Introduction
The book under review is Daughter of Destiny, an autobiography of Benazir Bhutto. The book was written by the former prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto. Daughter of destiny was initially published in 1988 by the Harper Collins Publishers. The book’s purpose is to document her life and the experiences that formed her.
The book’s intended audience is political enthusiasts and people in need of inspiration. The book is a holistic image of the life and work of a Muslim woman in a patriarchal society. The autobiography takes on the stance of a memoir, in that the book focuses primarily on her father and short clips describing several phases of her life. The book is well written, easy to understand and well-formatted in a descriptive sense.
Summary of the Book
The essence of the initial parts of the narrative elucidates how the former prime minister’s hanging comes about. The writer puts forth the information concerning the state of the transparency of the Pakistani Government and the corruption claims that warranted her father’s death. Education is a central theme of the narrative. The book is made up of clips from different periods of the author’s life. These include; clips such as the train ride with her father after president Reagan lost his life.
The visit from the Chinese delegates and her experiences at various institutions. The absence of a romantic factor to her courtship and marriage partnered with her subsequent respect for her husband are keen aspects of Islam that she embodies (Bhutto, 1988). The book written from prison cells Al-Murtaza and Clifton 70 primarily reflects experiences from Harvard, Oxford and mostly political teachings gained from her father. Her experiences are diverse and have a worldly perspective.
The author’s book illustrates her love for politics, Pakistan and her father. The book is written outstandingly as it uses the perspective of a Muslim woman, a point of view that was rarely voiced in the 20th century (Bhutto, 1988). The book puts forth the writer’s values concerning her upbringing, religion and education. Its political bias and focus on General Zia as the villain add character and help the book portray a strong political writer and humanizes her strong beliefs on the projectile for the nation and equality for all people.
Contents of the Book
Family
The narrator’s family is paramount to the autobiography and her formation. The oldest daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the oldest of his children and accompanied him to events all through his career. Benazir Bhutto developed her sense of patriotism and nationalism from her father. Her role as the eldest of her siblings permitted her to play an excellent example in her educational journey.
The writer’s mother is portrayed as a symbol of strength throughout the book in her perseverance in the face of persecution and her failure to go into exile during her husband’s arrest (Shaikh et al., 2019). The writer’s marriage is also an essential aspect of her book. It is traditionally Islamic and not by her choice, yet her unity with her husband is instrumental in freeing Pakistan from the dictatorial regime.
Childhood teachings
The writer’s strong belief in equality and her ability to change her society are aspects she focuses on intently. The writer narrates various aspects of her time spent with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The narration intends on the political proceedings in the nation concerning his perspective and how he mentors the writer (Shaikh et al., 2019). Her moral uprightness resulted from the ideas her father raised within her, an example of which regards her style of dress ‘‘She doesn’t need to wear it,’ my father finally said. ‘The Prophet himself said that the best veil is the veil behind the eyes. Let her be judged by her character and her mind, not by her clothing.’’ (Bhutto, 1988).
A quote she carried forth in her reforms on Pakistan. The writer’s opinions and involvement with meeting delegates, political progress across the globe, Chinese affairs, Indian trade agreements and her high regard for the constitution are all lessons attained at her father’s knee. The writer’s mother is instrumental in her journey of faith and her role as a female leader. Her brand of feminism advocated for hard work and an unwavering spirit.
Education
The writer’s self-description as a female political leader fighting to bring modernity, communication, education and technology to Pakistan.’ This is evidence enough of her high regard for education (Bhutto. 1988).
The writer attended Harvard in 1969 and went on to Oxford after. The writer’s experience with education allowed her to understand the perception of Pakistan from the global perspective, learn governance, develop diplomatic skills and make allies like Peter Galbraith a classmate who helped her attain her freedom when jailed in Pakistan (Lajwani & Khoso, 2020). Her experiences with political ignorance and other perceptions shaped her plans for Pakistan, an example being her experience with professor Walzer at Harvard (Bhutto, 1988).
She explained the Pakistani democracy as follows ‘That’s completely wrong, Professor,’ I corrected him, my voice quivering. ‘The people of Bengal exercised the right to self-determination in 1947 when they opted for Pakistan.’. Most of her education was by her father’s design as she was groomed for leadership.
