Naïve & Abroad: Pakistan, Travel in a Land of Mullahs [Paperback]

Marcus Wilder (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Marcus Henderson Wilder was born—in 1937—and reared in the Mexican border country of South Texas. He is a reader, a writer, a rifleman, a horseman, and a traveler. Marcus does not look, he sees. What Marcus reports, the reader sees.

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (October 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595467113
• ISBN-13: 978-0595467112
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,556,313 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #98 in Books > Travel > Asia > Pakistan

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting, Exhilarating, Fascinating!, October 25, 2007

By 

John D. Long "~~JD Long~~" (San Antonio Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Naïve & Abroad: Pakistan, Travel in a Land of Mullahs (Paperback)

I've just finished reading a really great book. You should, too.

It's by a local author named Marcus Wilder who had this idea to write a book about his travels in Pakistan 20 years ago. Strangely, although his work is dated 20 years, much of what he observed is still relevant and informative today. Originally conceived as notes on his travels to quiet an insistent friend, his 10 page manuscript has grown to a 200 page critique and insight you won't find in any other book available. Written in a style reminiscent of Hemingway's short, punchy word pictures, Marcus almost overwhelms the senses with sensory input from his descriptions of "pungent" room cleaners in Pakistan, the sheer grandeur of the Taj Mahal, or the simple pleasure of a succulent orange in the Hindu Kush.

Marcus' manuscript, just as an outsider viewing an Islamic society in passing, has shown me more than I learned in a college-level comparative-religions course that contrasted the three faiths of Abraham (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.) Take his observations on the prophet Mohammed: that unlike the teachings of Christ or Buddha, Mohammed's teachings do not project well into a modern, literate world. Education is the Koran's worst enemy. (p.60)

Marcus also doesn't mince words when analyzing the opposition to both America and Israel, as well as our basic inability to grasp the problem facing us: For them it is about killing infidels. For us it is about understanding their point of view. What twits we are. (p. 167)

And yet, as Paul Harvey likes to say, "It is -not- one world." Marcus' description of Lahore Pakistan made me laugh out loud: "Lahore--in Muslim Pakistan--has one of the largest, oldest, continuously operated red light districts in the world. (A bawdy editor penciled in, "La Whore.") In some families, prostitution has been the family business for uncountable generations. No family member--male or female--is too young to serve in the family business.

Lahore is the cultural capital of Pakistan." (p. 40)

Marcus' little internal dialogue -- that's very much what it reads like on paper -- discusses so much that I frequently wanted to go back and re-read the last two or three pages to make sure I had fully absorbed everything on the pages before moving on. "The burkah is not Islamic. Muslims adopted that custom from a primitive tribe they converted to Islam." Or that Mohammed married a 6-year old girl, but waited to consummate the marriage until she was nine. Or, that to prove rape, a woman must have four male witnesses. Or, how he came to travel to Pakistan in the first place -- to play a horseback game called <span style="font-style:italic;">buz kashi</span> (literally "goat snatching" -- so named by Rudyard Kipling as a bizarre sort of horseback soccer involving a headless goat carcass and several dozen very angry horsemen. (Marcus excelled at the game when finally allowed to play.)

The book was so riveting for me I had to learn how to get the Adobe PDF version to download into my Palm Pilot so I could read it during pauses at stoplights. Timely, insightful, and engaging; i look forward to his book about "Limping Across Spain."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing, Insightful and Adventurous!, December 10, 2007

By 

reader (San Antonio, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Naïve & Abroad: Pakistan, Travel in a Land of Mullahs (Paperback)

I found Marcus Henderson Wilder's travel narrative, NAÏVE & ABROAD: PAKISTAN, highly intriguing, insightful and adventurous! Marcus pulls back the veil on an area of the world that has been shrouded in mystery for centuries. Passing through this land as a gentle stranger, he becomes our eyes and ears in this untamed--yet charming--corner of earth which is seemingly untouched by time. Mark rarely makes hard-and-fast pronouncements. He observes... questions... comments. His observations bring understanding. His questions stimulate thought. His comments stir deep emotion--running the full gamut from anger to tears. Descriptions of ancient culture and scenery instill a sense of wonder. Generosity, hospitality and kindness--showered on a grateful pilgrim--impart an appreciation for tribal traditions that create an unbroken connection to a distant past. While general circumstances for women in this man's world sting with injustice, specific examples of feminine spunk illicit cheers! Depictions of unbridled violence and cruelty, "uncivilized" behavior, and sanitation standards powerfully appall while the maze of colorful bazaars and markets--filled with makeshift manufacturers, rug traders, gun dealers, gem peddlers, and deal makers--sparks a whirling kaleidoscope in the imagination. Mark's dry wit will keep you on your toes, his self-deprecating humor and astute observation of human nature--sown throughout--will keep you laughing!

Wilder's quest to play the free-for-all, no-holds-barred polo game, buz kashi, makes this read an adventure that rivals a classic knight's-of-the-round-table novel. Political events and figures of the era add context and intrigue. Marcus neither vilifies nor glorifies the ancient culture he visits. And yet, the political and cultural observations and insights are astoundingly important. He spurns the false perspective of political correctness while providing an honest lens into a world and mindset that stand in stark contrast to our own. This book would make a great gift for adventurers, real or arm-chair travelers, political science majors, gun enthusiasts, horse lovers, students of culture or religion, missionaries, history buffs, soldiers, or advocates for women's rights. Diving into the pages of NAÏVE & ABROAD: PAKISTAN was a highly enjoyable and very informative experience. I found myself truly laughing out loud on numerous occasions and walking away with a whole new level of understanding for another culture. Kudos, Mr. Wilder!

5.0 out of 5 stars Naive & Abroad: Pakistan, Travel in a Land of Mullahs, January 31, 2010

By 

Joseph C. Smith - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Naïve & Abroad: Pakistan, Travel in a Land of Mullahs (Paperback)

If you are looking for a world with a satin finish never ever read anything by Mark Wilder.

His non-fiction book- "Naive & Abroad: Pakistan, Travel in a Land of Mullahs"-is a brutal stare by a Westerner at Pakistan and India. It reflects the reality gap between what many Westerners think "The World" should be and stark reality. Best illustrated by a scene at an outdoor American Embassy event in Pakistan where an American woman is groped by a local.

A Pakistani cop immediately falls upon the groper with his cane and is warming to the task when the groped woman protests her assailant's harsh punishment.

Wilder calls the woman a "twit" and bemoans her ignorance of a local custom whereby underpaid cops expect extra "cane time" on unlucky miscreants as a sort of perk of the profession. The book is full of such real world revelations and bristles with Wilder's intolerance of those who refuse to see and name reality abroad.

In India he condemns the Hindu mindset which tolerates the practice of breaking the limbs of children( by the mafia which controls beggars) to make them more pitiable. He further condemns the recurrent pattern of young Indian wives being set afire by their mothers-in-law. The mothers-in-law are never to rarely prosecuted and the incidents are recorded as "kitchen fires."

But the book isn't W/O humor. In Pakistan, Wilder, rushing to catch a flight, is himself groped by a male customs official who comments that Wilder is "robust." Wilder remarked that despite the groping -and the compliment- he still missed his flight.

But don't miss the book!

J. C. Smith, Portland, OREGON