Baby Khaki’s Wings: **** (four stars)
This turned out to be the best book to read while out here. It a collection of short stories which take place in various East African and Canadian cities and are very Ismaili centric (specifically Ismailis from East Africa) – many of the stories I could relate to – from the hardships and pressures of families trying to make it in the ‘new land’ of Canada, to the stories relayed to me from my own family from when they were growing up in Africa. What I liked most about the book was how it captured the nuances of the interactions between the different ethnic groups in Africa – it didnt try to sugar coat the way in which indigineous Africans were treated by their Asian-African compatriots (or in some cases, as they still are treated…). Seeing how things are today, and how some are definitely striving to improve conditions overall, others are still living in the backwards mentality of 20 years ago. I guess human nature is what it is, and there will always be those who have no problem with treating others without dignity in order to reach their own goals. You would think that people would learn from the consequences of the past