My thoughts on: All Our Broken Idols by Paul M.M. Cooper

 

Kabul. Taliban takes over Afghanistan. The news flashes over practically every social medium these past few days. And my thoughts drifted back to a book that I’d just read two weeks ago – All Our Broken Idols by Paul M.M. Cooper. And I was blown away, simply because I think this is how history should be taught and read.

 

All Our Broken Idols oscillates seamlessly between two spans of time – Nineveh B.C and Mosul 2014, two points of views – Aurya’s and Katya’s, and two forces – King Ashurbanipal in past Nineveh and ISIL in present Mosul. Cooper draws astounding parallels between past and present that says one thing: the past is embedded in the present. Lots of times, the cry is never again, yet the past repeats. In Katya’s words as she faces the ISIL invasion (which did take place in June 2014), “Hasn’t this all happened before?” Makes me think, why is that? When everything is supposed to get progressive– the economy, the education, yet doesn’t traditional mindsets always catch up with us somehow?

 

I’ve heard countless motivation speakers say ‘don’t dwell in the past, we must move forward.’ Yet, how do we move forward if we don’t understand the past? Not just knowing it as facts from a history book, but really understanding how history encapsulates the present day. And only then, can we make a stand not to be prisoners of historical errors.

 

This is what Cooper has done in his book – made me think beyond Mosul, beyond Nineveh, and think about other civilizations, and its impact on current world events. Almost each nation today has a repeat of their history– whether it’s religion, traditions, governances, society or the economy. If a country today is Marxist, there is a history to it. If a country today is democratic, there is a history to it. There is also a gap as to what is portrayed and what really happened at that time, seen in Cooper’s depiction of the Lion and what it means to Sharo, Aurya and Katya – a symbol of how history in all its strength is presented and represented for the gain of people in power. Then again, to think about it, talk about it and rethink; re-act instead of reacting, gives us the people, the power to reshape society, as we evolve. But that can only be done if we understand the parallels between the then and the now, the past and the present which seem so conflicted, yet inseparable like twins at war from the womb.

 

Thank you, Paul M.M Cooper for this action-packed historical fiction. You’ve connected the dots and applied history to today; making the reader think. I’ll say it again, this is how history should be taught, read…and learnt.

 

All Our Broken Idols – Stunning title. Stunning concept. Stunning content.