Losing Amer PA

by Byrd,Robert C.

• ISBN13: 9780393327014
• ISBN10: 0393327019
• Edition: 00
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-04-17
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Summary

Ramchand, a tired shop assistant in Sevak Sari House in Amritsar, spends his days patiently showing yards of fabric to the women of "status families" and to the giggling girls who dream of dressing up in silk but can only afford cotton. When Ramchand is sent to show his wares to a wealthy family preparing for their daughter's wedding, he is jolted out of the rhythm of his narrow daily life. His glimpse into a different world gives him an urgent sense of possibility. And so he attempts to recapture the hope that his childhood had promised, arming himself with two battered English grammar books, a fresh pair of socks, and a bar of Lifebuoy soap. But soon these efforts turn his life upside down, bringing him face to face with the cruelties on which his very existence depends. Reading group guide included.

Author Biography

Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia has served in the U.S. Congress for fifty-one years, forty-five of them as a senator. He is ranking member, and senior member, of the Senate Appropriations Committee and has twice been president pro tempore of the Senate -- third in line to succeed the president. He is also a former majority leader of the Senate

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	9	(2)
Introduction LOSING AMERICA	11	(6)
Chapter One CHANGING THE TONE	17	(20)
Chapter Two AN UNPATRIOTIC ACT	37	(19)
Chapter Three WORMS IN THE WOOD	56	(26)
Chapter Four TOUGH TALK AND AFGHANISTAN	82	(16)
Chapter Five HOMELAND INSECURITY	98	(23)
Chapter Six CONFRONTING THE "AXIS OF EVIL"	121	(32)
Chapter Seven "OUT OF BUSINESS"	153	(25)
Chapter Eight SELLING THE WAR	178	(31)
Afterword AND THE RAINS CAME	209	(46)
NINE SPEECHES FROM THE FLOOR OF THE SENATE	255
Black Thursday (May 17, 2001)	255	(8)
A Lesson from History (October 10, 2002)	263	(6)
America Unguarded (February 11, 2003)	269	(8)
We Stand Passively Mute (February 12, 2003)	277	(6)
A Troubling Speech (May 6, 2003)	283	(4)
The Emperor Has No Clothes (October 17, 2003)	287	(7)
A Budget of Gimmicks, False Promises, and Unrealistic Expectations (February 27, 2004)	294	(9)
The People Deserve the Truth (September 30, 2004)	303	(4)
Nomination of Condoleezza Rice (January 25, 2005)	307