Bangladesh Books

Banker To The Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty

Muhammad Yunus

Amazon Price: $10.20 List Price: $15.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: PublicAffairs Amazon Marketplace: 155 new & used starting at $2.85

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Professionals & Academics -> Business
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 77 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

It began with a simple $27 loan. After witnessing the cycle of poverty that kept many poor women enslaved to high-interest loan sharks in Bangladesh, Dr. Muhammad Yunus lent money to 42 women so they could purchase bamboo to make and sell stools. In a short time, the women were able to repay the loans while continuing to support themselves and their families. With that initial eye-opening success, the seeds of the Grameen Bank, and the concept of microcredit, were planted.

After earning a Ph.D. in economics at Vanderbilt University, Dr. Yunus returned to Bangladesh to settle into a life as a professor. But a famine in 1974 ravaged the country, leading Dr. Yunus to alter his thinking and his life profoundly: "What good were all my complex theories when people were dying of starvation on the sidewalks and porches across from my lecture hall?.... Nothing in the economic theories I taught reflected the life around me." Armed with little more than a lofty dream to end the suffering around him, he started an experimental microcredit enterprise in 1977; by 1983 the Grameen Bank was officially formed.

The idea behind the Grameen Bank is ingeniously simple: extend credit to poor people and they will help themselves. This concept strikes at the root of poverty by specifically targeting the poorest of the poor, providing small loans (usually less than $300) to those unable to obtain credit from traditional banks. At Grameen, loans are administered to groups of five people, with only two receiving their money up front. As soon as these two make a few regular payments, loans are gradually extended to the rest of the group. In this way, the program builds a sense of community as well as individual self-reliance. Most of the Grameen Bank's loans are to women, and since its inception, there has been an astonishing loan repayment rate of over 98 percent.

Banker to the Poor is an inspiring memoir of the birth of microcredit, written in a conversational tone that makes it both moving and enjoyable to read. The Grameen Bank is now a $2.5 billion banking enterprise in Bangladesh, while the microcredit model has spread to over 50 countries worldwide, from the U.S. to Papua New Guinea, Norway to Nepal. Ever optimistic, Yunus travels the globe spreading the belief that poverty can be eliminated: "...the poor, once economically empowered, are the most determined fighters in the battle to solve the population problem; end illiteracy; and live healthier, better lives. When policy makers finally realize that the poor are their partners, rather than bystanders or enemies, we will progress much faster that we do today." Dr. Yunus's efforts prove that hope is a global currency. --Shawn Carkonen

Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives

Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp, Tim Inskipp

Amazon Price: $23.10 List Price: $35.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Princeton University Press Amazon Marketplace: 4 new & used starting at $23.10

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Bangladesh
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Bhutan
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> India -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the snowcapped Himalayas and the Indus valley, to the Ganges delta and the Sri Lankan forests, the Indian subcontinent is home to 13% of the world's species of birds and thousands of birders and ecotourists flock to the area every year. This field guide will be indispensable to those who wish to find and identify the many species of avifauna of the Indian subcontinent and environs.

Featuring more than 150 color plates by eminent bird illustrators from Europe and India, it depicts all the known species in the region, ranging from the Himalayan Snowcock in the north to the Sri Lanka Spurfowl in the south. The plates include all relevant identifiable subspecies, as well as ages and sexes. It contains hundreds of range maps and the succinct text on the facing pages covers identification, voice, and distribution. Specially designed for use in the field, it is a compact version of the landmark A Guide to the Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, hailed on its publication as a "stunning book" that "advanced the cause of Indian birding by 20-30 years." With its modest price, small trim size, and sturdy, weather-resistant binding, this field guide is the one volume that every adventurous traveler to the Indian subcontinent must have.

Daktar: Diplomat in Bangladesh

Viggo Olsen

List Price: $14.99 By: Kregel Publications Amazon Marketplace: 28 new & used starting at $0.55

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Leaders & Notable People -> Religious
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Bangladesh
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> India -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

May change your mind about missionaries! 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This man is extraordinary! While we desire wealth, security, good health, and so much more, Vic Olsen's autobiography touches my heart as I see the tremendous passion and commitment of a Christian missionary to help the people of Bangladesh while ignoring the superficial desires of our society. His life trumps the stereotype delusional missionary of the same era portrayed in The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. You may reject his perspective that Jesus Christ is the Messiah (although he provides a logical defense), but think again what this man did because he committed his life to Jesus Christ. Is not this world better off because of this man's decision? Now, what am I going to do?

The Best Example of Medical Missionary work you can find 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

If you're looking to do some missionary work and your going into the medical field, this is the book for you. Viggo Olsen's story in Bangladesh is extemely inspiring and lets you see how the Father truly works through him.

Editorial Review:

The classic missionary story of Dr. Viggo Olsen continues to thrill readers with its blend of excitement, insight, and inspiration.

