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The Vortex: A True Story of History's Deadliest Storm, an Unspeakable War, and Liberation
The deadliest storm in modern history ripped Pakistan in two and led the world to the brink of nuclear war when American and Soviet forces converged in the Bay of Bengal
In November 1970, a storm set a collision course with the most densely populated coastline on Earth. Over the course of just a few hours, the Great Bhola Cyclone would kill 500,000 people and begin a chain reaction of turmoil, genocide, and war. The Vortex is the dramatic story of how that storm sparked a country to revolution.
Bhola made landfall during a fragile time, when Pakistan was on the brink of a historic election. The fallout ignited a conflagration of political intrigue, corruption, violence, idealism, and bravery that played out in the lives of tens of millions of Bangladeshis. Authors Scott Carney and Jason Miklian take us deep into the story of the cyclone and its aftermath, told through the eyes of the men and women who lived through it, including the infamous president of Pakistan, General Yahya Khan, and his close friend Richard Nixon; American expats Jon and Candy Rhode; soccer star-turned-soldier Hafiz Uddin Ahmad; and a young Bengali revolutionary, Mohammed Hai.
Thrillingly paced and written with incredible detail, The Vortex is not just a story about the painful birth of a new nation but also a universal tale of resilience and liberation in the face of climate emergency that affects every single person on the planet.
In November 1970, a storm set a collision course with the most densely populated coastline on Earth. Over the course of just a few hours, the Great Bhola Cyclone would kill 500,000 people and begin a chain reaction of turmoil, genocide, and war. The Vortex is the dramatic story of how that storm sparked a country to revolution.
Bhola made landfall during a fragile time, when Pakistan was on the brink of a historic election. The fallout ignited a conflagration of political intrigue, corruption, violence, idealism, and bravery that played out in the lives of tens of millions of Bangladeshis. Authors Scott Carney and Jason Miklian take us deep into the story of the cyclone and its aftermath, told through the eyes of the men and women who lived through it, including the infamous president of Pakistan, General Yahya Khan, and his close friend Richard Nixon; American expats Jon and Candy Rhode; soccer star-turned-soldier Hafiz Uddin Ahmad; and a young Bengali revolutionary, Mohammed Hai.
Thrillingly paced and written with incredible detail, The Vortex is not just a story about the painful birth of a new nation but also a universal tale of resilience and liberation in the face of climate emergency that affects every single person on the planet.
528 pages, Hardcover
First published March 29, 2022
About the author
Scott Carney
17 books349 followersScott Carney is an investigative journalist and anthropologist whose stories blend narrative non-fiction with ethnography. He has been a contributing editor at Wired and his work also appears in Mother Jones, Foreign Policy, Playboy, Details, Discover, Outside, and Fast Company. He regularly appears on variety of radio and television stations from NPR to National Geographic TV. In 2010 he won the Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism for the story “Meet the Parents” which tracked an international kidnapping-to-adoption ring . His first book, “The Red Market: On the Trail of the World’s Organ Brokers, Bone Thieves, Blood Farmers and Child Traffickers” was published by William Morrow in 2011 and won the 2012 Clarion Award for best non-fiction book. He first traveled to India while he was a student at Kenyon College in 1998 and over the course of several years inside and outside the classroom he learned Hindi. In 2004 he received a MA in anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. All told, he has spent more than half a decade in South Asia. He lives in Long Beach, CA.
Source: http://www.scottcarney.com/
Source: http://www.scottcarney.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
March 31, 2022
As a meteorologist, I've read a good amount of books on natural disasters, but nothing quite like The Vortex. In fact, I'm not sure I had ever heard of this storm except for in passing. And that's a shame because this is a story which needs to be heard.
Written by Scott Carney and Jason Miklian, The Vortex is superbly researched and a compelling read. It's hard to imagine death on the scale and the regional - if not worldwide -implications a storm can bring but The Vortex does just that in vivid detail.
My thanks to Scott Carney and Jason Miklian, Ecco, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Vortex.
Written by Scott Carney and Jason Miklian, The Vortex is superbly researched and a compelling read. It's hard to imagine death on the scale and the regional - if not worldwide -implications a storm can bring but The Vortex does just that in vivid detail.
My thanks to Scott Carney and Jason Miklian, Ecco, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Vortex.
May 2, 2022
I like to think I’m pretty well-versed in history and politics. But every once in a while I come across a book that totally shakes up what I thought I knew and has me going, “What?!”
Told in three acts, The Vortex starts with the Great Bhola Cyclone of 1970, which killed up to 500,000 people in low-lying East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). It was the worst storm in recorded history. The government, based in West Pakistan, did absolutely nothing in terms of relief.
The storm led to political instability, to say the least, when the country’s first ever democratic election didn’t go the way the de facto leaders intended.
In Act II, the inhuman government used the cyclone and the election as an excuse to instead carry out genocide on the Bengali people. The military systemically raped and butchered the citizens of Bangladesh — likely another 500,000 people.
It’s hard to even fathom the horror.
Act III details how the people of Bangladesh rose up and fought for their independence, despite ignorance and denial about the genocide from most of the international community. Some of the most interesting tidbits are about how the US and the USSR eventually got involved, with Nixon/Kissinger getting dangerously close to a nuclear showdown. What?! Again, I had no idea that this happened.
Written as a brisk narrative, Carney and Miklian opened my eyes to world events that I’d never heard of before. That’s one of the great gifts of books, isn’t it?
And through it all, it’s clear that the authors are actually making a point about climate change. Natural disasters are not just natural disasters — they can and do lead to political and societal instability. (Look at how COVID impacted American politics; it accelerated the already-growing divide between left and right.) As climate change intensifies, so will the broader effects of the storms, wildfires, and epidemics that are increasingly part of our everyday life and national discourse.
I’ve long followed and enjoyed Carney’s work (books and podcasts), but The Vortex is definitely my new favorite. It’s a great book that felt shorter (in a good way) and moved quicker than its 420 pages would have you think.
Told in three acts, The Vortex starts with the Great Bhola Cyclone of 1970, which killed up to 500,000 people in low-lying East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). It was the worst storm in recorded history. The government, based in West Pakistan, did absolutely nothing in terms of relief.
The storm led to political instability, to say the least, when the country’s first ever democratic election didn’t go the way the de facto leaders intended.
In Act II, the inhuman government used the cyclone and the election as an excuse to instead carry out genocide on the Bengali people. The military systemically raped and butchered the citizens of Bangladesh — likely another 500,000 people.
It’s hard to even fathom the horror.
