Once dismissed as a ‘bottomless basket’, Bangladesh has, within fifty years of its birth in 1971, come to be spoken of as an emerging ‘Asian Tiger’ on the road to developed-country status by 2041. ‘50 Years of Bangladesh: A Tale of A Miracle’ by Sharif Uddin Ahmed sets out to explain how that turnaround happened.
Published by Prothoma Prokashon, the book is a scholarly account rather than a celebration: it traces the country’s journey from its difficult beginnings to its present ambitions and asks readers to consider what made the transformation possible. For anyone interested in development, South Asian history, or the making of modern Bangladesh.