War and Secession: Pakistan, India, and the Creation of Bangladesh

Richard Sisson, Leo E. Rose

Amazon Price: $24.25 List Price: $26.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: University of California Press Amazon Marketplace: 23 new & used starting at $7.98

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Bangladesh
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> India -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Pakistan

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An unbiased, well-researched accurate account 5 out of 5 stars.
20 of 21 people found this review helpful.

The authors provide a well-balanced, unbiased historical account of the accounts leading to the war of 1971. The book is very well researched with numerous notes on various sources of information.

The book describes the genesis of the problems in East Pakistan, beginning with the partition of India and the formation of Pakistan's two wings. Carefully collected economic data demonstrates the lop-sided distribution of wealth in Pakistan with more government spending and foreign aid going to the West than to the East, despite the latter having a greater population and suffering from severe natural disasters. Also cited are the differences between East and West Pakistan over confronting India over Kashmir. The East did not share a penchant for confronting India over Kashmir - a territory that lay over a 1000 miles away. There were more pressing problems at home then (circumstances that are eerily similar to those today in Pakistan!).

These differences came to a height in a war fought over Kashmir in 1965 (instigated upon Bhutto's advice to Ayub Khan) when East Pakistan was left virtually undefended against any potential Indian military advances. This further contributed to its sense of insecurity.

The politicians of West Pakistan, most notably Z. A. Bhutto and Yahya Khan, are blamed unambiguously for their role in canceling a session of the first democratically elected national assembly in Pakistan that precipitated in a crisis in March 1971. India's role in contributing to the crisis until March 1971 was minimal, if any, but was to assume greater importance in the months to follow. The failure of all political processes to placate the demands of Z. A. Bhutto led to the suspension of the National Assembly, and subsequent events.

However, once the crisis resulted in millions of refugees flowing into India that threatened to upset the delicate demographic balance in the affected states, the problem also became one of India's. The authors fault Indira Gandhi for not trying harder to achieve a political settlement of the problem. It is highly unlikely that India could have mediated a problem between West and East Pakistan. After Indira Gandhi concluded that the problem could not be resolved politically by Pakistan's leaders, India began to play an increasingly larger political-military role, beginning in the summer of 1971 and concluding with a lightning military campaign in December, 1971.

Breaking Ships

Roland Buerk

List Price: $19.95 By: Chamberlain Bros. Amazon Marketplace: 5 new & used starting at $29.03

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> General
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Bangladesh

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Well done and unusual 4 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Buerk follows the "death" and dismemberment of the giant ship Asian Tiger from beaching to the sale of the last nut or bit of insulation, a process of some months. The story of how Bangladesh became a market for this type of work (which now supplies steel for domestic uses while the world price rises every day), the devastating impact on the environment, and the ambiguous cost/benefit to the workers are all dealt with. Buerk interviews all types of people involved in the industry and project, including the captain beaching the vessel, the business family running the project, various labor subcontractors, workers of varying skill (and pay) level, still poorer villagers in the north who desperately wish to get the backbreaking jobs on the beach, vendors on the roadside hawking products pulled off the boat, even steel mill operators taking in the steel and sending it on for recycled use as rebar in the cities. Throughout, the author is sympathetic to the men in each position, and recognizes that while the work is probably some of the worst in the world and pays terribly, still for the average Bangladeshi it appears to be preferably to no work and starvation. A number of b&w photos add significantly to the book. By the time the ship is largely gone, new ships have appeared on shore. For the workers it is a grinding life, but it seems to be the only life they have. Recommended read.

Editorial Review:

Asbestos, explosives, and chemical waste are only a few of the hazards involved in the meticulous work of destroying a giant ship. When new labor laws and environmental standards came to Europe, the ship-breaking industry moved to places like Chittagong on the coast of Bangladesh-places where the lives of workers seem expendable, and the environment is someone else's problem.

Breaking Ships follows the demise of the Asian Tiger, a ship destroyed at one of the twenty ship-breaking yards along the beaches of Chittagong. BBC Bangladesh correspondent Roland Buerk takes us through the process-from beaching the vessel to its final dissemination, from wealthy shipyard owners to poverty-stricken ship cutters, and from the economic benefits for Bangladesh to the pollution of its once pristine beaches.

A Photographic Guide to the Birds of India: And the Indian Subcontinent, Including Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives (Princeton Field Guides)

Bikram Grewal, Bill Harvey

Amazon Price: $25.55 List Price: $35.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Princeton University Press Amazon Marketplace: 21 new & used starting at $19.95

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> How-to -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> How-to -> General AAS
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Nature & Wildlife

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

This is the most comprehensive photographic guide to the birds of India and the Indian subcontinent. Never before have so many of the region's species been illustrated in one book.

The brilliant photographs--most of which appear here for the first time--have been carefully selected to show not only the most common Passerine and non-Passerine species, but also more elusive species and distinctive subspecies. An up-to-date distribution map and a unique code indicating frequency and global status are provided for each of the 668 species covered. The concise text provides vital information on habitats, habits, and voice to ensure accurate identification.