Act III details how the people of Bangladesh rose up and fought for their independence, despite ignorance and denial about the genocide from most of the international community. Some of the most interesting tidbits are about how the US and the USSR eventually got involved, with Nixon/Kissinger getting dangerously close to a nuclear showdown. What?! Again, I had no idea that this happened.
Written as a brisk narrative, Carney and Miklian opened my eyes to world events that I’d never heard of before. That’s one of the great gifts of books, isn’t it?
And through it all, it’s clear that the authors are actually making a point about climate change. Natural disasters are not just natural disasters — they can and do lead to political and societal instability. (Look at how COVID impacted American politics; it accelerated the already-growing divide between left and right.) As climate change intensifies, so will the broader effects of the storms, wildfires, and epidemics that are increasingly part of our everyday life and national discourse.
I’ve long followed and enjoyed Carney’s work (books and podcasts), but The Vortex is definitely my new favorite. It’s a great book that felt shorter (in a good way) and moved quicker than its 420 pages would have you think.
March 3, 2022
The authors of “The Vortex” deserve a lot of credit for producing a thrilling and definitive account of an important series of historical events. But the story itself is so good it would be madness to waste words on Carney and Miklian (kind though they’d be).
It’s 1970. Pakistan is — don’t look so shocked — rife with sectarian hostility. In November the Bhola Cyclone tears the country asunder, killing as many as 500,000. Dismayed by the lackluster relief efforts of President Yahya Khan and his West Pakistani junta, the Bengalis of East Pakistan organize in such numbers that Khan loses the next presidential election.
Bengali excitement soon turned to terror when Khan responded by arresting their candidate, declaring martial law and initiating the worst genocide since the Holocaust. What followed was an appalling assault on the Bengali nationalist movement, a Liberation War throughout 1971 and the creation of Bangladesh as a sovereign state. Oh and at one point U.S. and Soviet ships smacked heads nearby, nearly nuking the world.
And it all started with the vortex.
It’s 1970. Pakistan is — don’t look so shocked — rife with sectarian hostility. In November the Bhola Cyclone tears the country asunder, killing as many as 500,000. Dismayed by the lackluster relief efforts of President Yahya Khan and his West Pakistani junta, the Bengalis of East Pakistan organize in such numbers that Khan loses the next presidential election.
Bengali excitement soon turned to terror when Khan responded by arresting their candidate, declaring martial law and initiating the worst genocide since the Holocaust. What followed was an appalling assault on the Bengali nationalist movement, a Liberation War throughout 1971 and the creation of Bangladesh as a sovereign state. Oh and at one point U.S. and Soviet ships smacked heads nearby, nearly nuking the world.
And it all started with the vortex.
August 5, 2022
Okay this took me ages to read but it’s over 400 pages and they’re condensed so slay but I’m not going to lie it slaps, I’ve wanted to read it for ages as a way of connecting with my cultural background and learning more about it and it did that and so much more
August 29, 2024
This fascinating narrative history followed five related sub-plots in the aftermath of the 1971 Bangladesh Cyclone and concurrent national election that led to West Pakistan's invasion of East Pakistan (Bangladesh). You might be remember that in the 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent that Pakistan itself was divided by an East and West a thousand miles apart. The only thing they had in common was that they were majority muslim. More of the population existed in East Pakistan but the center of the government and power structure was in Islamabad in the west.
Not accepting the results of the elections that they lost badly that happened within days of a devastating cyclone, West Pakistan committed genocide against the Bangladeshi's with the complicit backing and arms sales from the U.S., i.e. Nixon and Kissinger. The two American leaders hated Indian leader Indira Ghandi in large part because of her alliance with the Soviet Union. In very short order in the aftermath of the cyclone and the targeted assassinations of intellectuals and other innocents, millions of refugees then swarmed to the Indian border near Calcutta.
Gandhi was able to get the U.N. involved and her position was further strengthened when, inexplicably, Pakistan attacked by air more than a dozen Indian cities and declared war. The Pakistani attacks largely failed since their military and air force were too ineffective and India anticipating such a move had moved their planes inland away from the border regions. Nixon and Kissinger also thought by sending a nuclear powered aircraft carrier to the coast of Bangladesh that this would scare the Soviets out of the theater. What it did do was almost start WW3 as the Soviets were ready to sink the U.S. vessels. Meanwhile Ted Kennedy visited a refugee camp near Calcutta and helped raise support for Bangladesh back in the United States. Since Nixon did not want to be seen publicly supporting Pakistan at least overtly, Islamabad received no further military support from the U.S. beyond the initial planes and munitions.
Pakistani leaders realized that the gig was up. They could not defeat India or even maintain control over Bangladesh so they were planning their exit strategy. Gandhi with the backing of the U.N. and the Soviet Union were able to get West Pakistan troops to leave Bangladesh and the military leaders were given immunity from prosecution of war crimes. Within months Bangladesh then became an independent nation.
This was the best kind of history book, a topic I knew very little about but learned a great deal. If you want to understand further why - beyond the ethnic and religious reasons - the Pakistani and Indian governments are enemies and why Indian leaders have never trusted the U.S. leaders then these events that happened only fifty years ago provide a good reminder.
4.5 stars. Recommended.
Not accepting the results of the elections that they lost badly that happened within days of a devastating cyclone, West Pakistan committed genocide against the Bangladeshi's with the complicit backing and arms sales from the U.S., i.e. Nixon and Kissinger. The two American leaders hated Indian leader Indira Ghandi in large part because of her alliance with the Soviet Union. In very short order in the aftermath of the cyclone and the targeted assassinations of intellectuals and other innocents, millions of refugees then swarmed to the Indian border near Calcutta.
Gandhi was able to get the U.N. involved and her position was further strengthened when, inexplicably, Pakistan attacked by air more than a dozen Indian cities and declared war. The Pakistani attacks largely failed since their military and air force were too ineffective and India anticipating such a move had moved their planes inland away from the border regions. Nixon and Kissinger also thought by sending a nuclear powered aircraft carrier to the coast of Bangladesh that this would scare the Soviets out of the theater. What it did do was almost start WW3 as the Soviets were ready to sink the U.S. vessels. Meanwhile Ted Kennedy visited a refugee camp near Calcutta and helped raise support for Bangladesh back in the United States. Since Nixon did not want to be seen publicly supporting Pakistan at least overtly, Islamabad received no further military support from the U.S. beyond the initial planes and munitions.
