"I would answer violence with art."
"At a quarter to eleven on August 12, 2022, on a sunny Friday morning in upstate New York, I was attacked and almost killed by a young man with a knife just after I came out on stage at the amphitheater in Chautauqua to talk about the importance of keeping writers safe from harm. ... On that beautiful morning in that attractive setting, violence came running at me and my reality fell apart."
In just 27 seconds, Salman Rushdie was stabbed 15 times in the face, neck and chest; the tendons in his left hand were severed, and he was blinded in his right eye. Miraculously, he survived. This book is his musings on that day, and on his recovery, his love for his wife, sons, and friends, the importance of free speech, writing as art, and on his getting a second chance at life. It's quietly thoughtful, emotional, and smart. Rushdie has such a gift with words. And his writing is always literary and meaningful. This short memoir is no exception. I'm really glad I chose it for my nonfiction read this month.
"Language, too, was a knife. It could cut open the world and reveal its meaning, its inner workings, its secrets, its truths. It could cut through from one reality to another. It could call bullshit, open people's eyes, create beauty. Language was my knife."
Happy Reading!
