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Malik Sajad
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Munnu: A Boy From Kashmir Kindle Edition

by Malik Sajad (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 255 ratings
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A beautifully drawn graphic novel that illuminates the conflicted land of Kashmir, through a young boy’s childhood.

Seven-year-old Munnu is growing up in Indian-administered Kashmir. Life revolves around his family: Mama, Papa, sister Shahnaz, brothers Adil and Akhtar and, his favourite, older brother Bilal. It also revolves around Munnu’s two favourite things – sugar and drawing.

But Munnu’s is a childhood experienced against the backdrop of conflict. Bilal’s classmates are crossing over into the Pakistan-administered portion of Kashmir to be trained to resist the ‘occupation’; Papa and Bilal are regularly taken by the military to identification parades where informers will point out ‘terrorists’; Munnu’s school is closed; close neighbours are killed and the homes of Kashmiri Hindu families lie abandoned, as once close, mixed communities have ruptured under the pressure of Kashmir’s divisions.

Munnu is an amazingly personal insight into everyday life in Kashmir. Closely based on Malik Sajad’s own childhood and experiences, it is a beautiful, evocatively drawn graphic novel that questions every aspect of the Kashmir situation – the faults and responsibilities of every side, the history of the region, the role of Britain and the West, the possibilities for the future. It opens up the story of this contested and conflicted land, while also giving a brilliantly close, funny and warm-hearted portrait of a boy’s childhood and coming-of-age.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    355 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Fourth Estate
  5. Publication date
    June 18, 2015
  6. File size
    287575 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

‘A remarkable and important graphic novel … It is testimony to the skill of this debut work – penned by a 25-year-old – that, while Munnu seems uncritical of these characters, we see their ugly side’ Independent

‘A dense, intense and arresting read that will tear your heart apart and have you sweating with vicarious fear. Those who already relished Marjane Satrapi's PERSEPOLIS, Belle Yang's FORGET SORROW or Kunwu & Otie's A CHINESE LIFE are going to love this. I'm thinking particularly PERSEPOLIS, for this too centres on the strength, reliance and resourcefulness of a family in the wake of oppression … There's so much about life in Kashmir which I didn't understand. Since the terrifying nuclear brinksmanship in 1999 which I remember so well, it's rather fallen from our news cycles, hasn't it? This great graphic novel, I am convinced, will bring it back to the forefront of our attention’ Page 45

About the Author

Malik Sajad was born in 1987, in Srinagar, Kashmir. His illustrations and stories have appeared in various local and international publications. He studied Visual Art at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00O0FTMV4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fourth Estate; Illustrated edition (June 18, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 18, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 287575 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 355 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 255 ratings

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Malik Sajad

Malik Sajad

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
255 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

BM1999
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2020
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Beautiful book with a moving story about Kashmir. A must read for those trying to understand a little bit more about the region.
One person found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing perspective on Kashmir
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2016
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Beautifully told story of Kashmir and the price that citizens pay for a conflict that they have no control of...I'd recommend this book to everybody who is even remotely interested in knowing about Kashmir... This is a fresh perspective and you can't help rooting for Munnu who is as real as the author himself.
3 people found this helpful
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Faraz
5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh read: Incredibly written and drawn
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2015
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This is a beautifully illustrated book, and very well written. I don't usually read comics or anything like that, but this book is much more than a "comic book". Great read, well crafted, illustrated, and written.
One person found this helpful
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Subramanian
5.0 out of 5 stars A standout graphic novel
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2017
I just finished reading this book for the second time, and wow. "Munnu" is a book of actions, not words, but carries the reader through these actions with the curiosity and guilelessness of a child. I feel as though graphic novels often tell stories of regions from the outside looking in, but the protagonist in "Munnu" is on the inside, looking just slightly further beyond himself, to the everyday ways that the violence in Kashmir manifests. Seemingly ordinary details - such as the fact that Munnu's home is set back on the street, shrouded by trees - are implements for (sometimes at once) pain and victory for the young boy in this graphic novel. The rare flourishes that exist strictly to impress upon narrative land with even more poignancy as a result, such as when a man falls to the ground like a coat sliding off its hanger. The book explores with honesty the incommensurable space between a citizen and the broadcasts written about his hometown; the way violence on one's front door is both distilled and magnified in our news and in our nightmares.