Pakistani leaders realized that the gig was up. They could not defeat India or even maintain control over Bangladesh so they were planning their exit strategy. Gandhi with the backing of the U.N. and the Soviet Union were able to get West Pakistan troops to leave Bangladesh and the military leaders were given immunity from prosecution of war crimes. Within months Bangladesh then became an independent nation.
This was the best kind of history book, a topic I knew very little about but learned a great deal. If you want to understand further why - beyond the ethnic and religious reasons - the Pakistani and Indian governments are enemies and why Indian leaders have never trusted the U.S. leaders then these events that happened only fifty years ago provide a good reminder.
4.5 stars. Recommended.
September 22, 2022
The Vortex was an incredibly compelling work of narrative nonfiction. The story, rooted in the aftermath of the 1970 Great Bhola Cyclone, tells of how natural disasters - increasingly brought about by climate change - have the power to start a domino effect. A domino effect that will, in essence, alter the course of geopolitical history forever.
The story itself is told from several different perspectives during this time: from a famous Pakistani footballer-turned-military leader, a Great Bhola Cyclone survivor (the lone survivor in his family) turned humanitarian aid organizer, turned Mukti Bahini fighter, to Mujib Rahman, “the father of free Bangladesh.” Accounts are also provided by humanitarian workers Jon and Candy Rohde, as well as National Hurricane Director Neil Frank.
On the other side of the Liberation War, we have the oppressors of East Pakistan: Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, who secretly gave former Pakistani President Yahya Khan millions in aid, as well as American tanks and arms (at a time when there was supposed to be a trade embargo with Pakistan) - allowing him to effectively and brutally carry out a genocide of over 3 million Bengalis in East Pakistan.
This was not done alone, of course. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto played both sides, promising Yahya Khan his full allegiance and dedication to the genocide - and to be clear, he was not only fully aware of it, he actively watched it happen and even came up with ideas of his own on making it “more efficient.” The military men, Tikka Khan and A.A.K. Niazi loyally obeyed Yahya’s orders, each trying to gain more favor with the President by one-upping the other with new large-scale measures of cruelty against the people.
Shockingly, not one of these four men were tried for war crimes. Niazi surrendered under the condition of full amnesty for his crimes. Bhutto’s duplicity went largely unnoticed by most and he served as Pakistan’s new Prime Minister for a mere six years before being overthrown in a coup by a general who had just overthrown Tikka Khan as well. He was then hung in 1979 for the crime of “plotting to kill a political opponent.” Who knows what really happened there; what we do know is that he escaped prosecution for his crimes against humanity.
Yahya was placed under house arrest by Bhutto (to keep him from telling the world the truth) and died while still under house arrest. And Nixon? Well, he’d helped Yahya Khan so much, given that Yahya was able to get communications going between the Chinese and the Americans for the first time in three decades. The success of that operation, done in total secrecy, led Nixon to believe he could easily get away with planting a simple tape recorder inside DNC headquarters...
...I don’t think I have to go on any further as to how THAT story ended. As far as good triumphing over evil, however, no one really got what they deserved in the end. Conditions in modern-day Bangladesh are fraught with famine, poverty, and corruption. Things in Pakistan aren’t much better.
Your heart truly aches reading the stories of the ordinary Bengalis being forced to endure tragedy after tragedy. First, a cyclone that kills everyone they know. Then, a government that has oppressed them at every opportunity throughout the years, using the cyclone as an opportunity to carry out mass killings against them, resulting in one of the world’s most infamous genocides.
It is a story about the evilness of politicians and military leaders, using a natural disaster to further their hatred of a minority population into a genocidal agenda. More than that, it tells of the audacity in keeping a dream of freedom and justice alive, allowing everyday citizens to persevere through unbelievable hardships, to emerge as heroes and liberators.
4 1/2 stars, but gotta round this up to 5. A story everyone should read and familiarize themselves with - one that should be on the curriculum of all K-12 schools. It’s mind blowing just how little (if anything) Americans know about the greatest natural disaster (claiming over 500,000 lives) ever to occur in history - especially one that took place only about 50 years ago.
You will not regret this informative read, whose lessons must be remembered - because if forgotten, they will very easily be repeated. People must remember the outcomes that result from these problems in order to avoid any repeat of this horror.
The story itself is told from several different perspectives during this time: from a famous Pakistani footballer-turned-military leader, a Great Bhola Cyclone survivor (the lone survivor in his family) turned humanitarian aid organizer, turned Mukti Bahini fighter, to Mujib Rahman, “the father of free Bangladesh.” Accounts are also provided by humanitarian workers Jon and Candy Rohde, as well as National Hurricane Director Neil Frank.
On the other side of the Liberation War, we have the oppressors of East Pakistan: Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, who secretly gave former Pakistani President Yahya Khan millions in aid, as well as American tanks and arms (at a time when there was supposed to be a trade embargo with Pakistan) - allowing him to effectively and brutally carry out a genocide of over 3 million Bengalis in East Pakistan.
This was not done alone, of course. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto played both sides, promising Yahya Khan his full allegiance and dedication to the genocide - and to be clear, he was not only fully aware of it, he actively watched it happen and even came up with ideas of his own on making it “more efficient.” The military men, Tikka Khan and A.A.K. Niazi loyally obeyed Yahya’s orders, each trying to gain more favor with the President by one-upping the other with new large-scale measures of cruelty against the people.
Shockingly, not one of these four men were tried for war crimes. Niazi surrendered under the condition of full amnesty for his crimes. Bhutto’s duplicity went largely unnoticed by most and he served as Pakistan’s new Prime Minister for a mere six years before being overthrown in a coup by a general who had just overthrown Tikka Khan as well. He was then hung in 1979 for the crime of “plotting to kill a political opponent.” Who knows what really happened there; what we do know is that he escaped prosecution for his crimes against humanity.
Yahya was placed under house arrest by Bhutto (to keep him from telling the world the truth) and died while still under house arrest. And Nixon? Well, he’d helped Yahya Khan so much, given that Yahya was able to get communications going between the Chinese and the Americans for the first time in three decades. The success of that operation, done in total secrecy, led Nixon to believe he could easily get away with planting a simple tape recorder inside DNC headquarters...
...I don’t think I have to go on any further as to how THAT story ended. As far as good triumphing over evil, however, no one really got what they deserved in the end. Conditions in modern-day Bangladesh are fraught with famine, poverty, and corruption. Things in Pakistan aren’t much better.
Your heart truly aches reading the stories of the ordinary Bengalis being forced to endure tragedy after tragedy. First, a cyclone that kills everyone they know. Then, a government that has oppressed them at every opportunity throughout the years, using the cyclone as an opportunity to carry out mass killings against them, resulting in one of the world’s most infamous genocides.