Designed for easy use, the book places photos and maps in close proximity to provide an at-a-glance overview for each species. Birds are indexed by both their common and scientific names.

This is an essential volume for all birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts as well as for anyone traveling to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Bhutan.

Bikram Grewal has written more than twenty books on India, including three guides to its birds. He is a biodiversity expert for the Indian government. Bill Harvey is a lifelong birdwatcher who has lived throughout the Indian subcontinent. He published the first authoritative checklist on the birds of Bangladesh as well as numerous articles and is a cofounder of the Northern Indian Bird Network. Otto Pfister is a wildlife photographer whose work has appeared in numerous publications. He has also published several illustrated articles on birds.

• Gorgeous full-color photographs
• Distribution maps for all species
• Abundance icons
• Photographs, text, and maps in close proximity for at-a-glance overview
• Expert text aids species identification

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives (Cambridge World Encyclopedias)

List Price: $69.95 By: Cambridge University Press Amazon Marketplace: 17 new & used starting at $6.11

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Bangladesh
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Bhutan
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> India -> General AAS

Editorial Review:

This study of South Asia analyzes both the riches and struggles of the past and the problems and achievements of the present. It describes the painful struggles for independence, and today's political and economic realities.

A Princely Impostor?: The Strange and Universal History of the Kumar of Bhawal

Partha Chatterjee

Amazon Price: $28.95 List Price: $28.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Princeton University Press Amazon Marketplace: 15 new & used starting at $19.83

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> General
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> United States -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> General AAS

Editorial Review:

In 1921 a traveling religious man appeared in eastern British Bengal. Soon residents began to identify this half-naked and ash-smeared sannyasi as none other than the Second Kumar of Bhawal--a man believed to have died twelve years earlier, at the age of twenty-six. So began one of the most extraordinary legal cases in Indian history. The case would rivet popular attention for several decades as it unwound in courts from Dhaka and Calcutta to London.

This narrative history tells an incredible story replete with courtroom drama, sexual debauchery, family intrigue, and squandered wealth. With a novelist's eye for interesting detail, Partha Chatterjee sifts through evidence found in official archives, popular songs, and backstreet Bangladeshi bookshops. He evaluates the case of the man claiming, with the support of legions of tenants and relatives, to be the long-lost Kumar. And he considers the position of the sannyasi's detractors, including the colonial government and the Kumar's young widow, who resolutely refused to meet the man she denounced as an impostor.

Along the way, Chatterjee introduces us to a fascinating range of human character, gleans insights into the nature of human identity, and examines the relation between scientific evidence, legal truth, and cultural practice. The story he tells unfolds alongside decades of Indian history. Its plot is shaped by changing gender and class relations and punctuated by critical historical events, including the onset of World War II, the Bengal famine of 1943, and the Great Calcutta Killings. And by identifying the earliest erosion of colonialism and the growth of nationalist thinking within the organs of colonial power, Chatterjee also gives us a secret history of Indian nationalism.

Bangladesh: Promise and Performance

List Price: $34.00 By: Zed Books Amazon Marketplace: 9 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Bangladesh
Subjects -> History -> World -> General
Subjects -> History -> World -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Excellent introduction to Bangladesh 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Coming from the United States, I arrived in Bangladesh not knowing what to expect. During my first several weeks there I was confused by much of the way society functioned. I happened upon a copy of Bangladesh: Promise and Performance and virtually devoured it.

While the writing can be a bit dry for some - it's really more a collection of academic papers than anything - it provides an excellent background from which to approach an understanding of Bangladeshi society.

I highly recommend this book as a window into the history and society of a nation that goes, unfortunately, unrecognized too often in our world.

Editorial Review:

Several of Bangladesh's leading social scientists, as well as American and European scholars, come together in this volume to provide a carefully balanced and comprehensive assessment of the country's first three decades of independence. Combining the fruits of primary research as well as analytic overviews, the contributors provide a unique and up-to-date account of the country's political system, economic performance, and the social ambiguities arising out of Bengalis' multiple identities.

The British Papers: Secret and Confidential Documents India-Pakistan-Bangladesh 1958-1969

Amazon Price: $80.00 List Price: $80.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Oxford University Press, USA Amazon Marketplace: 13 new & used starting at $43.28

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Bangladesh
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> India -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Pakistan

Editorial Review:

For the first time, secret and confidential British diplomatic dispatches have surfaced that provide a revealing view of events in the subcontinent from 1947 to 1969. These documents, obtained from the British Archives, give a very extensive and fascinating documentary picture of these events from 1958 to 1969. The material includes reports of meetings with Heads of State and Government, important ministers, high dignitaries, political leaders, and critical analysis of the state of mind of the people in power and their political opponents.