It's no secret that Kashmir is a "hot-button" issue in South Asia, and one where everyone is certain of his or her side. But this book transcends as it inoculates itself from "sides" and political posturing. It is not tragedy porn. It is not a call to arms. It is not a book seared in anger. Like Book One of Karl Ove Knausgaard's "My Struggle" series, it simply cracks wide open one single life, curiously turning the shards over in the author's hand. Kashmir and Srinagar, where the book is set, is entirely foreign to me, and this book is ungenerous with its explanations for several cultural elements (For example, salt tea? I'm baffled.) and so I often turned to google during my reading, but I preferred that, as it offered a more situated storyline, which never self-exoticizes. Even the book's chief conceit, that Kashmiri men and women are depicted as the endangered Hangul Deer while all others are presented as humans, is executed with such familiar tenderness that it doesn't come across as cheap.

I won't reveal how this book develops or ends, but I will say the ending left me bewildered, melancholy, and slightly confused. When I closed the book I was reminded of the film director Sam Shepard, who said, “I hate endings. Just detest them. Beginnings are definitely the most exciting, middles are perplexing and endings are a disaster. The temptation towards resolution, towards wrapping up the package, seems to me a terrible trap. Why not be more honest with the moment? The most authentic endings are the ones which are already revolving towards another beginning."

I hope to see "Munnu" on more bookshelves in America and look forward to reading Mr. Sajad's next work.
4 people found this helpful
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Kay
5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely timely and important work
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2019
If you are interested in the Indian occupation of Kashmir--an unbiased version if it, this is the book for you.
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Top reviews from other countries

Debolina
5.0 out of 5 stars It's a beautiful book full of innocence and an honest take on the situation in Kashmir
Reviewed in India on August 7, 2023
Verified Purchase
I would recommend everyone to read the book. It's difficult to write on Kashmir but what i loved abt the book the most is the authors style of writing and the way he used his drawings and humour to narrate the atrocities ppl face on a daily basis in Kashmir and the politics arnd. There are incidences in the book which broke my heart. But also its honest and it has an innocence which puts a smile on your face. I look forward to more work from the author and I wish more ppl from our country read the book before giving out their judgemental opinion on Kashmir.
One person found this helpful
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Mr. L-francois Pilard
4.0 out of 5 stars Skilfully woven
Reviewed in France on December 6, 2019
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It’s for people feeling attracted by a were it only vague image of India, which they are going to know more thoroughly.
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Londoner
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent graphic novel on the occupation in Kashmir.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2016
Verified Purchase
It's not often that I dread turning the last page of a book. I wish this one had a million more pages! *Everybody* needs to read this beautifully illustrated & heartbreaking masterpiece. Undoubtedly one of the best additions to my bookshelf and one that I will read over and over again.
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Londoner
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent graphic novel on the occupation in Kashmir.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2016
It's not often that I dread turning the last page of a book. I wish this one had a million more pages! *Everybody* needs to read this beautifully illustrated & heartbreaking masterpiece. Undoubtedly one of the best additions to my bookshelf and one that I will read over and over again.
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Firdaus Samad
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended
Reviewed in India on June 22, 2022
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Munnu- a boy from Kashmir is a heartbreaking and harsh reality of the ever-controversial yet beautiful Kashmir told through the pov of a 7 years old boy. It shows the true reality of terrorists and the army. And how at the hands of these, the common public is suffering every single day. I got to know a lot about the history of Kashmir and how since the beginning the people of Kashmir, be they Hindu or Muslim, have suffered inconsolably. One cannot imagine the troubles the natives endure every day. No one is spared. From proving their identity at every nook and corner to being terrorized by the resistance group and the army, the war is continuous. Constant curfews and raids only add to their misery. What broke my heart the most was the treatment many females receive. Many innocent females are raped and killed every day there.
I don't know if the plight of Kashmir will change soon or not. But I hope it does change for the better. I appreciate the author's keen eyes to explain micro and macro issues so well.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Must read
Reviewed in India on May 23, 2021
Verified Purchase
When i ordered it i did not realise its a graphic novel. But when I started reading it i realised that the way in which its presented adds to the beauty of the the story. An actual description of the life in the valley. Must read book
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