It is a story about the evilness of politicians and military leaders, using a natural disaster to further their hatred of a minority population into a genocidal agenda. More than that, it tells of the audacity in keeping a dream of freedom and justice alive, allowing everyday citizens to persevere through unbelievable hardships, to emerge as heroes and liberators.
4 1/2 stars, but gotta round this up to 5. A story everyone should read and familiarize themselves with - one that should be on the curriculum of all K-12 schools. It’s mind blowing just how little (if anything) Americans know about the greatest natural disaster (claiming over 500,000 lives) ever to occur in history - especially one that took place only about 50 years ago.
You will not regret this informative read, whose lessons must be remembered - because if forgotten, they will very easily be repeated. People must remember the outcomes that result from these problems in order to avoid any repeat of this horror.
September 6, 2022
For a nonfiction book, this was quite the page turner. It is a gigantic, well-researched book about the domino effect from the world's deadliest storm in history and how this led to political unrest from a stolen election, a genocide of the Bengali people, near nuclear disaster involving the United States, and finally the independence of Bangladesh. The Vortex starts with the Great Bhola Cyclone of November 1970, which killed up half a million people in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh. Also, I had no idea that Pakistan used to be East Pakistan and West Pakistan). This was (and still is recorded as) the the deadliest storm in history. The government, based in West Pakistan, did nothing in terms of relief to help. Hit worst of all was a fishing island called, Manipur in the northern Bay of Bengal, in which the center of the storm swept thru.
I did have a hard time following the politics of it all but basically, following the storm, which wiped away entire families in East Pakistan, the Pakistani government, located in West Pakistan, led by a narcissistic (I'm guessing), President Yahya Khan, really did nothing for his people. So the people of East Pakistan rallied and voted him out during their election a few weeks later. Khan did not accept his loss and did not transfer power but instead carried out genocide on the Bengali people. The military systemically raped and butchered the citizens of Bangladesh. Probably about another half a million.
During all of this President Nixon and the USSR got involved and we were close to a nuclear disaster. But the Bengali people rose up and fought for their independence, despite ignorance and denial about the genocide from most of the international community. Not only did I learn so much from this all, but the authors make it clear that this book is about climate change. Natural disasters can lead to political and societal instability.
I did have a hard time following the politics of it all but basically, following the storm, which wiped away entire families in East Pakistan, the Pakistani government, located in West Pakistan, led by a narcissistic (I'm guessing), President Yahya Khan, really did nothing for his people. So the people of East Pakistan rallied and voted him out during their election a few weeks later. Khan did not accept his loss and did not transfer power but instead carried out genocide on the Bengali people. The military systemically raped and butchered the citizens of Bangladesh. Probably about another half a million.
During all of this President Nixon and the USSR got involved and we were close to a nuclear disaster. But the Bengali people rose up and fought for their independence, despite ignorance and denial about the genocide from most of the international community. Not only did I learn so much from this all, but the authors make it clear that this book is about climate change. Natural disasters can lead to political and societal instability.
October 24, 2022
A lot of readers might find this a book as a historical non-fiction narrative. Put simply, it's on the episodes leading to the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. However, as the author describes it in afterword, it's more about the perils of climate change and how climate degradation forces out societal fissures into the sun thus destabilizing the society as a whole. I rate this book 5/5 because it's a thriller. A non-fiction thriller.
September 6, 2022
"This is a book about climate change", Scott Carney and Jason Miklian assert. "Hundred-year storms like the Great Bhola Cyclone [of 12 November 1970] might feel like once-in-a-lifetime anomalies, but climate change is accelerating their frequency into once a decade or, in worst projections, annual events. They crash into fragile political systems just as surely as they do coastlines."
It is easy to share the authors' apprehensions about the future. But I find it uncomfortable to accept their assertion that the Great Cyclone played a deceive role in the creation of Bangladesh.
The seed of Pakistan's disintegration was sown the day it became a nation-state in 1947. Two "wings" of the country were separated by 2000 kms. Two wings that were different in almost all respects: language, food habits, dress code, literary and cultural pursuits, weather patterns, geography, even physical stamina of people. There was only one common factor that was supposed to bind them together as a nation: religion.
Add to that the Punjabi-dominated West's disdain of the "fake Muslims" of the East. But the later were numerically stronger. And in any democratic election the East would always have the edge. And it did. Imposition of Urdu on an infinitely richer Bengali backfired.
So the West had only one weapon in its arsenal to rein the East in: suppression.
That's exactly what it did. The Great Cyclone, utterly devastating as it was, was only one of the most deadly afflictions for a land that was witness to many deadly afflictions. For the Yahyas and Bhuttos and Tikkas and Niazis it provided another lethal stick to beat a hapless people with. The criminal cynicism of that Pakistani general may well be the thought pattern of Pakistan's rulers: "This cyclone solved about half a million of our problems."
But to call it a decisive factor may not be correct.
Having said all this I shall definitely recommend this book to all those who are interested in the sub-continent's recent history.
Seen through the eyes of people - men and women on the ground - a national footballer turned rebel, an American aid-worker couple, residents of the devastated islands and, of course, the political players, The Vortex makes for an absorbing read.
Fifty years after those cataclysmic days and months, Messers Carney and Miklian's "narrative nonfiction" is a very laudable effort.
The Vortex will inspire readers to delve deeper in the subject.
It is easy to share the authors' apprehensions about the future. But I find it uncomfortable to accept their assertion that the Great Cyclone played a deceive role in the creation of Bangladesh.
The seed of Pakistan's disintegration was sown the day it became a nation-state in 1947. Two "wings" of the country were separated by 2000 kms. Two wings that were different in almost all respects: language, food habits, dress code, literary and cultural pursuits, weather patterns, geography, even physical stamina of people. There was only one common factor that was supposed to bind them together as a nation: religion.
Add to that the Punjabi-dominated West's disdain of the "fake Muslims" of the East. But the later were numerically stronger. And in any democratic election the East would always have the edge. And it did. Imposition of Urdu on an infinitely richer Bengali backfired.
So the West had only one weapon in its arsenal to rein the East in: suppression.
That's exactly what it did. The Great Cyclone, utterly devastating as it was, was only one of the most deadly afflictions for a land that was witness to many deadly afflictions. For the Yahyas and Bhuttos and Tikkas and Niazis it provided another lethal stick to beat a hapless people with. The criminal cynicism of that Pakistani general may well be the thought pattern of Pakistan's rulers: "This cyclone solved about half a million of our problems."
