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Songs of Blood and Sword: A Daughter's Memoir

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I approached this book with both interest (I am a Pakistani and from Karachi, and attended the same high school as Ms. Bhutto) and an open mind. I have heard that Fatima Bhutto is a smart, outspoken, and young Pakistani woman. For this reason, I was curious about the content of this book. Neverthless, coming from a family as cursed and controversial as the Bhuttos, I had reservations initially, about whether she would indeed provide truth, clarity, and candor into the crazy world of the Bhutto clan. As I had expected, the book is a huge and utter disappointment.

It is impossible for a Bhutto to be balanced and objective regarding all that the Bhutto ruling clan have contributed to Pakistan both positively and (overwhelmingly) negatively. Despite a Western liberal education, formative years outside of the larger Bhutto yoke, and slights received by various members of the Bhuttocracy, Ms. Bhutto has not been able to shed her Bhutto-ness, especially when approaching the subject of her grandfather, and her father. Her views regarding her aunt Benazir were already well known to me, thru her various comments in the media in the past. That Benazir and her husband have left our country in tatters is apparent to anyone who lives in the real world (not the PPP stalwarts who are deluded beyond comprehension). This book did not provide any analysis or information that any realistic and interested party into the world of Paksitani politics, would have known anyway. Her comments about the Benazir-Zaradari Axis was not enlightening in the least, except for her personal remarks about them, which makes for interesting tabloid-esque material.

The real problem with this book is the lack of adequate critical analysis of her grandfather and her father. It is understandable on a personal level, that the author would hero-worship her father and grandfather. Those are natural instincts, especially among women in our part of the world, with respect to paternal figures in their lives. But if she was setting out to write an honest book about the controversial Bhutto clan, then her father and grandfather, who are the main players in the 'Songs of Blood and Sword', deserved and merited to be analyzed very critically and very thoroughly.

Although she tries hard to claim otherwise ('I'm not my grandfather's keeper' in one quote from the book), the analysis of her grandfather was pitiful. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was a nefarious, vindictive and megalomaniacal leader. Undoubtedly gifted with a brilliant mind, mesmerizing presence, and an orator par excellence, he was nonetheless, the archetypal Third World megalomaniac. Coming myself from a strata of society, in which family members and family friends were involved either personally with Mr. Bhutto or in a governmental capacity, I have never heard one kind word about this man. None of these people I allude to, had anything to gain from or lose, by commenting negatively on Mr. Bhutto as a man and as a leader. Yet their remarks about him are vitriolic to say the least.

That Ms. Bhutto only briefly mentions this vindictiveness and any of his other shortcomings, is ample proof of the lack of objectivity and honesty in the assessment of her grandfather. His horrendous role in the splitting of Pakistan, his declaring Ahmedi's non-Muslims for his political gain, his paranoia leading him to kill countless political foes, are not given any discussion or analysis. I agree with the analysis of his early years as a Foreign Minister, but what the hell happened to the analysis once he became leader? Utter garbage. Cursory mention of his controversies (nationalization of industries, declaring Ahmedi's non-Muslims, his role in cleaving Pakistan, his ordering the murder of Ahmed Raza Kasuri). The same can be said regarding her father. Very nice to read tender comments and statements of Murtaza Bhutto the father, but nothing of his infamous temper, his arrogance and sense of entitlement, and his vindictiveness.

Overall, my feeling after reading this book was that it was an interesting read, with some interesting insights into the twisted Bhutto clan. But it really lacked any semblance of balance and objectivity. It's is hard for one to be critical of one's own family. It is also hard to be an apologist for their shortcomings. But my feeling is that this book shouldn't have been written in the first place, if there was no true objective analysis given. It is basically a subjective account into the world of Pakistan's curse, the Bhuttos. And an attempt to angelicize (word?) her father and grandfather.

