Home #itscomplicated

by Saba Karim Khan (Editor)

Home #itscomplicated rests on one conviction: Pakistan-home to over 240 million people, 70-80 languages and fascinating natural diversity cannot be reduced to a breaking news ticker or international headline. Riverine forests sprout alongside embankments; corals lie near the Balochistan coastline; mangroves grow within the Indus Delta. Wildlife is astonishing; snow leopards, markhors, brown bears, Asiatic black bears. Then why do we rarely hear about these? Instead, why do stories about Pakistan inevitably produce caricatures of bearded terrorists, ragged children threading through polluted alleys and non-agentic women who require "saving"?

It's high time that the stories changed. Home #itscomplicated features a versatile slate of Pakistani storytellers: doctors, screenwriters, journalists, filmmakers, scientists, intelligence personnel, actors, academics, entrepreneurs, home-makers, students, and authors. These voices don't undermine the strife: hunger, terrifying normalisation of violence, rampant hypocrisies, problems with privilege, judgmental tendencies and more. That's mostly the frontstage though, the part we hear about. Home #itscomplicated, simultaneously opens a window to the backstage, where we discover stories of love and wounded attachments, courage and quiet desperation, the pursuit of purpose and the skills essential to survive. Ultimately, we meet some of these survivors-stars born out of anarchy-who aren't voiceless but as Arundhati Roy puts it, are "deliberately silenced," or "preferably unheard."

Ultimately, there is no simple, linear way to tell stories of people's edgy yet soulful relationship with Pakistan-#itscomplicated. This anthology embraces that messiness, breaking through cookie-cutter narratives to make sure lesser-heard voices start getting a seat at the table.

Genres: Nonfiction

279 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2025

About the author

Saba Karim Khan is an author, award winning filmmaker and educator, whose writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Independent, Wasafiri, Huff Post, EN Fuego, Verso, DAWN, Express Tribune, Think Progress. She has read Social Anthropology at the University of Oxford and works at NYU Abu Dhabi. Her debut novel – Skyfall – was published by Bloomsbury in Dec 2020. Her doc-film, Concrete Dreams: Some Roads Lead Home is now on Amazon Prime Video. Before joining the Academy, she worked as Country Marketing and Public Affairs Head at Citigroup. Born in Karachi, she now lives in Abu Dhabi with her husband and two daughters.

Reviews

[cybill · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am forever on the prowl for books like this. these lived narratives, essays, creative nonfiction especially centred around pakistan is where i thrive and im just so glad i ended up picking this book

[Kavita Mohindra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aptly titled Home # its complicated -Saba’s latest anthology is philosophical and emotional treatise on motherland , ‘ Dharti Ma’ or home . A diverse group of writers have poured out their heartfelt , revealing and riveting stories and these definitely deserve to be read and ‘ felt’ !

An ode to the unabashed love for our homeland this book is a must read .

[Aamna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an emotionally heavy book to get through. I'm gonna save the yap for my instagram. I do wish there were more inclusions from writers who live and only live in Pakistan though. As I've learnt in these past 6 or 7 years, they have as much of a complicated relationship with 'home' as those that can fly out and leave.

[khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saba Khan’s latest book is a warm hearted and beautifully timed ode to Pakistan. Sharply curated, with diverse voices ranging from well known authors to first time writers, Home #itscomplicated is a must read for those wanting to understand the complicated relationship people have with their country and the ideas of home. Highly recommended !!

[Eesha Irfanullah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some essays were better than others but i really liked the concept! I'm forever trying to learn more about people's relationship to Pakistan. Especially loved Omar Shahid Hamid's essay!