BENDS AND SHADES Chronicles a Life in South Asia

As a father from Bangladesh and a believer in his faith, author Jahed Rahman opted for a cross-cultural setup for his family. His eldest son's wedding took place without any condition related to conversion, the usual norm in his social setting. Neither did he make it an issue for his two other offspring, and now Rahman has two granddaughters. To give his descendants an idea about their roots, he began documenting his life, chronicling his journey and creating a legacy of experiences and memories, a recollection of the myriad "Bends and Shades" of existence.

Rahman's autobiography reflects the changing settings of life, touching on and dealing with the relevance of surrounding social conditions, community living experiences, and political issues pertaining to the nations of Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. These are the nations that the author has lived in besides Canada and USA. In the case of Bangladesh, a relatively new country, he witnessed the challenges of an emerging nation. Rahman also dealt with some elements of challenges faced by certain immigrants pertaining to living and rearing up children abroad. His work also delves into elements of Muslim faith and practices, and Islam's contributions to civilization in its broader context.

Through this text, readers will see Rahman's growth and transitions in changing settings, and his narrative emphasizes not only learning lessons, but also revisiting them continuously as life progresses, necessitating the regular reformulation and reconditioning of the self in terms of social and personal behavior. The theme is to evaluate all information with reference to their context, a very important concept in the modern world, where diversity and multiculturalism is the order of the day.

"Bends and Shades" is a true work of love, depicting a simple life in different settings with interesting stories and experiences in the narrative. Aside from the author's family, the book is also likely to appeal to readers who have open minds for new information and facts, or curiosity regarding the exotic lands and cultures of South Asia, and approach for a more meaningful living in new cultures and environment.

For more information on this book, interested parties may log on to http://www.Xlibris.com.

About the Author
Jahed Rahman was born and raised in Bangladesh and spent the early part of his career there in the tax and finance fields. He subsequently spent two decades at the Asian Development Bank, based in the Philippines, and was engaged in a variety of development projects throughout Asia. He also worked for the World Bank and served as the Chief of the Multi-Donor Support unit for a social action program in Pakistan. He most recently lived in Vancouver and presently resides in Chicago with his wife, Shaheen. Together they raised three children across a variety of cultural and religious settings in both the developing and developed world.

Bends and Shades * by JAHED RAHMAN
Publication Date: February 24, 2014
Trade Paperback; $23.99; 426 pages; 9781493175048
Trade Hardback; $34.99; 426 pages; 9781493175031
e-book; $3.99; 9781493175024

To request a complimentary paperback review copy, contact the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 7879. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (812) 355-4079 or call (888) 795-4274 x. 7879. For more information, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or on the web at http://www.Xlibris.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.