Daughter of the East

The latest book that I read has been Daughter of the East , which is an autobiographical account of Benazir Bhutto. Although the latter part of the book are quite repetitive and boring, I was hooked by the initial portions. Especially the ones involving the trial and execution of her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

I am always fascinated by these incredible tales of courage, people who refused to back down in spite of clearly knowing that they would lose their lives. One of my friends suggested that it may be a hunger for power which prompts folks like Bhutto to take on such risks. While I do not understand what drives people like these, I am not sure that it can be explained simply as a need for power.

I am quoting some lines from The Autobiography of Malcolm-X as told to Alex Haley . The Malcolm-X autobiography is one of the most extreme biographies I have read. The anger and determination of this man bursts through in this book.

" I am only facing the facts when I know that any moment of any day, or any night, could bring me death

....... it always stayed on my mind that I would die a violent death.

To come right down to it, if I take the kind of things in which I believe, then add to that the kind of temperament that I have, plus the one hundred per cent dedication I have to whatever I believe in-these are ingredients which make it just about impossible for me to die of old age".

That is not something a power hungry man would say.

I would like to think that I would stand up for what I believe in. Would I risk my life for it ? Probably not ...