Imprisonment
“You can imprison a man, but not an idea. You can exile a man, but not an idea” the quote used severally by the author highlights the level of thought she employed alongside her strong belief in democracy and freedom. Most of the writing is done in detention centers where the writer spent so much time. The writer’s experience with the dictatorial regime and her subsequent detentions in Clifton 70, Al-Mutarza and other detention centers in the nation shaped her perception of the reforms and to plan for her journey to leadership (Maya, 2016). Her rejection of the opportunities to go into exile showed her spirit of patriotism and determination to change the country.
Islam
Most religious organizations’ patriarchal nature is evidence of society’s failings to incorporate both genders into leadership and religious involvement. The writer is steadfast in her faith and belief in her people. Her reforms on education, democracy, and equality are embodied in her narrative whereby she realized the national state whereby. ‘Whereas all Muslims prostrated themselves before Allah, the poor in our country still prostrated themselves before the rich.’ (Bhutto, 1988).
These reforms she introduced to plan for better healthcare to minimize infant mortality, permitting investment banking, education reforms, and inspiring Muslim women to know that they can lead.
Evaluation
The author takes on a charismatic tone in her narration. Her bravery and defiance can explain this. The author believes in a cause that she has not seen actualized before, and she goes after to make it a reality. The writer can be regarded as a self-conscious woman. Her experiences with detention in Pakistan and discrimination in England have made her more aware of her gender and race and their impact on members of society (Braginsky, 2016). The writer is also a feminist in the sense that she believes women are entitled to the same rights as men and can lead just as well as men.
The aspect of the book that I love best is the writer’s steadfast love for her country. I admire how she corrected her professor, and ignorant airport personnel when each tried to misinterpret information about her nation. The part that I love best is her refusal to flee into exile when lawsuits against her father threaten their stable life (Maya, 2016).
However, I’m not too fond that the author’s narrative is primarily an ode to her fallen father. The writer’s principles and education were a result of her father and his heritage. She, however, fails to look into any aspects of feminism and leadership that can consider any alternative leaders or the flaws of his governance (Javed, 2020). The writer might be respectful, but her book is biased toward her father’s regime.
The book leaves out the writer’s marriage. The story is mentioned in passing, and her role as his wife is primarily discussed concerning her decision to bear a child and oppose General Zia’s rule. His mentions are often made in the term ‘my husband’. The author fails to touch on the sensitive issues in her personal life, probably to preserve the political theme and prevent the opposition from attaining any other reasons to deem her unfit for governance (Maya, 2016).
The book fails to satisfy my expectations as the narrative is based on a political sense instead of understanding the author’s deepest desires and fears. The book only touches me in the sense of the writer’s selfless vision for Pakistan.
My experience with education in elementary school can relate to the narrator’s plight. Following unprecedented academic challenges in my third year of elementary school, I was failing several subjects. However, I felt a great urge to become class president. I had opinions on various ideas we could change within the classroom, and most were agreeable. However, my opponent continually highlighted my failings leading to my subsequent failure.
Conclusion
The book Daughter of destiny is a well-written narrative. It focuses on the political setting in Pakistan and the essential reforms required for safe living conditions to be embraced by the nation’s citizens. The writer Benazir Bhutto makes use of the platform availed to her following her parental heritage and education to create awareness and promote reforms in her country. The narrative highlights the importance of various institutions such as family, religion, and education, forming the nation’s first female prime minister.
The narrative focuses heavily on the impact the former prime minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, has on his daughter and the Future of Pakistan. The book puts to rest patriarchal opinions and ideas regarding leadership. The narrative highlights Benazir’s fighting spirit when all odds are against her. Therefore, I would recommend the book to others to inspire them to change their communities.
References
Bhutto B. (1988). Daughter of destiny: an autobiography. Harper Collins Publishers.
Braginsky, V. (2016). Reviews of Books: Anna Suvorova, Benazir Bhutto: A Multidimensional Portrait. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 26(4), 721.
Javed, M. (2020). Daughter of the East — Benazir Bhutto. Medium. Web.
Lajwani, A. M., & Khoso, A. A. (2020). A Study of Courageous Leadership of Mohterma Benazir Bhutto from 1952 to 2007. International Research Journal of Education and Innovation, 1(1), 30-36.
Maya, İ. (2016). Benazir Bhutto-Freedom and Chaos in Her Life. In Women Leaders in Chaotic Environments (pp. 99-108). Springer, Cham.
Shaikh, M. A., John, S., & Zafar, H. (2019). Apprenticeship to Power: Nature and Extent of Political Mentoring of Benazir Bhutto Under Tutelage of her Father (1953-1977). Global Political Review, 4(1), 32-39.