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A Free Man by Aman Sethi audiobook

A Free Man

By Aman Sethi
Read by Vikas Adam

Blackstone Publishing 9780393088908
6.13 Hours • • 1
Format : CD (In Stock)
  • 2 Formats: CD
  • 2 Formats: MP3 CD

  • Regular Price: $24.95

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    ISBN: 9781470826246

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Like Dave Eggers' Zeitoun and Alexander Masters' Stuart, this is a tour de force of narrative reportage—an intimate portrait of an invisible man. Mohammed Ashraf studied biology in college, and after college he learned how to repair television sets, cut suit lengths, and slice chicken. He has lived in Mumbai, Calcutta, Hyderabad, Surat, and Patna, but this evening he is stoned on a street in Sadar Bazaar in North Delhi. The morning shall bring hangovers, whiskey breakfasts, and possibly answers to the lingering questions that haunt Ashraf. How did he get here? Why is he the way he is? And is there a way back home? In this compelling account of the life of an itinerant laborer, Aman Sethi brings Ashraf vividly alive and illuminates the lives of countless others like him. Wry, humorous, and insightful, A Free Man is an unforgettable portrait of an invisible man in his invisible city.

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Summary

Summary

One of the 2012 Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books: Biography

Selected for the Barnes & Noble Discover Award

A Kirkus Reviews “New and Notable Title” for Nonfiction, October 2012

Like Dave Eggers' Zeitoun and Alexander Masters' Stuart, this is a tour de force of narrative reportage—an intimate portrait of an invisible man.

Mohammed Ashraf studied biology in college, and after college he learned how to repair television sets, cut suit lengths, and slice chicken. He has lived in Mumbai, Calcutta, Hyderabad, Surat, and Patna, but this evening he is stoned on a street in Sadar Bazaar in North Delhi. The morning shall bring hangovers, whiskey breakfasts, and possibly answers to the lingering questions that haunt Ashraf. How did he get here? Why is he the way he is? And is there a way back home?

In this compelling account of the life of an itinerant laborer, Aman Sethi brings Ashraf vividly alive and illuminates the lives of countless others like him. Wry, humorous, and insightful, A Free Man is an unforgettable portrait of an invisible man in his invisible city.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

“Funny, poignant, and deeply moving, A Free Man is an extraordinary vignette into an extraordinary life.” —Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies
“A deeply moving, funny, and brilliantly written account from one of India’s most original new voices.” —Katherine Boo, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author of Behind the Beautiful Forevers
“A Free Man is a brilliant capturing of the language and bloodstream of a city. Aman Sethi has made a book that’s remarkable in its voice and evocation.” —Michael Ondaatje, New York Times bestselling author of The English Patient
“A Free Man is stunning. It reminds me of that Victorian masterpiece of investigative journalism, Henry Mayhew’s London Labour and London Poor. Aman Sethi ‘gets’ modern India better than any other journalist I know. Not only is he a remarkable reporter and storyteller but he possesses a novelist’s ear for language, sense of the absurd, and perfect pitch. I’m bowled over, totally.” —Sylvia Nasar, New York Times bestselling author of A Beautiful Mind
“As a writer, Sethi has a keen eye for detail and a sense of perception that succeeds in drawing the reader into the murky underbelly of Ashraf’s world. Laced with black humor, A Free Man is a clever study of contrasting lives that amuse and perturb in equal measures.” —The National
“A moving and irrepressible work of narrative reporting.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Journalism at its finest. Narrator Vikas Adam tells the story of these men as though they were characters in a novel. Adam brings the dialogue to the listener with the cadence and liveliness of authentic speech. He uses a heavy, affected South Asian accent to render the English speech of the masdoor, or building laborers. But the listener is given a break from this style in the narrative, which is delivered with a much lighter touch. In this contemporary story of migration, economics, and socialization, these invisible workers come alive.” —AudioFile
“Alternately sad, defiant, carefree, and understated, this journey into a world hidden in plain sight is well worth taking.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A darkly comical and eminently readable work of narrative journalism that brings readers into the heart and soul of old Delhi.” —Booklist
“[Aman Sethi’s] compassion and humor is matched by a fierce determination to tell the stories of ordinary Indians.” —Hari Kunzru, award-winning author

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Author

Author Bio: Aman Sethi

Author Bio: Aman Sethi

Aman Sethi, born in Bombay in 1983, studied chemistry in Delhi and attended the Columbia School of Journalism. He is a correspondent for the Hindu and the recipient of a Red Cross Award for his reportage.

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Details

Details

Available Formats : CD, MP3 CD
Category: Nonfiction/Biography & Autobiography
Runtime: 6.13
Audience: Adult
Language: English

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