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Showing 1 - 8 of
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Three women, in An Oath of Vengeance, struggle with their seemingly
hopeless conditions to survive and somehow gain their freedom
against tremendous odds. It is a gripping tale of how three women
and their families deal with the tragedies of their rape and
abduction in different ways. It is also the story of men in their
homes who live to defend their own honor and the honor of their
families, and their women, at all costs.
"One Way to Pakistan" Harold Bergsma's tale of corruption and
abduction in Pakistan is a very compelling read that rates right up
there with, "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. The novel is set
in a post 9/11 world where American freedoms are at odds with
Islamist traditions and the law of Sharia. Bergsma paints a vivid
picture of sexual repression and wide-spread graft in a culture
foreign to most of us but all too familiar to him as having been
born and raised on the sub-continent. His characters are from all
walks of life and social castes and give an insightful peek
(literally) at how the other half lives. Inevitable none of them
escape unscathed as they try to survive in the maelstrom caused by
daily terrorist threats and the clash between imperialism and
fundamentalism. As a world traveler and raconteur myself, I
wholeheartedly recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in
finding out more about a society that we as Americans have embraced
as an ally in the war on terror- it is a real eye-opener. Robert
McMahan, San Diego, California. In One Way to Pakistan, Harold
Bergsma takes us behind the headlines to a world where Muslims and
Christians are all too human. Using powerful images of three
abductions, he weaves a tale which is engaging and passionately
written and causes us to care deeply about his characters and their
fates. Characters and events such as these, at first glance, may be
misunderstood by westerners, but their cultural context on the
global stage is made clear and definitely compelling. Fascinating,
thought-provoking and sympathetic, this novel is an important
contribution to both global and multicultural understanding. Elaine
Jarchow, Ph.D., Dean, Author, Preparing to Teach Global
Perspectives, Corwin Press, 1997 Reading One Way to Pakistan by
Harold Bergsma gave me a nostalgic visit to my childhood in India.
The characters in it became real people for me and I felt very
involved in their lives. The story drew me in completely as I
traveled familiar roads and visited familiar places when the action
took us from village to city. I especially appreciated the detailed
descriptions of these areas. Sally Hazlett Woolever, Storyteller.
Living on the Edge Editorial Board and Contributor to Otsego
Stories, A Bicentennial Collection, Walton, N.Y. 1995 You are in
store for an amazing, bazaar-level, people's-eye view of a
microcosm in 21st. century Pakistan The spotlight is on sex-starved
men, who indulge, with impunity, in hypocrisy, graft, bribery,
extortion and abduction, using their victims as chattel. Tom Stoup,
Bluedoor Bookstore, San Diego
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Bonded (Paperback)
Harold M. Bergsma
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R517
Discovery Miles 5 170
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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Tamrin, a resident of the ancient port city of Aksum, was tall and
lean, with restless eyes that examined all those around him. He was
a man who used words and persuasion before he used the sword, but
if he drew his weapon, it tasted blood. Though illiterate, Tamrin
had a fantastic mind for details, money transactions, ship's
cargoes, and the faces of all he met. He was a man who recognized
that silence and listening paid benefits that oratory seldom did.
He respected the authority of the queen, yet held himself with
pride. Menelik, son of the Queen of Sheba and fathered by Solomon,
as a youth became Tamrin's charge. Menelik was to accompany Tamrin
as a deck hand and not reveal his royal identity during their
travels, but he told his secret to another sailor, which changed
the nature of his apprenticeship and his life. Menelik, a quick
learner, was faithful to Tamrin. Being shielded in a royal palace
did not prepare him for the hardships and cruelties of a merchant
sailor's life. He finally admitted his error, regaining the respect
of the crew and his mother, the queen. About the Author: Born in
Chicago, Harold M. Bergsma spent his early years in Ethiopia and
India, where his father was a medical missionary. He studied
linguistics and was a university professor and administrator for
thirty years. The author has lived and worked in Africa and India.
