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The Nine Lives of Pakistan

Dispatches from a Precarious State

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The Nine Lives of Pakistan

By: Declan Walsh
Narrated by: Roger Clark
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About this listen

Declan Walsh is one of the New York Times's most distinguished international correspondents. His electrifying portrait of Pakistan over a tumultuous decade captures the sweep of this strange, wondrous, and benighted country through the dramatic lives of nine fascinating individuals.

On assignment as the country careened between crises, Walsh traveled from the raucous port of Karachi to the salons of Lahore, and from Baluchistan to the mountains of Waziristan. He met a diverse cast of extraordinary Pakistanis - a chieftain readying for war at his desert fort, a retired spy skulking through the borderlands, and a crusading lawyer risking death for her beliefs, among others. Through these "nine lives" he describes a country on the brink - a place of creeping extremism and political chaos, but also personal bravery and dogged idealism that defy easy stereotypes.

Unbeknownst to Walsh, however, an intelligence agent was tracking him. Written in the aftermath of Walsh's abrupt deportation, The Nine Lives of Pakistan concludes with an astonishing encounter with that agent, and his revelations about Pakistan's powerful security state. Intimate and complex, attuned to the centrifugal forces of history, identity, and faith, The Nine Lives of Pakistan offers an unflinching account of life in a precarious, vital country.

©2020 Declan Walsh (P)2021 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
Asia India Journalists, Editors & Publishers Middle East South Asia Southeast Asia Pakistan Emotionally Gripping
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What listeners say about The Nine Lives of Pakistan

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Superb book

Excellent book! Enjoyed it immensely. Will listen to it again.
The narration too was very good.
Thank you, Daclan Walsh

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    3 out of 5 stars

An essential read for any visitors to Pakistan

an essential read for anyone who has lived and worked in Pakistan and followed its history. Well written, well presented, filled in many gaps in my knowledge of Pakistan . Does tend to skip back into previous history in a rather random kind of fashion however, but Walsh does know the history well. Fits in well with my own experience of living and working there, reading about the history and meeting several of the senior people mentioned.

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Fascinating country

With the worlds fifth largest population and a worldwide diaspora, it is remarkable how little understood Pakistan is. This is a series of essays from an Irish journalist. I much preferred the writing when he focused on the historical context or the dealings with ordinary Pakistanis, who are more remarkably varied than outsiders may think. The military and political strong men he encounters often seem remarkably alike.

The stentorian narration of Roger Clark detracted from my enjoyment. It felt as if he barked, rather than spoke, the whole thing.

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Really well balanced

Great audio book. Enjoyed every moment. Really well put together with exceptional detail. I shall keep an eye out for other titles by the author.

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Wonderfully insightful yet bleak expose

The author's years spent in Pakistan provide a unique insight into a nation with a troubled history, but so much promise. A great listen.

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Excellent book on Pakistan

An excellent book on the history and politics of Pakistan interweaved with the experiences of the decade that Declan Walsh spent in the country as a journalist. Declan describes his travels through the country and the larger than life characters that he comes across, as well as the reach of the Pakistani intelligence service and Pakistan's fraught relationship with India from Partitian to the present day. A must-read book for those interested in South Asian / Pakistani history and politics, you won't be disappointed.

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A good book for those interested in Pakistan

Unfortunately some of the pronunciation of places and people were at times confusing . I am sure Declan Walsh would know how to pronounce them after a decade of living in Pakistan. However this did not distract too much from the interesting details of the book. A must read for an insight into Pakistan’s time during the noughties.and up to 2019

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That book the journalist always writes...

A mix of anecdotes, history and personal experience. Sometimes fascinating, but ultimately a bit of a mess in the way that books by journalists used to writing in a shorter form so often are.

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An overview of sorts

Written nice but gets a bit vague in number of places which are of high importance. But again it’s written mostly on personal experience and perceptions.
One thing I really disliked about this is the narrator. It must be mandatory to have basic understanding how names of people and places is pronounced if you are not a native. Could at least research or learn. And writer after staying in country for nine years accepted it is not a good reflection. Less than one star for me

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