Denise Chong

thecommentary.ca

The acclaimed writer Denise Chong discusses her new book Out of Darkness: Rumana Monzur’s Journey through Betrayal, Tyranny and Abuse (Random House Canada, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

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Out of Darkness: Rumana Monzur’s Journey through Betrayal, Tyranny and Abuse by Denise Chong (Random House Canada, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Out of Darkness

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Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

The story of Rumana Monzur gripped the world in 2011, when she was attacked and blinded by her husband in front of their daughter. She was a graduate student at the University of British Columbia, and wanted to continue her higher education, when she returned to Bangladesh, where her husband was. This horrific beating was justified in the media there with his alleging that Rumana had been unfaithful. A new book by Denise Chong, Out of Darkness: Rumana Monzur’s Journey through Betrayal, Tyranny and Abuse sheds some light on a story we think we all know, and this journey that Rumana has endured. Rumana, as Denise narrates in the book, is an unlikely victim of domestic abuse. She married a man of her own choosing, progressed in her career as a professor at Dhaka University, and was a Fulbright Scholar. Yet, we see the systemic challenges Rumana faces. It’s an often brutal book, as we see the abuse that Rumana endures in her marriage, as well we see how difficult it is for her to leave a marriage what with obligations, familial or professional. Rumana’s powerlessness is often harrowing to read about, but it’s a necessary story as it’s easy to overlook the signs of abuse, and often difficult for those abused to say anything to anybody, even those closest to them. In the end, the book also looks at the incredible path Rumana and her daughter have gone through, in leaving Bangladesh to come back to Vancouver for surgeries to try and repair her eyesight, to her finishing her education at UBC with the help of aides, to Rumana’s own daughter soon to enter UBC in the fall. Denise Chong is the award-winning author whose books include The Concubine’s Children, The Girl in the Picture, Egg on Mao, and Lives of the Family, the latter two books she’s previously appeared on the program with. She is an Officer of the Order of Canada. This new book is published by Random House Canada. We spoke two weeks ago, with Denise joining me from Calgary. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Denise Chong; Ms. Chong, good morning.

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