This was actually enjoyable to read. The plot is interesting and the story is well constructed. It is just a good book in general and I actually thought it was actually entertaining. The narration by the characters also evolves as he becomes increasingly mentally unstable. The character’s mental illness gets progressively worse throughout the entire book until he actually ends up becoming threatening and somewhat of a hindrance to the other characters. The book was also filled with dream sequences and other narrative pieces that continue to hold your attention. I intend to finish the book later if I can. So why all the controversy? The book was considered extremely offensive to Muslims. Some even regarded the book as heresy. As a result, tensions grew between many Muslim nations and the United Kingdom, where the book was popular. The author was a controversial figure in many nations and even hated in others. He was originally Muslim before the writing of this book, making his crime even more serious in the Muslim faith. As a result of the controversy caused by his writing, a fatwa was issued. The order resulted in a Japanese translator’s death, though Rushdie himself was able to survive. While the text may have been offensive to Muslims, it is important to remember the value of free speech. There is no call to violence directly made in the book, and in a general sense, it is simply a good story with content that offends Muslim people. Does that mean it deserves to be censored? I’m not sure. There was a massive debate over this, and I found myself agreeing with the side against censorship most of the time. Considering that we have allowed Marquis De Sade to publish his filthy excuse for literature for hundreds of years, I think this book is perhaps the least terrible of the ones I read. It is important to note, however, that I am not a Muslim, and therefore do not fully understand the extent of the offensive content. Perhaps it is the most terrible and offensive anti-Muslim book in history, and I wouldn’t know. So I suppose my opinion should be taken lightly, and I am definitely biased on the issue.