The Reluctant Fundamentalist
- Genre: Fiction; realistic framed narrative
- Originally Published: 2007
- Reading Level/Interest: College/Adult
- Structure/Length: 9 chapters; approx. 191 pages; approx. 4 hours, 15 minutes on audio
- Protagonist and Central Conflict: Changez is a young Pakistani immigrant caught up in an elite New York lifestyle and his own success in his job for a profitable valuation company; after 9/11, however, he finds his relationships as well as his place and role in his adopted city uncertain. In a framed narrative, Changez tells his story to an American man in a café in Lahore.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: 9/11; immigration; cultural identity; privilege; discrimination
CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:
- The American Dream
- 9/11 and the War on Terror
- Nostalgia
- Identity
STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:
- Engage in discussions and analyze outside resources to develop an understanding of the historical context around September 11, 2001 and how it drives Changez’s conflict throughout the novel.
- Discuss short paired texts and other resources to make connections via the text’s themes of 9/11 and the War on Terror and Identity.
- Analyze the author’s purpose to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding character development, themes of Identity and The American Dream, and other topics.