Fatima Bhutto is a young , beautiful and opinionated pakistani columnist who also happens to be the niece of Benazir Bhutto , twice the prime minister of Pakistan and eventually assaninated during a campaign rally back in 2007 . She has just released a very uneven book about her father , Murtaza Bhutto who was gunned down under mysterious circumanstances back in 1996 outside his home in Karachi.
The book itself is indeed " a love letter " to her father , as the writter herself has said in an interview and a hateful letter to her late aunt for whom she finds flaws to point out even while Benazir was still a teenager .
Fatima's world seems to be strictly split between the good guys ( her father , his friends and allies , her grandfather and strangely enough the chinese and Hafez al Assad's Syria ) and the bad guys ( mainly Benazir Bhutto and the americans ) . Murtaza Bhutto is presented here as the perfect man , the perfect politician , the perfect father , the perfect husband and even the perfect boyfriend in the case of Della Garoufalis , a woman married to a jailed general of the failed greek junta. " I had to understand why he went to Kabul . It was a decision which changed our lifes " writes Fatima but never is she willing to question anything about her father's actions , even his decision to take up arms .
I have not lived in Pakistan so i don't know which Bhutto had more influence to the pakistani people or was more righteous or honest but having read many interviews of all of them on the web and seen speeches of theirs on youtube , i can say all three public figures of the family ( Benazir , Murtaza and their father Zulfiqar ) seemed to excel in a typical populist rhetoric which promises much more than can be delivered .
The best parts of the book is when Fatima talks about her own thoughts and feelings and comments on the present .The final two chapters of her book are haunting , the epilogue just beautiful . As a political analysis of her country's past though , it feels too one-sided .
The last few years , Pakistan is constantly making the news for all the wrong reasons and i feel it needs people exactly like her , bright and brave , to speak out and introduce to the world the pakistani point of view of things . A great book by her is only a matter of time .

Ms Bhutto has written a highly powerful book that does not disappoint. She speaks the truth and sometimes the truth is difficult to read. But, if we want to understand the world, we have to be able to tolerate the truth. I very much enjoyed this book and I learned a lot about Pakistan and America.

I first heard about Fatima Bhutto's book in the October 2010 edition of "Vogue" magazine. In an article entitled "Dreams of her father", written by Vogue's regular columnist Elizabeth Rubin, the young woman lets the world know not only her version of how her father died, but also about the tight bond she had with him. For Fatima Bhutto, her father was her world. So much so, that when he once broke his arm and had to wear a cast for a few weeks, she insisted in wearing one as well. Although she was only four, the young girl stood by her father throughout his setback.

She also stood by his side when he was drenched in blood, agonizing during the last minutes of his life, barely tended to at the Mideast Clinic in Karachi - "I kissed my father's face, his cheeks, his lips, his nose, his chin, over and over again." (page 413). Having seen death more than once at a very young age myself, albeit only of natural causes, I cannot even begin to imagine how this must have impacted a girl of just fourteen, the age Bhutto was at the time her father was assassinated in his native Pakistan.

The Bhuttos are a political dynasty who does not escape the air of tragedy that goes attached to most other political dynasties, like the Kennedys or the Borgias. The patriarch and founder of the Pakistan's People Party or PPP, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (ZAB), was himself hanged after a coup d'état in 1979, setting the tone for the death of other members of the family, at the pace of one per decade, as Bhutto is quick to point out. She retells all their stories, in a book that is absorbing, extremely interesting from the point of view of a political scientist like myself, but it is also, first and foremost, a heart-wrenching story about a girl who, fourteen years later, still mourns the death of her father, and at this pace, I gather she always will.

