THE Vortex

Scott Carney and Jason Miklian

Reviewed by Tahia Munzarin

Imagine a densely populated coastal area without any proper warning suddenly immersed in a cyclone that has killed roughly 5,00,000 lives in just a few hours. But unfortunately, this incident truly happened during the 1970 Great Bhola Cyclone in East Pakistan, now known as Bangladesh. We can empathise with this devastating situation if we read the book “The vortex: A True Story of History’s Deadliest Storm, An Unspeakable War, And Liberation," written by Scott Carney and Jason Miklian. Both these writers vividly capture narrative nonfiction about the Great Bhola Cyclone of 1970 and its aftermath in East Pakistan. Besides, they vividly portray political turmoil, a stolen election, an unfathomable genocide, and the birth of Bangladesh, which is based on this unpopular Great Bhola Cyclone.

Apart from these, Carney and Miklian introduce some real-life characters, including the infamous president of Pakistan, General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan, considered by the author as a callous and crude leader who failed to respond effectively to the disaster; his close friend Richard Nixon; American expats Jonand Candy Rhode; soccer star-turned-soldier Hafiz Uddin Ahmad; and a young Bengali revolutionary, Mohammed Hai.

The book is structured into three parts. First, it covers the Great Bhola Cyclone of 1970. At that time, the West Pakistan government didn’t provide aid, which led to political turmoil in East Pakistan. Then, act ii focuses on “Operation Searchlight," where the government used the cyclone and election as an excuse to commit genocide against the Bengali people. And finally, act iii is about “The Reckoning," where Carney and Miklian depict the aftermath, highlighting how the people of Bangladesh fought for their independence.
This nonfiction book has several strengths that make it a truly captivating read. Firstly, one of the book's strongest points is storytelling, where the true story is told like a novel. It presents the story through the lens of different backgrounds, including influential figures like Yahya Khan, Henry Kissinger, Richard Nixon, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and also survivors of the cyclone.

Secondly, even though the name of the book highlights only natural disasters, the true fact is only just one-third of this book focuses on natural disasters. The majority focuses on West Pakistan President Yahya Khan’s actions, including his negligence for hurricane warnings of Bhola and his brutal plan of genocide known as “Operation Searchlight," by which the Pakistani military systematically raped and butchered the unarmed citizens of Bangladesh.

Thirdly, this book reveals geopolitical tensions, like the conversation between Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon. Also, the interesting part is Yahya's promise to Nixon of access to Mao for weapons to attack East Pakistan almost led to a nuclear conflict in the Bay of Bengal, which also created tension amongst the US, Pakistan, India, and Russia. Finally, another aspect that would captivate readers about “The Vortex” is Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s leadership. The book depicts that Mujib’s decisive leadership and actions were so influential that even leaders from rival Bengali parties joined the Awami League. Additionally, it portrays that Mujib had always been a great agitator, but after the cyclone, Bengalis saw him as a true leader.

Despite its numerous strengths, this book has encountered several criticisms from reviewers. First of all, one major criticism of this book revolves around its portrayal of the Pakistani government’s neglectful response to the aftermath of the cyclone. In fact some actions of the Pakistani government were too inhuman for readers to tolerate, such as playing badminton on Bhola Island while bodies rotted in nearby fields. Even rumours circulated at that time: soldiers traded food for sex with desperate mothers or stole ration boxes for resale. Apart from these, Yahya Khan’s callous action after the cyclone and his unjust behaviour towards Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's election victory in 1970 were so disturbing for readers.
 
For example, after the cyclone, Yahya looked down from a propeller plane and said, “It doesn’t look so bad."Moreover, critics argue that the book tries to link the 1970 cyclone directly to climate change. Additionally, some argue that Western characters like American relief workers, such as Jon and Candy Rhode, are given more emphasis in the narratives than Bangladeshi characters. Furthermore, they also raise questions about the accuracy of some personal dramatic stories, which may lack proper and solid evidence.

According to the Washington Post newspaper, for those readers who don’t know much about the history of Pakistan, it serves a clear explanation, straight forward introduction and easy-to-understand overview of how the country has evolved overtime. If anyone asks why he/she should read the book, then the answer would be an easier one because there’s so much information in this book and readers can learn a ton. Besides, this book is special because the title “The Vortex” has two meanings: one is literal and the other one is metaphorical. Literal meaning represents that the cyclone is only a natural disaster, whereas metaphorical meaning refers to the birth of a new nation. While we often view cyclones as natural disasters, reading this book helped readers understand how a terrifying cyclone led to genocide and the emergence of a new nation.

To conclude, “The Vortex” is a well-written, fascinating and terrifying story. This book has helped to teach readers that the effects of the natural disaster are part of our everyday life and national discourse.