Thursday, July 26, 2007

Book Selection #3


I've spent countless days and many a sleepless night thinking about what book to select for the Society of Letters. My indecisiveness over what to choose left me with a neglected wife, an angst-ridden toddler, and the sort of absent-mindedness that results in a drowned sport wagon.
Then, one day, I knew exactly what I had to do. I know we all think we hear voices from time to time, but this voice was real. It said, "Thank you for calling Harris Bank customer service. How can I help you?" "India!" I shouted. "I don't know anything about India!"
A recent study said that as an American I'm culturally predisposed to dismiss the legitimacy of other cultures. Well you Mr. Soros-funded academic, you underestimate both the patriotism and sensitivity of the Society of Letters. Join me my literate friends as we explore the diversity of the subcontinent that has given us so much more than spicy food, yoga classes, and 30 minute long phone conversations. They're always asking if "there's anything else I can do for you?" I say it's time we ask if there's anything else we can do for them!

Pankaj Mishra, Temptations of the West: How to Be Modern in India, Pakistan, Tibet, and Beyond, 323 pp.

1 comment:

jaqua said...

dude you are seriously funny! And that was just good...