The Sikhs by Patwant Singh Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Sikhs
Book Review: A Sikh Snapshot
Summary: 4 Stars
Patwant Singh provides a thumbnail of Sikh religious and political developments from the 15th century to the present. I found the last two chapters particularly instructive given America's current Middle East challenges. The resentment created by colonial powers on indigenous societies and the irresistible urge for fledgling democracies to abuse state powers are amply described. A glossary of Indian terms, which were adequately explained for an English reading audience within the text would have been helpful.Book Review: A fantastic book
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are planning to buy a book on Sikhism this is fantastic. It gives an overview of the important facets of Sikhism and leaves the reader to further refine their search for more information on Sikhism. It is a book that i highly recommend to read if you want to understand Sikhism but of course to further understand Sikhism you have to further delve into the writings of the Guru's themselves, in the Guru Granth Sahib.
This book is based on factual information and leaves no doubt about what Sikhi is about and the school of thought of Sikhi..
Book Review: A must read to understand the misunderstood
Summary: 5 Stars
THe Sikhs are the least understood of the great religions of the world. In bookstores across America shelves and shelves are given over to Buddhism and Taoism but it is rare to find even one book on the Noble warriors, the Sikhs. Yet these people are in many ways a unique and amazing religious group that inhabits northwest India and has followers all over the globe(a diaspora due to their persecution). The story of the Sikhs, as painted so well in this book, shows how they have fought so hard against the attempts of the Muslims to create genocide upon them. Their Hindu neighboors have also been hostile, although this hostility has become more blatent recently under Indira Gandhi. The Sikhs were slughtered like animals during partition in 1948 by the Muslims who cleansed them from Pakistan, where not one Sikh remains in what had been their ancestral homeland. In the west Sikhs have been the target of racist attacks partly because neo-nazis think they are Muslim(due to the turbans) and partly due to jealousy since they own so many businesses. I recommend this book wholeheartedly. It is obviously partisan but the author has an intricate understanding of Sikh lure and history. The author does not touch on Sikh militism unfortunatly to an extent that should be touched upon. He does not explain the Sikh revenge attacks upon Muslims in 1948. He does not explain Sikh terror which is the reason so many Hindus dislike them. But the book is nevertheless excellent.Book Review: The Sikhs
Summary: 3 Stars
The prologue of the book was very interesting due to the brief discussion and comparison done by the author between the Brahmins and the game of chess. What the author lacked to do was put more detail into the missions of the Sikh Gurus. Also the author makes statements, which are debatable, because he makes them without giving any references. Example of this type of statement is when the author goes on to claim that Guru Gobind Singh had two wives and does not give any proof of where he recieved this debatable information. Overall the book is well writen and suits well those who are new commers to the understanding of the Sikh Gurus and their mission and how it effected the history of the Sub-continent.