I was living in NYC on 9/11 and reading this one so close to its eighth anniversary was very painful. The first person narration didn't work for me, and I was revolted that the character smiled while watching footage on television of the Twin Towers falling and felt remarkably pleased. I should have given up at that point, but I kept reading based on the terrific reviews that this book has generated. Can't say that it was worth my time.

In The Reluctant Fundamentalist Changez, a young Pakistani man, tells you (the American reader) the story of how he became an American then went home again. After graduating from Princeton, Changez gets a prestigious position with a firm that values companies in preparation for their sales. He earns a decent salary, the respect of his colleagues, and falls in love with an American woman.

After 9/11, things begin to fall apart for Changez. He experiences anti-Arab backlash from 9/11 and (perhaps even worse)overly-PC and almost condescending sensitivity towards him as a Pakistani. When problems in Pakistan affecting his family become too distracting and his romance with Erica, the American girl, comes to a dead end, Changez is forced to reexamine the person he has become.

Although this book is a quick read, it is very insightful. The honesty of the narrator reveals how complicated it can be to have conflicting allegiances.

I just couldn't get excited about someone who felt he was entitled to be in the "right" groups and upset that he lost his access to them.

This is a one person narration from a Pakistani male to presumably an American male. The conversation takes place in the course of an afternoon to an evening but spans the narrators recent history. Its a dialogue about trust/mistrust and much more. Truly thought provoking and a very simple read.

The first-person stream-of-consciousness style is unsettling at first, but once this book grabs you, it doesn't let go. I read most of it in one day. It's like an intricate game of chess played skilfully to the end.

Very unusual; narrated by a Pakistani who lived and worked in NY prior to and after 9/11. Different perspective of American life, to be sure... The ending leaves you guessing until the last second--and then continues to leave you guessing.

A quick read, written in the style of a (very one-sided) conversation. I found it easier to follow because it's exactly like listening to an oral story. Hamid's young hero has a very clear voice. It is interesting to listen to him tell about life before and after 9/11 in New York and Princeton and Pakistan. The story holds elements of romance and drama. Anyone with interest in international perspectives of America will also be interested.

A quick read, with a nice conversational tone. I didn't care for the ending.

A really outstanding view from a Pakistani after 9/11. A page turner.

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very interesting, suspenseful book. both my husband and i liked it very much.

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