But although Bhutto's book is invariably partial to her father, her contribution as a historian is nonetheless outstanding. I discovered this while I was reading the book, and commenting it as I progressed through my reading with my own husband, who is also native of Karachi. Even though his family has lived at Clifton Street most of their lives, he had no idea as to the events that brought the Bhuttos to power, ZAB's communist ideas for Pakistan, and the causes for his removal and subsequent extinction. He also had no idea as to which political power backed who in the family (first Russians and then Chinese backed ZAB and his sons, United States backed his estranged daughter Benazir), and why the family had such a rift after the patriarch's death. What my husband did tell me is that, having grown up during Zia ul Haq's rule, anything having to do with the Bhuttos was palabra non grata, to the point that their contribution - good or bad - to the country's history was negated in the regular education of its citizens. To me this is simply appalling, and I commend Bhutto for, if nothing else, letting the people of her country know about their own past.

Perhaps because I adore my husband and I very much wish from the bottom of my heart that his country would recover and be able to stand on its own, I exhort people like Bhutto to come forward and tell their story. Pakistan seems to me an intriguing nation, Muslim in religion, yet Hindu in customs, descended racially from the Mughals, yet with a physical appearance similar to that of the Afghans. They are nowadays the very cauldron of the world, allusive to the Greek caves of Hades. They have been mitigated time and again by everything from natural disasters to corruption, yet they have an outstanding potential for greatness. It is my sincere wish that the swords of the battle stop spilling more blood and get changed, in turn, for the bricks of knowledge.

Songs of Blood and Sword: A Daughter's Memoir tells of a teen facing a series of family assassinations. Fatima Bhutto's family was one of rich feudal landlords who became powerful in Pakistan - their rise and fall mirrors Pakistani life and experience and Fatima's determination to uncover the truth behind her father's murder provides a fine personal survey of Pakistani politics and history. A top pick for any contemporary social issues collection and many a general lending library.

This should be an interesting book. The fact that it isn't is entirely young Fatima's fault. Fact is, she can't write a concise historical/political/biographical essay. She is too talkative and too unfocused. She writes like an excited teenager talks. I watched her in some TV appearances (on YouTube) and she is attractive and charming, but that doesn't automatically translate into the required skills for the task in this book.

The task: Ms. Bhutto sets out to tell the story of her heroes and her foes. Her heroes are her grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, and her father Mir Murtaza Bhutto, eldest son of the former. Both men found violent ends. ZAB was executed after a coup d'état by a military dictator, while MMB was killed by police, allegedly on order from his sister Benazir Bhutto, PM at the time and herself later assassinated, obviously with the connivance of the secret police of the country.

Fatima bears grudges, to put it mildly. Her aunt Benazir and Benazir's husband Zardari, current President, are the main foes in this tale. It is a bitter family dispute with tragic dimensions. It should be told by somebody with more distance to the events and with more writing skills. I can't judge the truth of FB's accusations, but as a member of the jury I would have liked a better prosecutor.

Aunt and uncle are not the only enemies. High on the list of non-personal enemies is the US, which receives much blame for policy blunders and betrayals. During cold war times, Pakistan felt more than once betrayed by the US, who did not always stay course in supporting Pakistan in her troubles with India, who was in turn supported by the Soviet Union or courted by the US. If we want to understand the current difficulties between US and Pakistan, we have to be aware of this unsatisfactory history.
Whatever one thinks of the prospects of this 'friendship', we cannot understand it without some background information.

ZAB was not popular with US governments as he tried to develop a partnership with China, a neighbor and support against India. When ZAB was toppled by a general, US support was given to the new ruler, especially in light of the beginning problem in Afghanistan, where the Soviet Union had invaded. The US' taking questionable sides is one of the root causes of current calamities. (Building democracy was for sure not always the main driver in US politics.)

A frustrating book.

I think the critics are being a bit too harsh on Fatima. I started reading her book and couldn't put it down. I am no fan of the Bhuttos, in fact in reality, I think there are a very few "real" fan of Bhuttos in Pakistan but that is beside the point. In my opinion, this book is neither about Bhutto's politics nor his legacy. This book is a memoir by a daughter in honor of her father and Fatima does a splendid job at capturing the essence of it. She travelled extensively, examined written works from family and friends, and met with a lot of people who crossed paths with Murtaza before putting together this chronicle. Its a well researched and well documented book. I like it.