But to call it a decisive factor may not be correct.
Having said all this I shall definitely recommend this book to all those who are interested in the sub-continent's recent history.
Seen through the eyes of people - men and women on the ground - a national footballer turned rebel, an American aid-worker couple, residents of the devastated islands and, of course, the political players, The Vortex makes for an absorbing read.
Fifty years after those cataclysmic days and months, Messers Carney and Miklian's "narrative nonfiction" is a very laudable effort.
The Vortex will inspire readers to delve deeper in the subject.
April 14, 2022
3.5. The Vortex - a whirling mass of waters; a whirling state of affairs; the perfect storm of disasters. In 1970 a huge hurricane hit East Pakistan (now known as Bangladesh) and hit the island of Bhola the hardest, thus known as the "The Great Bhola Cyclone". The authors did an amazing amount of research from survivors of this storm, political leaders and even Neil Frank from the National Hurricane Center. As it turns out, only 1/3 of this book is about the natural disaster. The rest of the book covers the West Pakistan President Yahha Khan- a drunk & corrupt leader who cruelly blocked hurricane warnings to Bhola leaving the island devastated and easy prey for his next plan of genocide of all non-Muslims. This plan was called Operation Searchlight. Yahya promised US President Nixon a connection to Chinese leader Mao in exchange for weapons which was provided to wage war on E. Pakistan. As tensions build from the US & Pakistan against India & Russia, it was almost the beginning of a nuclear war in the Bay of Bengal. In so many ways, this vortex was so horrific: the storm, the cost of human lives, the war against innocent people, political corruption on so many levels. The book is very long and could definitely be 100 pages shorter, but for those who love history, you might like this book. It felt a little dry and very dense reading for me.
March 31, 2022
I love nonfiction books. I especially love narrative nonfiction in which the true story is told like a novel. This book was remarkable in its description of the Great Bhola Cyclone, which struck East Pakistan (modern day Bangladesh) in 1970, killing half a million people, and the resulting chaos and political upheaval that sparked a revolution for independence. The story is told from the viewpoints of several people, from people who survived the cyclone to evil political leaders who used the storm as an excuse for genocide to Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, who ignored an arms embargo to support the country committing the genocide in order to secure their help in opening up diplomatic channels with China. I knew nothing about this cyclone or the events that followed it. I was mesmerized by the bravery and resilience of so many people as much as I was abhorred by the depraved actions of others. A true story of humanity, inhumanity, resilience, and liberty that was well worth my time.
April 6, 2023
An amazing novel style rendering of the birth of the Bangladesh and a very damning portrayal of US involvement through a Cold War lens. 600,000 dead from a cyclone, 1-2 million murdered by the West Pakistanis, 20 million refugees to India, and a full Nuclear standoff between the Soviet Union and US, the heartbreaking tale is heart stopping from beginning to end.
March 30, 2022
Little Known Catastrophe
This series of disastrous events barely registered in the news of my world. I knew only of the concert, but nothing of the storm and subsequent political and social calamity. TerriFying.
This series of disastrous events barely registered in the news of my world. I knew only of the concert, but nothing of the storm and subsequent political and social calamity. TerriFying.
August 15, 2022
I love this book, the greatest hurricane ever and
the fight an independent nation. It all comes together in The Vortex.
the fight an independent nation. It all comes together in The Vortex.
September 21, 2022
Whew !!
Talk about a thriller. Well it’s not. I knew much of the history and liberation of Bangladesh. But not this side of the story. And nothing about the domino effect that began with a cyclonic storm.
Well written. And nicely crafted book. I would have loved more details on India and Indira Gandhi’s role; but it was secondary to the objective of the book and it’s story.
The sad thing is that a genocide remains unpunished and almost forgotten. Today’s youth of Bangladesh, are unaware of cruelty and massacre wrought by the Pakistani army. I had a friend, Bangladeshi, she didn’t think much of India’s role in liberation, and about their own freedom struggle.
Talk about a thriller. Well it’s not. I knew much of the history and liberation of Bangladesh. But not this side of the story. And nothing about the domino effect that began with a cyclonic storm.
Well written. And nicely crafted book. I would have loved more details on India and Indira Gandhi’s role; but it was secondary to the objective of the book and it’s story.
The sad thing is that a genocide remains unpunished and almost forgotten. Today’s youth of Bangladesh, are unaware of cruelty and massacre wrought by the Pakistani army. I had a friend, Bangladeshi, she didn’t think much of India’s role in liberation, and about their own freedom struggle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2022
Good Read but Terrible proofing
I had chanced in this book when the authors were interviewed by an Indian YouTube channel. The host had lots of good things to say about the book. Needing a non-military and non-subcontinent view, I bought into the hype. The book was very approachable and promising with the focus being on the storytelling than just the statement of facts. To that extent, this book is highly recommended and a great gateway to understand the birth of Bangladesh. Unfortunately, the good ends there. The authors thank multiple people for editing and proofing this book. But that is a joke. There have been fundamental errors with the dates as well as titles of people. It wouldn't have been half as shocking, if they had just been related to those from unfamiliar ontry or group. But to call Henry Kissinger, the secretary of state repeatedly shows the negligence of the authors and the editors. Further the assassination of bangabandhu happened in 1975 and not in 1972 as stated in the afterword. Finally, the authors couldn't make up their mind whether they wanted to bring notice to humanity lost due to the genocide or to make it about the climate change. The book reads like the authors had an one-line idea about linking the genocide to the cyclone in order to hype up the story and had to write a page in the afterword to justify it.
Despite all these shortcomings, would highly recommend this book as an easy primer. Then please go into Wikimedia or any other book to correct all the mistakes and gaps in understanding.
I had chanced in this book when the authors were interviewed by an Indian YouTube channel. The host had lots of good things to say about the book. Needing a non-military and non-subcontinent view, I bought into the hype. The book was very approachable and promising with the focus being on the storytelling than just the statement of facts. To that extent, this book is highly recommended and a great gateway to understand the birth of Bangladesh. Unfortunately, the good ends there. The authors thank multiple people for editing and proofing this book. But that is a joke. There have been fundamental errors with the dates as well as titles of people. It wouldn't have been half as shocking, if they had just been related to those from unfamiliar ontry or group. But to call Henry Kissinger, the secretary of state repeatedly shows the negligence of the authors and the editors. Further the assassination of bangabandhu happened in 1975 and not in 1972 as stated in the afterword. Finally, the authors couldn't make up their mind whether they wanted to bring notice to humanity lost due to the genocide or to make it about the climate change. The book reads like the authors had an one-line idea about linking the genocide to the cyclone in order to hype up the story and had to write a page in the afterword to justify it.
