JUNE 23, 2017 THIS IS WHY I'M HOT

If I could devise a way to keep SWEAT from dripping in my eyes during those NASTY-- HUMID--HOT runs--I'd be a millionaire. It seriously STINGS and makes it hard to see--have tried to use my shirt but it's already SOAKED with sweat AND the visor can only do so much. Had some tough runs this week in the heat. Breathing has been more difficult and I've really had to slow down. And talk about sweat--literally dripping from head to toe after every run.  Need to get used to this though  if I'm going to run the Kelley Road Race again this year. It's a summer tradition--a SERIOUSLY SCORCHING run the first Saturday in August. You really have to have a SCREW LOOSE to run it-- BUT SOMEHOW it's become a rite of passage-- every summer. This is the only race I know of that's FREE. For the last 50 years or so the race has been billed as a 12 mile road race--it's actually 11.6 miles--an odd ball distance but that's what makes it unique. Sadly, the race is being changed this year-- Not sure why--but this year it's going to be a half-marathon. ANOTHER 1.5 MILES-- YIKES--I could barely do the run when it was 11.6. It's a tough run at a blistering time of year SO I'll need to get used to this HEAT if I'm going to last. Extreme temperatures are commonplace in Pakistan, the setting for Fatima Bhutto's novel The Shadow of the Crescent Moon. 

Bhutto is a well known writer  with many ties to Pakistan. Her grandfather, hanged in 1979, was a former Prime Minister as was her uncle, Benazir Bhutto, before he was assassinated.  Her father was also murdered in an attempt to overthrow General Zia in 1996.  Her family has quite a history. Bhutto is obviously  quite knowledgeable about Pakistan, politics and life in Pakistan after  9/11 and the "War on Terror."
This fictional story takes place in Mir Ali, a village in Pakistan near the border of Afghanistan. It is commonplace to see American drones killing the Taliban and innocent children--Sunni Muslims bombing Shia Muslims--even the underground movement fighting its own corrupt government  for independence. It's a volatile region--a war zone. Bhutto's story takes place here in the course of one day.  It is the day before Eid Holiday and three brothers-Aman Erum, Hayat, and Sikandar decide to visit three different mosques because it is too risky to be together. Aman Erun, the eldest, is here on holiday. He sold his soul to the government in order to get an American visa to go to college. He also left behind his sweetheart, Samarra,  in order to go to America and make something of himself.
Sikahdar is a doctor who is married to Mira. On the way to the Mosque they are accosted by the Taliban bent on killing anyone failing to answer the question correctly. Are you Shia or Sunni?
The youngest brother, Hayat, is a Shia Separatist, a high ranking member of the underground where he moves weapons and heavy artillery. He and Samarra, also involved in the movement, become involved and tangled in a web that could end in disaster. Find out what happens to these five people by the end of the day when you read this engaging, time appropriate novel. It is only about 240 pages--or a 4 mile run--with a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. Enjoy