Book excerpt: This book brings together a collection of essays about the untenable political status quo in Bangladesh under Sheikh Hasina. Since democratization in the 1990s, Bangladeshi political life has been characterized by fierce battles over the role of religion in society, corruption, and the obstacles to constructing a society with freedom of expression and rule of law, independent from the influence of powerful neighboring countries. Academic freedom and other human rights issues have hindered the study of Bangladesh heretofore, and corruption, police abuses, and election rigging are common as well as widely documented. In this passionate, sometimes personal exploration of the issues of social justice, rule of law, and the democratic process in Bangladesh, the book offers a valuable case study of how an Asian developmental state is otherwise regressing backwards morally, socially, and politically. The Bangladeshi struggle for sovereignty, prosperity and democracy documented in this book will be of interest to political scientists, scholars of South Asia, and those of Islam.