A Free Man

Reviews

“Funny, poignant, and deeply moving, A Free Man is an extraordinary vignette into an extraordinary life.”

“A deeply moving, funny, and brilliantly written account from one of India’s most original new voices.”

“A Free Man is a brilliant capturing of the language and bloodstream of a city. Aman Sethi has made a book that’s remarkable in its voice and evocation.”

“A Free Man is stunning. It reminds me of that Victorian masterpiece of investigative journalism, Henry Mayhew’s London Labour and London Poor. Aman Sethi ‘gets’ modern India better than any other journalist I know. Not only is he a remarkable reporter and storyteller but he possesses a novelist’s ear for language, sense of the absurd, and perfect pitch. I’m bowled over, totally.”

“As a writer, Sethi has a keen eye for detail and a sense of perception that succeeds in drawing the reader into the murky underbelly of Ashraf’s world. Laced with black humor, A Free Man is a clever study of contrasting lives that amuse and perturb in equal measures.”

“A moving and irrepressible work of narrative reporting.”

“Journalism at its finest. Narrator Vikas Adam tells the story of these men as though they were characters in a novel. Adam brings the dialogue to the listener with the cadence and liveliness of authentic speech. He uses a heavy, affected South Asian accent to render the English speech of the masdoor, or building laborers. But the listener is given a break from this style in the narrative, which is delivered with a much lighter touch. In this contemporary story of migration, economics, and socialization, these invisible workers come alive.”

“Alternately sad, defiant, carefree, and understated, this journey into a world hidden in plain sight is well worth taking.”

“A darkly comical and eminently readable work of narrative journalism that brings readers into the heart and soul of old Delhi.”

“[Aman Sethi’s] compassion and humor is matched by a fierce determination to tell the stories of ordinary Indians.”

Expand reviews