Fatima Bhutto's memoir of her father is a very well written, riveting and commendable effort. Her descriptions of inter-personal interactions with her father leave no doubts as to how close their relationship was. She captures the momentum of changes in Pakistan and ties it well with Murtaza's life - by the end of which you can not help but root for her father. The author should also be commended on writing about events extremely personal and tragic - to an extent that most of us can't fathom. Her descriptions of the significant tragedies of her life are heart wrenching and give the reader a pause. There were times when I had to put down the book and distract myself - because I couldn't imagine these things happening with me and my father - it was impossible to place myself in Fatima's shoes. I am the same age as the author - and as she chronicles her journey and the events of Pakistan, I couldn't help but think just how different (and ordinary yet lucky ?) my life was compared to hers.

The book served as a view into Pakistan for me. Being an Indian and from Mumbai, I had taken it personally to better understand this country - that at one time - was one with India and in its people, culture and customs - still shares my country's fiber and is yet for the last 6 decades an enemy that we are unable to reconcile with. I am glad to have read this book - for it now gives Pakistan a flesh and blood - realistic experiences to tie with - making it impossible to hate or be apathetic to.

However, there are parts in which the book lacks - understandably so - mainly in criticism of Murtaza - at failing to see the futility of an armed struggle - or given his choice of embracing it - his failure to understand its implications upon his perception as a terrorist. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to know more about Pakistan and about the Bhuttos - it serves in no small measure as a warning to the ability of power to corrupt and bring tragedies in the lives of those who seek it.

- Sanket

Fantastic book. Very well researched and very well written. I learned so much anout the politics of Pakistan and the Bhutto family. This book certainly gave me new insights and changed my perceptions of Pakistan. The author did a commendable job in honoring her father with this book. This story will stick with me for a long time.

In 1996, when Fatima Bhutto was 14 years old, her father Mir Murtaza Bhutto was shot dead by police outside his Karachi home. In this book, Ms Bhutto gives her account of his life as well as providing a view of the brutal and corrupt world of Pakistani politics. This is a world in which four members of the Bhutto clan have met violent deaths in just over 32 years.

`Milan Kundera once said that the struggle of people against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting; this is my journey of remembering.'

According to Ms Bhutto, her father's adult life was given to two causes. The first was to avenge the death of his father, former president Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1979, ousted by General Zia-ul-Haq. When General Zia-ul-Haq died in 1988, Mir Murtaza Bhutto focussed on protecting his father's political legacy from his sister Benazir Bhutto. The rivalry between Murtaza and Benazir is central to this book, and while Ms Bhutto's account of her father is affectionate and not deeply critical; the same cannot be said of her account of her aunt, Benazir Bhutto.

Mir Murtaza Bhutto left Pakistan in 1977 after the Zia regime took power, and he did not return until 1993. During his absence Benazir Bhutto became a political force within Pakistan, including a period as prime minister between December 1988 and August 1990. According to Ms Bhutto, Mir Murtaza Bhutto's return represented a threat: `it seemed as if Murtaza was the only politician speaking against the status quo, instead of lining up to join it.'

Benazir Bhutto was prime minister when Mir Murtaza Bhutto was shot in 1996, and the policemen accused of killing him were acquitted in 2009, when Asif Ali Zardari (Benazir Bhutto's husband) was president. It was these acquittals that prompted Ms Bhutto to publish this book.

I found Ms Bhutto's account fascinating. While it is a deeply personal perspective of Pakistani and Bhutto history and politics, much of the detail of the political events described relies on the accounts of Mir Murtaza's friends and colleagues. Ms Bhutto's perspective may not allow for an entirely accurate interpretation of events, but it certainly raises a number of issues in relation to both Mir Murtaza Bhutto's death and the nature of politics in Pakistan.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith