First published 2020
Arundhati Roy turns her penetrating gaze on modern India in this collection of essays and speeches. She dissects the rise of Hindu nationalism under Narendra Modi's government and its impact on minorities, dissenters, and democratic institutions. Roy explores the Kashmir conflict, corporate power, environmental destruction, and the persecution of activists and intellectuals. She connects local struggles to global patterns of authoritarianism and capitalism. The author draws on her decades of activism and writing to reveal how freedom itself has become contested territory. Roy argues that true independence remains elusive for millions of Indians despite political liberation from colonial rule. Her analysis spans from village-level resistance movements to international geopolitics, showing how ordinary people fight against forces that seek to silence them.
Genres: political-science, politics, non-fiction, current-affairs, activism
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism, social-commentary
Setting: India, Kashmir
Period: 21st-century
Paperback · PENGUIN
Content warnings: ableism, colonialism, racism, sexism