April 2016 Book Selection
The
Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group will meet Thursday, April 14th at 7 p.m.
in the meeting room of the Fairfax Library to discuss our April book The
Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad.
Discussion
questions are below.
Here
are some links for additional background and information:
Brief
overview of the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)
Economist article from 2009
describing Waziristan
Season
Two of the podcast, Serial, looks
deeply into the kidnapping of Bowe Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban in the
FATA areas. Their
website has lots of maps and information.
Coming
up, we have the following books to look forward to reading:
Thurs.
May 12th Euphoria
by Lily King
Thurs.
June 9th Mary
Coin by Marisa Silver
Thanks
for reading with us. I look forward to seeing you at the Fairfax Library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends
of the Fairfax Library
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
The
Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad
1. How would you describe life within an itinerant tribe? What
intrigues you about this kind of existence? Would you be cut out for the harsh
realities of desert life?
2. How would you describe the interactions between the tribes?
How do they settle disputes? Is there any common ground that the tribal groups
share? Were you surprised by the diversity or sheer number of tribes in this
region?
3. How would you describe the interactions between the tribes
and the “civilized” culture? What are the challenges or injustices that they
endure? What is lost in translation, and why are there so few voices of
support? For example, do you think the Baluchs had a fair trial? Or, do you
think the conflict with bureaucracy snuffed out the Kharot tribe and their
flock?
4. “The pressures were inexorable. One set of values, one way
of life had to die. In this clash, the state, as always proved stronger than
the individual. The new way of life triumphed over the old” (page 52). How is
life changing for the tribes with modernization accelerating around them? What
will be lost when their culture is extinguished—or do you think their way of
life can be preserved?
5. What have you learned about this remote corner of the world?
Have you researched or looked into the geopolitical importance of the FATA
today?
6. What is Tor Baz’s influence on the events and people that
inhabit the book? What is his journey like, and what events shape him? Is he a
sympathetic, likable character? Where are his alliances?
7. How does honor—and revenge—play a role in the lives of the
tribesmen?
8. Why do you think the author switched to a first person voice
for the story “The Guide”? The speaker is a foreigner to the region, and is in
search of something profound. What is it? Does he find it?
9.
What roles are open to women in
tribal life? How would you describe the female characters’ lives?
10. Did you enjoy the vignette style of this book? Do you think
the author was successful in painting a vibrant, energetic world through such
small windows? Did you find yourself transported?
11. In a way, this book tells an
important “nonfiction” story through a fiction lens. What importance does the
role of fiction play in helping us understand the world?
