A World on Hold : A Living Record of the Global Pandemic

A WORLD ON HOLD A living record of the global pandemic edited and compiled by DIVITA AGGARWAL and SURABHI SUNDARAM talks of diverse stories jotted in a first-person narrative. Each tale tells the hardships and sufferings that each person experienced during the pandemic.The book starts with the story of Vidya Balan, a film actor who shares her experience of a reel and real life. And how the pandemic caused it to undergo a dramatic transformation.The pandemic had a profound impact on everyone's lives. From the lives of Bollywood and Hollywood's celebs to the very working class. Some of us were impacted even more severely. From the rich to the underprivileged. The migrants and laborers become homeless due to the severe effect of the coronavirus. The pandemic gives us a completely different definition of new normalness which somehow wouldn’t be possible to survive if not for the sake of the pandemic and the safety of our people. For the overwhelming majority of people, whose daily wages and survival have been impacted and damaged, the new normal was not normal.Every narrative has been beautifully written, and it reflects how difficult the journey was but our sailors never gave up. Each narrator served as a warrior on the front lines in a certain manner. As we read the account of an Air India cabin crew member, some people fight by remaining on the ground, while others do so from above. She continued working and serving the country for the people despite being a wife, mother, and professional worker.However, the narrative entitled Digging Deeper Wounds by Mohammad Shameem, Grave Digger, makes you shiver as you read it. When you perform deeds of kindness, it is discouraging to realize that the people you serve don't appreciate you and may even treat you unfairly on a variety of grounds. Neither intellectually nor physically, you could sense them. Their emotions are indescribable.It is a book that contains heartbreaking and horrible survival stories, but it also provides us the courage and optimism we need to combat an enemy, a virus, or a sickness, even if it is an invisible one. Together we can win any war. As the pandemic phase came to an end. With the belief that "this too shall pass," we can overcome anything in life.Lastly, the beautiful cover and editors’ note at the beginning of every story adds the cherry on the cake.

This book is a living record of the Global COVID-19 Pandemic. It documents experiences of different people ranging from Vidya Balan, a film star to a mere High school student. Different people have faced different issues and had gone through different mental state during the pandemic and this book has portrayed it beautifully. This is such a heartbreaking and moving piece of work. Written in quite simple language, everybody should read this. It is such an important book. This book would make you realise how privileged you are. Highly recommended to every human being.

“Fear cannot be greater than humanity.”2020 will always be a year etched in our memories—the year of Pandemic & the drastic changes it bought in our lives.A few weeks & everything will be back to normal stretched on to months & then year and even though today we've been vaccinated & the dangers are at minimal, the lives we lost & the economic turmoil we're hurled into will take a long way to recover from.“A World On Hold: A Living Record of the Global Pandemic” edited by Divita Aggarwal & Surabhi Sundaram, brings us 20 stories of diverse voices & records the sufferings each & every sector faced in the midst of a global disaster.Every single person & every single profession was plunged into a life of uncertainty & unpredictability.The editors have done a wonderful job in recording these turmoils in the pages, serving their purpose of highlighting the failures & still breathing in an optimism to survive and grow and adapt.If you're looking for some informative read & like non-fiction, then do add this book in your shelf.It is a heartbreaking & difficult read but it is also a reality we've lived & survived.

Well we all have been through the pandemic and we know the hardship we faced for the survival ...even though our ears n eyes were stuck on T.V. to get update of every single situations there are certain things that are left out cuz we tried to smile n feel light at least for a second ...this book will give a picture of those sites that we missed or were left out ...go through it ...its a good read👍

Well The world has seen a lot in past 2 years that we never imagined in this book we get to read all such incidents how people suffer and managed to do things on their own with little things in their hands and how people come closer and re lived the 80's and 90's lives together where everybody is together at home and how people dealt with the Covid -19 Situation.Its a much read book

The past 2 years were the toughest and seemed to have broken down the world. The book has provided an authentic account of what the world had gone through. Be it a celebrity or a migrant worker, everyone was affected and the book offers a reflective journey of everyone's lives. The authors have done a wonderful work by weaving all of the stories together meticulously. It was simple, engaging, eye-opener, and heartbreaking.