Despite all these shortcomings, would highly recommend this book as an easy primer. Then please go into Wikimedia or any other book to correct all the mistakes and gaps in understanding.
July 11, 2022
The Vortex is best-described as a dramatized oral history of the Bhola cyclone, genocidal war by Pakistan against the Bengals and ultimate independence of Bangladesh. The authors have interviewed key witnesses to the events and made these interviews into a present-tense narrative. They freely acknowledge that this involves speculation about characters' feelings and motivations at the time, and composites of events and accounts for narrative effect. This makes for a more readable account and, as the authors note, the details are often unimportant (for instance, events that happened during two different soccer games are described as happening during the same game), and memories of events from 50 years ago are unreliable anyway.
The result is an engaging and fast-paced read about amazing and terrifying events. I'd heard of the Bhola Cyclone, but not the details of the devastation it caused. I was unfamiliar with the genocide perpetrated by Pakistan, one of the worst in history, partly because the authors claim it was suppressed by Nixon and Kissinger in service of their plan to form diplomatic relations with China, which was brokered by Pakistan; events also covered by the book.
The authors are left-leaning, but the bulk of their condemnation falls on the sadistic and corrupt Pakistani leadership. It's more of an open question whether the realpolitik approach to ignore the atrocities to ensure the landmark China deal was completed was appropriate.
The result is an engaging and fast-paced read about amazing and terrifying events. I'd heard of the Bhola Cyclone, but not the details of the devastation it caused. I was unfamiliar with the genocide perpetrated by Pakistan, one of the worst in history, partly because the authors claim it was suppressed by Nixon and Kissinger in service of their plan to form diplomatic relations with China, which was brokered by Pakistan; events also covered by the book.
The authors are left-leaning, but the bulk of their condemnation falls on the sadistic and corrupt Pakistani leadership. It's more of an open question whether the realpolitik approach to ignore the atrocities to ensure the landmark China deal was completed was appropriate.
December 25, 2022
Vortex is a truly stunning read - about the churn of events that led to Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, playing out in the wake of a massive tropical cyclonic storm.
The book provides an in-depth view into a piece of history that even many an ardent follower of the Indian subcontinent would not be aware of. It is indeed the perfect complement for the void in mainstream consciousness about those specific events.
The book delivers the feel of a most gripping thriller with unexpected plot twists, while retaining all merits of a meticulously researched retelling of history - as though reaffirming that sometimes, facts can indeed be stranger than fiction. The authors have done well to leverage the fact that many of the players of that era are still around, and have conducted comprehensive interviews to jog witnesses’ memories besides piecing together numerous documents as evidence.
The book also illustrates how a psyche of racist and ethnic supremacism - playing out with full state patronage - had sought to reduce the former Eastern wing of Pakistan to a colony of the Western wing. In the process, it also provides a ringside view of how the traits and personal lives of Pakistani leaders impacted their deeds in the public arena.
The Vortex deserves to be approached with one piece of caution: Pick it up when you have extra time to spare - because you’ll likely end up reading it cover to cover in one sitting the moment you pick it up!
The book provides an in-depth view into a piece of history that even many an ardent follower of the Indian subcontinent would not be aware of. It is indeed the perfect complement for the void in mainstream consciousness about those specific events.
The book delivers the feel of a most gripping thriller with unexpected plot twists, while retaining all merits of a meticulously researched retelling of history - as though reaffirming that sometimes, facts can indeed be stranger than fiction. The authors have done well to leverage the fact that many of the players of that era are still around, and have conducted comprehensive interviews to jog witnesses’ memories besides piecing together numerous documents as evidence.
The book also illustrates how a psyche of racist and ethnic supremacism - playing out with full state patronage - had sought to reduce the former Eastern wing of Pakistan to a colony of the Western wing. In the process, it also provides a ringside view of how the traits and personal lives of Pakistani leaders impacted their deeds in the public arena.
The Vortex deserves to be approached with one piece of caution: Pick it up when you have extra time to spare - because you’ll likely end up reading it cover to cover in one sitting the moment you pick it up!
April 18, 2022
For anyone that read’s my reviews, knows this is not my usual genre, however Fabled Bookstore in Waco, Texas picked this for their book club, so I gave it shot. I am so glad that I did, as this book was so riveting about in time in history I knew nothing about.
A cyclone that leads to a war just skims the surface of this book. 1970, Pakistan, divided by East and West. East being predominantly Bengali and Hindu and the West is predominantly Muslim. The President, is about to hold it’s first free democratic election.
Leading up to the election East Pakistan is hit with a massive cyclone and thousands and thousands of people die. A warning system was just installed and somehow failed give sufficient warning of this massive storm.
West Pakistan thinks they have the election locked until they lose by a large majority, triggering a civil war and genocide, and the outside players that are complicit in allowing this war to happen.
I was never about taught this is any class, but so glad this came across my reading list as this story is insane. I could not put this down, and at times I found myself going down a rabbit hole on the internet. This book does not disappoint, and at times it reads more like a thriller than a nonfiction book.
Thank you NetGalley and Ecco for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A cyclone that leads to a war just skims the surface of this book. 1970, Pakistan, divided by East and West. East being predominantly Bengali and Hindu and the West is predominantly Muslim. The President, is about to hold it’s first free democratic election.
Leading up to the election East Pakistan is hit with a massive cyclone and thousands and thousands of people die. A warning system was just installed and somehow failed give sufficient warning of this massive storm.
West Pakistan thinks they have the election locked until they lose by a large majority, triggering a civil war and genocide, and the outside players that are complicit in allowing this war to happen.
I was never about taught this is any class, but so glad this came across my reading list as this story is insane. I could not put this down, and at times I found myself going down a rabbit hole on the internet. This book does not disappoint, and at times it reads more like a thriller than a nonfiction book.
Thank you NetGalley and Ecco for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 21, 2022
While the title of the book suggests an actual storm, the Vortex covers so much more. The creation of the nation of Bangladesh is quite the tale, but that arguable the most devastating storm in history did much to trigger its bloody creation is even that much more engaging. This work follows the lives of key figures, from Bangladeshi Muslims to American meteorologists. It is likely that this work would not exist if not for the recent release of classified material showing what the US knew about the situation on the ground.
Overall, an engaging work that spends little on the storm, but one that notes the bloodshed needed for the rise of Bangladesh. A lot of history for the American reader and one that explains the current situation in that country. Worth the read regardless of format.
