Hi readers,

过年好! Happy Chinese New Year! This is my first Chinese New Year in Canada. Although I can’t have reunion dinner with my families tonight, I still feel thankful that I can meet awesome people here and listen to the lectures given by great professors. Best wish for everyone in year of the rooster.

Recently in ASTU class, we read The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Pakistan writer Mohsin Hamid. In the book, narrator Changez is telling his experience in US to an American “CIA agency” with a bitter and aggressive tone. Both of them are from Pakistan and graduated from Princeton. Changez feels accepted by United States until 9/11 happened. He was suspected by American because of his Pakistan identity. Meanwhile, serving a country that was invading his home country makes him feel guilty. Finally, he went back to Pakistan and become an anti-America professor. In the last part of the book, “you” is threatened by Changez, and it seems that Changez is going to murder “you”. Different from some books I read before, it gives me a sense of “immersion” by applying first person narrative. Especially in the last plot, I already substitute myself into “you” and feel that my life and the security of America is threatened.

Because of that, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is also considered a political thriller by some readers. For me, I think this book is thrilling from two aspects. Firstly, this book is like a warn to not only Americans but also all the people who treat people based on stereotype of their race and nationality. It’s telling readers that terrorists can emerge from hatred and stigma given from “you”. Another thing that make TRF thrilling is its connection to real world. The story that Hamid tries to tell us is happening right now somewhere in the world. Today, there are still “Changez” suffering from being judged by their race and nationality.

Hamid has said that if you are reading The Reluctant Fundamentalist as a thriller — “that’s because you’re already afraid.” We’re afraid because we are making the same mistakes as “you”.

Thanks for reading!

Hi readers!

This week, we finished reading Joe Sacco’s comic book Safe Area Gorazde. As an American journalist, Joe Sacco went to Gorazde during and after the Bosnia. In the book, he presents the individual experience of the victims and the damaged town with realistic comic style. In this blog, I’d like to talk about the role of journalist presented in Joe Sacco’s works and in society.

Joe Sacco portraits himself as a man with cartoonish face and thick glasses. I never found his eyes presented in the book. His appearance in the book looks foolish and ugly sometimes: when he went to party, his face is sweaty and his mouth is drooling (page 8). I think he portraits himself that way is to remind readers that journalists are normal people too. Although they can go to the scene that many readers can’t get to, the information conveyed by them is based on their perspectives. When I was reading the book, I found that Joe Sacco was trying to present multiple perspectives from different individuals. I believe that’s his way to be more “objective”.

Joe Sacco’s book reminds me of a Chinese journalist, Chai Jing. In her book, she writes about her experience of interviewing a little boy whose elder sister just committed suicide. After the interview, Chai Jing helped wipe the boy’s tears. This scene was shown to the audience. Some critics argue that this is a very unprofessional behaviour, since her emotion shouldn’t be shown because their emotional behaviour can affect audience’s understanding of the fact. Chai Jing said the thing that’s important isn’t whether her emotion was shown in front of audience but whether her emotion serves purpose.

In my perspective, I can understand Chai Jing’s behaviour and I believe her emotion was true, but I don’t think her emotional behaviour should be shown in front of audience. I believe that will affect audience’s understanding. Also, I think part of Safe Area Gorazde portrays Joe Sacco’s experience of an American journalist in Gorazde instead of the truth and fact of the war itself because Joe Sacco already got involved in victims’ life and became one part of Gorazde.

I admire those two journalists because of the way they dedicate themselves to their career. And, I think it’s important for journalist to feel the interviewees’ feeling and present it to the readers, but it’s also important to include opinions from different perspectives, because it will make the news more objective. I think it will be better if Joe Sacco can include Serbs’ opinions in his book.