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Laughter and Pathos Across Cultures
Dr. Orville Boyd Jenkins
A review of the book by James Fergusson
Kandahar Cockney:  A Tale of Two Worlds (London:  Harper Perennial, 2005.  390p.)

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This is a true story written by a journalist about his Afghani contact who served as his interpreter in rebel-controlled Afghanistan, in the late 1990s.  Later, this assistant had to flee the country and Fergusson had the opportunity to serve as the Afghani's guide in England.  The story details the friendship and camaraderie that developed between these two disparate human beings from such different cultures.

I often find great books in the most out-of-the-way places. Many times books nobody else seems to want wind up on the clearance stables of bookstores, which are treasures to me, on the unusual or interdisciplinary routes of thought I love to travel. This volume is in that class.

This was a delightful, informative and rewarding book I bught in September 2006 in Edenglen, South Africa. I would never have known to look for this voulume. It is a true story, with a very personal textimonial style. While relating a personal story, it is writen by a skilled journalist, and is full of detail and colour that reveals much about the religio-cultural politics of the ever-troubled Central Asian region.

This book is an insightful survey of the differences and similarities between the Western [British] and Eastern or Islamic worldviews.  It covers the period from the Taliban through the Karzai unity government in Afghanistan in 2004. It reads like an exciting adventure novel with interpersonal comedy relief.

Fergusson relates many experiences with the Afghani community in Afghanistan and in London.  Some episodes are hilarious as he explains the clashes and connections between his prior life and worldview and that quite foreign worldview of his Afghani friend.

The author's reflection on his own thoughts and reactions are very insightful for westerners who have had no experience with Central or South Asian cultures.  Likewise the stories enable us to learn of the Afghani culture and the tortured life of Afghanistan in recent years.

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Many other books have review notes with the reading list entry

OBJ

First review notes made 1 November 2006
Initial review posted on Amazon and Thoughts and Resources 23 February 2009
This expanded version written for Thoughts and Resources 23 February 2009

Orville Boyd Jenkins, EdD, PhD
Copyright © 2009 Orville Boyd Jenkins
Permission granted for free download and transmission for personal or educational use.  Other rights reserved.

Email:  orville@jenkins.nu
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