From New York, this is Democracy Now.

There's a part in my book where I say she taught me how to write and she raged against the author I became

and she taught me to be free and then she raged against my freedom.

In this holiday special we speak to the acclaimed Indian writer Arendati Roy about her new memoir,

Mother Mary comes to me. The book focuses on her mother, Mary Roy, and how Arundati was shaped by her, both as a

source of terror and inspiration. We'll also talk to Arundati Roy about Gaza and the rise of authoritarianism

from India to the United States. Then we remember Bill Moyers, the legendary PBS broadcaster, former White House aide,

who died in June at the age of 91.

The consensual seduction of the mainstream media by and with the government

is one of the most dangerous toxins at work in America today.

All that and more coming up.

This is Democracy Now. Democracy Now.org, the War and Peace Report.

I'm Amy Goodman.

In this Democracy Now special, we're joined by one of the world's most acclaimed writers, Arndati Roy,

author of many books, including the novels The God of Small Things and the Ministry of Uttmost Happiness.

Roy has been a frequent guest on Democracy Now for over two decades, talking about her novels

as well as her nonfiction work and her activism.

She's been a vocal critic of U.S. foreign policy from the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq to the U.S. arming of Israel.

In India, she's been repeatedly targeted by authorities for criticizing Prime Minister

Narendra Modi and his far-right ruling BJP Party. In August, authorities in Indian-occupied Kashmir banned a list of books, including

her collection of essays titled Azadi, Freedom, Fascism, Fiction. Earlier this year,

Arundati-Roy published her new memoir, Mother Mary comes to me. The critically acclaimed book focuses on her mother,

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