His first wife was born in India and his second is Chinese. "I am
in many ways like Tamrin, of many origins, and many cultural
backgrounds. Home is truly where the heart is." This is his tenth
book. Publisher's website: http: //sbprabooks.com/HaroldMBergsma
Three women, in An Oath of Vengeance, struggle with their seemingly
hopeless conditions to survive and somehow gain their freedom
against tremendous odds. It is a gripping tale of how three women
and their families deal with the tragedies of their rape and
abduction in different ways. It is also the story of men in their
homes who live to defend their own honor and the honor of their
families, and their women, at all costs.
The author tells stories about his international wandering. In
India he writes about his childhood and growing up in boarding
school. He experiences frustrations of a child living with a dorm
bully. His story "The Year I Became a Thief describes his humorous
rationale for his resulting strange thefts. In "Bears' Cave" he
describes a terrifying cave exploration with his older brother
where they almost lose their lives. Bergsma resided twelve years in
Nigeria. He made close friends with many of the traditional people
resulting from both his work and his hobby, hunting. "Fat Hearts"
is a story of Asema Kehe, his hunting companion for twelve years
and their many unusual experiences in the bush together. After
twenty five years apart, Bergsma returns to Nigeria and finds his
dying friend. In "The Salt Makers" he becomes lost on a hunt and
ends up in compound where six wild looking Utur tribesmen are
boiling something in a huge metal pot. Bergsma's attempt to solicit
assistance by using pantomime is a hilarious spoof of cross
cultural mis-understanding. While in Yemen Arab Republic, in "Sleep
Deprivation" he becomes involved with Russian spies and a noisy
amorous couple in a hotel room in Sana'a. In Belize he accompanies
a project student home. He stays overnight with the student in a
tiny stilt house above a swamp and becomes acquainted intimately
with "Sleep Apnea" when his partner dies a hundred times a night.
In Egypt, with his family, they descend ancient stone steps under a
pyramid. He discovers he has a serious case of 'tombaphobia' in
"Pharaoh's Tomb." His memoirs speak of the birth and rebirth of
ideas and beliefs over a lifetime; 'we are born in mystery, we live
in mystery and we die in mystery'.
"One Way to Pakistan" Harold Bergsma's tale of corruption and
abduction in Pakistan is a very compelling read that rates right up
there with, "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. The novel is set
in a post 9/11 world where American freedoms are at odds with
Islamist traditions and the law of Sharia. Bergsma paints a vivid
picture of sexual repression and wide-spread graft in a culture
foreign to most of us but all too familiar to him as having been
born and raised on the sub-continent. His characters are from all
walks of life and social castes and give an insightful peek
(literally) at how the other half lives. Inevitable none of them
escape unscathed as they try to survive in the maelstrom caused by
daily terrorist threats and the clash between imperialism and
fundamentalism. As a world traveler and raconteur myself, I
wholeheartedly recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in
finding out more about a society that we as Americans have embraced
as an ally in the war on terror- it is a real eye-opener. Robert
McMahan, San Diego, California. In One Way to Pakistan, Harold
Bergsma takes us behind the headlines to a world where Muslims and
Christians are all too human. Using powerful images of three
abductions, he weaves a tale which is engaging and passionately
written and causes us to care deeply about his characters and their
fates. Characters and events such as these, at first glance, may be
misunderstood by westerners, but their cultural context on the
global stage is made clear and definitely compelling. Fascinating,
thought-provoking and sympathetic, this novel is an important
contribution to both global and multicultural understanding. Elaine
Jarchow, Ph.D., Dean, Author, Preparing to Teach Global
Perspectives, Corwin Press, 1997 Reading One Way to Pakistan by
Harold Bergsma gave me a nostalgic visit to my childhood in India.
The characters in it became real people for me and I felt very
involved in their lives. The story drew me in completely as I
traveled familiar roads and visited familiar places when the action
took us from village to city. I especially appreciated the detailed
descriptions of these areas. Sally Hazlett Woolever, Storyteller.
Living on the Edge Editorial Board and Contributor to Otsego
Stories, A Bicentennial Collection, Walton, N.Y. 1995 You are in
store for an amazing, bazaar-level, people's-eye view of a
microcosm in 21st. century Pakistan The spotlight is on sex-starved
men, who indulge, with impunity, in hypocrisy, graft, bribery,
extortion and abduction, using their victims as chattel. Tom Stoup,
Bluedoor Bookstore, San Diego
|
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