Mercy in Her Eyes: The Films of Mira Nair -- Now Available!

One more bit of JKM book news this morning: my latest enterprise from Applause Theatre and Cinema Books, Mercy in Her Eyes: The Films of Mira Nair, has just been officially published (and you can get copies from Amazon.com).

This book covers the entire career of Indian-born, Harvard-educated Nair, an auteur and heir to Satyajit Ray. My study gazes at all of her films, from the Academy Award-nominated Salaam Bombay! (1988) to the popular hit, Monsoon Wedding (2002), to her recent adaptation of Vanity Fair (2004). There's also a sneak peek at the upcoming The Namesake (2006), based on Jhumpa Lahiri's best seller. The book features interviews with Naveen Andrews (of Lost), who starred in Kama Sutra (1996), Gena Rowlands (who starred in 2002's Hysterical Blindness), screenwriters Sooni Taraporevala and Julian Fellowes, and many more.

Mercy in Her Eyes just got reviewed by Library Journal, and here's what the magazine had to say about it:

"During the 1950s, India became a forerunner in feature film output, and it was in that decade and country that filmmaker Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding) was born. Muir (Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company) presents an engrossing, superbly researched study of Nair's career that incorporates material from numerous interviews. He discusses the eclectic components and production of her films as well as delves into the heart of Nair's philosophy and stunning cinematic approach. He further considers her subject matter, which includes social issues, globalization vs. national identity, and the struggle of individuals to find meaning while bridging Eastern and Western cultures. This book -the first to concentrate on Nair's fine achievements - will significantly interest those familiar with her work and should inspire others to further study. It will be especially valuable for university cinema studies programs as well as for academic and circulating libraries. [Nair's The Namesake, based on Jhumpa Lahiri's best-selling debut novel, will be released by Fox Searchlight Pictures in the fall.-Ed]