The Bargain from the Bazaar: A Family's Day of Reckoning in Lahore

In his first book, Ullah intimately examines the effects of America's War on Terror on the everyday people of Pakistan through the story of one family living and working in Lahore. Meet the Reza family: Awais, his wife Shez, and their three boys: Salman, Daniyal, and Kamran. A middle-class family whose livelihood comes from a shop located in Anarkali Bazaar, opened by Awais's father. We follow the evolution of everyday life for the Rezas during increasingly turbulent times in Pakistan, from the boys' marriage arrangements to navigating a city with police checkpoints. Over the years Daniyal becomes radicalized. We watch his family worry as he trains for a suicide bombing and when Awais is arrested and questioned, he recalls his time in a POW camp during the civil war that broke up the country. Using a sharp journalistic eye, Ullah brings the bustle of Lahore and its market to life. He manages to quietly convey America's role in the conditions facing this long-troubled country without becoming preachy or needlessly partisan. Ullah is more interested in the common Pakistani experience and he makes these moments shine: the family watching the news or the moments in Kamran's classes. These instances powerfully demystify Pakistan for western audiences. (Mar.)