Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy!

By Salman Rushdie

Joseph Anton was the name Salman Rushdie took after he went into hiding when the Ayatollah Khomeini placed a fatwa on his life for writing The Satanic Verses.  Salman Rushdie hold back nothing as he describes those 12 years.

Salman Rushdie describes in detail his childhood through the time the fatwa was lifted and he was free to venture out of his home to experience the freedoms he and other fought for for so many years.  My favorite part of the book was reading about where Midnights Children came from and how it received by the public.

This was a long, long book.  One aspect that comes from its pages is Rushdie’s ego.  He never denies his hubris but at times it is unbearable.  I do not think I could have been included in his circle of friends for all he asked from them.  Rushdie’s message of freedom of speech and the evils of limiting that freedom was constant and correct.

Salman Rushdie’s case for free speech is heard loud and clear.