and witty storyteller. But questions remain. The injustices in Kashmir, in Chhattisgarh, in Gujarat, and everywhere else, how do they fit into our own worldview? This overload of information, what becomes of it? So now what?
review 2: smart, informative & opinionated this is a great book for those interested in global economics, globalization, social & economic disparity, and those interested in India.My knowledge of India & Kashmir is very limited so I can't attest to its in/accuracy, but the overarching themes & discussion came through clearly. a good poignant read that will leave you feeling frustrated, mad & wanting to see change. less

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