Overall, an engaging work that spends little on the storm, but one that notes the bloodshed needed for the rise of Bangladesh. A lot of history for the American reader and one that explains the current situation in that country. Worth the read regardless of format.
September 9, 2022
One of the best histories I've read. "Analysis from research scholars shows (Climate) disasters are increasingly used to leverage political aims."(406) Multiple perspectives trace how a massive typhoon served as the catalyst for (West) Pakistan's election fraud, Bangladesh's independence movement, a genocide (and cover up) the U.S. aided in order to have access to China, and the brink of nuclear war a decade after the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Definitely recommend, especially to non-historians, because it's very readable (not dense, or overly pretentious academic writing).
Definitely recommend, especially to non-historians, because it's very readable (not dense, or overly pretentious academic writing).
July 24, 2022
I have no quarrel with the authors' assertion that a mega-storm contributed to the formation of Bangladesh. However, for a book that purports to record history, it takes too much liberty with facts. The naming of Pakistan based on its provinces, geostationary satellites hovering over poles, two hundred soldiers under a lieutenant. Even the date of the assassination of Mujib is wrong at one place (1972 instead of 1975). On top of that, the editing is rather sloppy. All in all, my impression is that the book is an opportunity wasted.
July 26, 2022
Terrifying book about a part of the world we don’t hear much about in the U.S. The war crimes committed by Pakistan against their own citizens equaled the atrocities of the Nazis, yet we never learned about any of this. In addition, our own country was sending arms allowing the massacres to continue. The book is well written and so interesting. I’m so glad I read this and have really learned a lot about man’s cruelty to others who are perceived as different. We think things are different now, but are they?
September 4, 2022
Fascinating and horrifying story, well written. I knew almost nothing about this history of Bangladesh and Pakistan.
August 10, 2022
Like many stories that happen in India's backyard, we have our version of the story of the creation of Bangladesh, ratified and repeated by informal and formal channels, and the urge to question or look past the narrative hardly ever manifests. At least, it didn't in my case.
But like in the case of Only Man is Vile, an account of the growth of the LTTE and the impact the IPKF had on the conflict, this book clarifies a lot of events that floated past me in TV news summaries, or half remembered articles, that I never spared a second thought to, buoyed as I was by the comforting verities of what happened and the role India played in it happening.
Vortex locates the events leading up to the genesis of Bangladesh to the cyclone Bhola, the callous response by West Pakistan, which quickly accelerates the impulses towards nationhood and autonomy within its Eastern part, prompting a brutal reprisal. A reprisal that's actively helped by the United States, thanks to the political finagling by amoral scum like Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon.
It's a book that fills me with dread and an impotent rage - because, among other things, it outlines how quickly the concept of a nation can degenerate without the glue of social cohesion, a phenomenon that seems to be manifesting almost everywhere you look, particularly across the Indian subcontinent. Should such a cataclysm actually manifest, I can take what little dim consolation there is in having seen it coming with even greater clarity thanks to this book.
While almost every non-fiction book is hyped as being "even better than fiction" by some hack or the other, few books I've read work harder at earning that cliched accolade than Vortex.
It has of course become easier than it should be, given that a lot of fiction these days is moribund and tedious pseudo-autobiography or 'action-packed' twist laden garbage that's ultimate ambition is undergo a rapid metastasis into a shooting script for a 'stack em high sell cheap' show on a streaming service.
But that takes nothing away from the immense writing and research chops on display here, courtesy Scott Carney and Jason Miklian. While I'm sure the book was powered by a massive amount of research, there is strong evidence of them having resisted the temptation to vomit it all out at the reader, which would have bloated Vortex out into a 600 plus page tome, not counting appendices and footnotes.
Which also means some of the most interesting conceits in the book are reserved for its afterword, particularly the role climate change can play in fomenting and deepening the social tensions that are already running rife all over the world.
Or how some of the most immensely satisfying, easy attempts at "making a difference" via attending a cause-led concert and/or joining social media campaigns are the least effective when it comes to actual relief.
Or how thanks to the kid gloves with which aid agencies have to treat despotic regimes, very little of the relief is delivered in a timely relevant manner.
It's a book that will stay with me and cast a pall over my days for weeks on end.
But like in the case of Only Man is Vile, an account of the growth of the LTTE and the impact the IPKF had on the conflict, this book clarifies a lot of events that floated past me in TV news summaries, or half remembered articles, that I never spared a second thought to, buoyed as I was by the comforting verities of what happened and the role India played in it happening.
Vortex locates the events leading up to the genesis of Bangladesh to the cyclone Bhola, the callous response by West Pakistan, which quickly accelerates the impulses towards nationhood and autonomy within its Eastern part, prompting a brutal reprisal. A reprisal that's actively helped by the United States, thanks to the political finagling by amoral scum like Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon.
It's a book that fills me with dread and an impotent rage - because, among other things, it outlines how quickly the concept of a nation can degenerate without the glue of social cohesion, a phenomenon that seems to be manifesting almost everywhere you look, particularly across the Indian subcontinent. Should such a cataclysm actually manifest, I can take what little dim consolation there is in having seen it coming with even greater clarity thanks to this book.
While almost every non-fiction book is hyped as being "even better than fiction" by some hack or the other, few books I've read work harder at earning that cliched accolade than Vortex.
It has of course become easier than it should be, given that a lot of fiction these days is moribund and tedious pseudo-autobiography or 'action-packed' twist laden garbage that's ultimate ambition is undergo a rapid metastasis into a shooting script for a 'stack em high sell cheap' show on a streaming service.
But that takes nothing away from the immense writing and research chops on display here, courtesy Scott Carney and Jason Miklian. While I'm sure the book was powered by a massive amount of research, there is strong evidence of them having resisted the temptation to vomit it all out at the reader, which would have bloated Vortex out into a 600 plus page tome, not counting appendices and footnotes.
Which also means some of the most interesting conceits in the book are reserved for its afterword, particularly the role climate change can play in fomenting and deepening the social tensions that are already running rife all over the world.
Or how some of the most immensely satisfying, easy attempts at "making a difference" via attending a cause-led concert and/or joining social media campaigns are the least effective when it comes to actual relief.
Or how thanks to the kid gloves with which aid agencies have to treat despotic regimes, very little of the relief is delivered in a timely relevant manner.
It's a book that will stay with me and cast a pall over my days for weeks on end.
