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  • The Nine Lives of Pakistan

  • Dispatches from a Precarious State
  • Written by: Declan Walsh
  • Narrated by: Roger Clark
  • Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (23 ratings)

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The Nine Lives of Pakistan

Written by: Declan Walsh
Narrated by: Roger Clark
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Publisher's Summary

Declan Walsh is one of the New York Times's most distinguished international correspondents. His electrifying portrait of Pakistan over a tumultuous decade captures the sweep of this strange, wondrous, and benighted country through the dramatic lives of nine fascinating individuals. 

On assignment as the country careened between crises, Walsh traveled from the raucous port of Karachi to the salons of Lahore, and from Baluchistan to the mountains of Waziristan. He met a diverse cast of extraordinary Pakistanis - a chieftain readying for war at his desert fort, a retired spy skulking through the borderlands, and a crusading lawyer risking death for her beliefs, among others. Through these "nine lives" he describes a country on the brink - a place of creeping extremism and political chaos, but also personal bravery and dogged idealism that defy easy stereotypes. 

Unbeknownst to Walsh, however, an intelligence agent was tracking him. Written in the aftermath of Walsh's abrupt deportation, The Nine Lives of Pakistan concludes with an astonishing encounter with that agent, and his revelations about Pakistan's powerful security state. Intimate and complex, attuned to the centrifugal forces of history, identity, and faith, The Nine Lives of Pakistan offers an unflinching account of life in a precarious, vital country.

©2020 Declan Walsh (P)2021 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good Story, bad accent of narrator

Pronunciation of Pakistani names of people and places was below average. Narrator struggled with his anglicised accent here. Rest was good

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Above Average

A well researched and we'll written book, except the present day description of India.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

a true sneak peak into Pakistan

for those interested in the history of Pakistan and its present day status, look no further. Class content. Narrated well. 5/5

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

pakistan a failed state

I really loved it.very interesting insight provided by Declan walsh.it clearly shows what pakistan priorities are

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Pakistan once again through the eyes of westerners

Declan Walsh, an old hand in reporting on Pakistan comes out with an excellent update about this unfortunate Nation. The narration is also excellent making it a good experience.

Among others, The piece about Asma Jehangir was top notch. It was amazing to know about this courageous lady who stood up against in a conservative nation.

Declan Walsh seem to have penetrated quite deeply into the political make up of Pakistan and has indeed selected the ones based on whom he explains contemporary Pakistan. Also, if one could say, the configuration of that country seems to come out through these extremely diverse and colourful characters!

The ISI, army and the anarchy is all well explained.

The section about Mohammed Ali Jinnah is also a revelation for ones who have not really known about him and is not familiar with the genesis of Pakistan. Did Jinnah really regret seeding and then seeing the flowering of this Muslim homeland? One never can know but the picture this book gives is one that says yes! Declan Walsh comes to this sort of a narrative by not only writing about “Jinnah alive” but also what happened and is happening in Pakistan long after the “Jinnah dead”!

Recommend this book to anyone who wants to get updated about this country. One the whole, an well updated subject with excellent narration!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

The significance of the unsaid

I already knew 99% of the facts contained in this book. Other than that, political compulsion has caused the author to not provide any solution to the problem, which is a shame. Not a worth the time for an Indian or Pakistani.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good Book, could have been better performed.

The person who rendered the book should have been Indian /Pakistani. it would have have been a more genuine experience that way, enabling the listener to be transportqed to the lanes, nooks and crannies of Lahore, Karachi, Pindi, Dera Ismail Khan etc.

I missed some personal connection. While I get that it was a book about the ground realities in Pakistan, it would have been better, had their been glimpses of what was going on in his mind, initially when it was a new country for him, the things in their culture he found confusing or fascinating, and later, when he was spending time in Waziristan, meeting nefarious gangsters etc.

Overall, it was a good book though.

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