October 26, 2022
This was a fascinating listen about a series of historical events about which I knew nothing. This book is about the creation of the country Bangladesh out of the troubled geographically and ethnically divided Pakistan that was created during the 1947 partition from India. Interestingly, Pakistan was at the center of global politics because of its relationships with China (with whom Nixon hoped to initiate the first diplomatic relations in decades) and India (who was far too cozy with the Soviet Union for the world's anti-communist super powers).
There's so much in this book. I learned a ton.
The authors called this narrative nonfiction. They wrote it with some artistic license when it came to exact conversations and even intimating emotions that may not have been precisely set down in the historical record. While it perhaps made it a more engaging story, there were times when I wondered if they were taking too many liberties. Still, I do think that they did a good job in the notes before and after the main text in explaining their methods.
There's so much in this book. I learned a ton.
The authors called this narrative nonfiction. They wrote it with some artistic license when it came to exact conversations and even intimating emotions that may not have been precisely set down in the historical record. While it perhaps made it a more engaging story, there were times when I wondered if they were taking too many liberties. Still, I do think that they did a good job in the notes before and after the main text in explaining their methods.
March 30, 2022
What an enthralling tale of heroism and courage, deceit and war, tragedy and the triumph of humans against great odds. It's got strong women accomplishing the near-impossible, good people helping others, and characters you can't help but care fiercely about.
The storm that set it all in motion calls to mind the increasingly destructive weather events we're seeing now. It makes this riveting story all the more relevant to our world, and our political realities.
I highly recommend this book to anyone.
The storm that set it all in motion calls to mind the increasingly destructive weather events we're seeing now. It makes this riveting story all the more relevant to our world, and our political realities.
I highly recommend this book to anyone.
July 24, 2022
This book is a testament to the preclude which led to the creation of Bangladesh as an aftermath of deaths, genocide and war.
Bangladesh, erstwhile East Pakistan, suffered a huge natural calamity when Cyclone Great Bhola hit its shores and killed 5 lakhs people.
Coupled with that, Pakistan was going through a monumental election that would decide the course of its history which led to political genocide, war, murder, and rape in Bangladesh.
This book gives a lucid detail of the tragic moments which sparked a historic revolution in Bangladesh which led to it becoming an independent country with some help from India during 1971.
VERDICT
Pros:
1) I liked the detailed premise provided for one of the most historic wars in the South Asian region which led to the liberation and formation of a country during 1970s. I know about the war of Bangladesh but didn't have an idea about the natural calamity which triggered the series of events. This book serves as an amalgamation of climatic warning and political happenings.
2) The narration is well-paced and the writing style is gripping which made this Non-Fiction book a 'tragically stirring' read for me.
3) I enjoyed the intimate political scenes panning out among the heads of the countries during 1970s which added to the thrill & knowledge in this book.
4) This book made alive the immense struggles and valour of the Bengali freedom fighters with poor means who fought for their people and their country. It felt like the David vs Goliath war.
Cons:
I found a few errors in the facts mentioned regarding the dates of certain events which I felt as off-putting given that it's supposed to be well-researched.
Overall, The Vortex has been an eye-opening read for me which I would recommend to all the political enthusiasts.
Bangladesh, erstwhile East Pakistan, suffered a huge natural calamity when Cyclone Great Bhola hit its shores and killed 5 lakhs people.
Coupled with that, Pakistan was going through a monumental election that would decide the course of its history which led to political genocide, war, murder, and rape in Bangladesh.
This book gives a lucid detail of the tragic moments which sparked a historic revolution in Bangladesh which led to it becoming an independent country with some help from India during 1971.
VERDICT
Pros:
1) I liked the detailed premise provided for one of the most historic wars in the South Asian region which led to the liberation and formation of a country during 1970s. I know about the war of Bangladesh but didn't have an idea about the natural calamity which triggered the series of events. This book serves as an amalgamation of climatic warning and political happenings.
2) The narration is well-paced and the writing style is gripping which made this Non-Fiction book a 'tragically stirring' read for me.
3) I enjoyed the intimate political scenes panning out among the heads of the countries during 1970s which added to the thrill & knowledge in this book.
4) This book made alive the immense struggles and valour of the Bengali freedom fighters with poor means who fought for their people and their country. It felt like the David vs Goliath war.
Cons:
I found a few errors in the facts mentioned regarding the dates of certain events which I felt as off-putting given that it's supposed to be well-researched.
Overall, The Vortex has been an eye-opening read for me which I would recommend to all the political enthusiasts.
December 28, 2022
Truly a page turner. This should be read along with Gary Bass's Blood Telegram as neither of them provide a complete picture by itself of all the players in the entire saga. While Blood Telegram didn't capture any voices from Bangladesh while focusing on the role of India (with help from Russia), US and Pakistan in the 1971 war and Bangladesh's liberation, The Vortex does justice to them by providing a lot more details on the precursor to the war (Bhola cyclone) and how it played a major role in shaping opinions among the Bengalis of East Pakistan. It also covers the humanitarian effort amongst both the local Bengali activists and the Rohdes couple from the US in rigorous detail.
My only criticism of the book would be India's role in the war gets only a chapter or two even while mentioning that India taking in 10 million refugees is the largest ever in recent history and the true nature of the Nixon/Kissinger duo (the real war criminals) hasn't been as exposed as it has been in Blood Telegram. The role of other Western nations (UK, France, etc) in supporting a genocidal regime in West Pakistan with arms and ammunition doesn't even get a mention. However, the book ends well with a note on climate change and war and provides details on the current day status of all the individuals who played a critical role on either side of the war. Although some had criticized Blood Telegram for not covering Mujibur Rahman well enough, it feels only fair after learning in The Vortex that he didn't play much of a role in the liberation of Bangladesh.
My only criticism of the book would be India's role in the war gets only a chapter or two even while mentioning that India taking in 10 million refugees is the largest ever in recent history and the true nature of the Nixon/Kissinger duo (the real war criminals) hasn't been as exposed as it has been in Blood Telegram. The role of other Western nations (UK, France, etc) in supporting a genocidal regime in West Pakistan with arms and ammunition doesn't even get a mention. However, the book ends well with a note on climate change and war and provides details on the current day status of all the individuals who played a critical role on either side of the war. Although some had criticized Blood Telegram for not covering Mujibur Rahman well enough, it feels only fair after learning in The Vortex that he didn't play much of a role in the liberation of Bangladesh.
June 25, 2024
Remarkable. I expected to learn about Bangladesh, but I learned so much more than I imagined about the ways disaster, climate, politics intertwine, and about the US’s role in helping perpetrate a genocide in East Pakistan as it fought for its independence. Well-written, well-told, and, while not an easy read, a very important one and highly worth your time.
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