Read Around Asia Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Asia.
Best books from Asia (1405)
Palestine1032.
Like a Straw Bird It Follows Me: And Other Poems by Ghassan Zaqtan EN
Description:
A translation of the works of one of a key Palestinian poet contains his 10th and most recent poetry collection, along with selected earlier poems that illuminate the vision of what Arabic and Palestinian poetry are capable of.
1033.
Touch by Adania Shibli EN
Description:
A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.
1034.
The Tale of a Wall : Reflections on the Meaning of Hope and Freedom by Nasser Abu Srour EN
Description:
Longlisted for the National Book Award A passionate prison memoir from a Palestinian man incarcerated for over 30 years in an Israeli prison—equal parts metaphysical love story and cry for justice “[A] kind of prose poem…that recalls the memoirs of the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish”—New York Times “Fierce and lyrical . . . a devastating testament to the power of hope, and of its loss.”—Claire Messud One of more than 5,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons before October 7, 2023, Nasser Abu Srour was sentenced to life without parole in 1993 after a forced confession. His extraordinary wri... continue
1035.
Country: Asia / 
Philippines
Philippines
Description:
‘A dazzling and virtuosic adventure’ Joseph O’Connor, author of Star of the Sea Internationally Bestselling Winner of the Man Asian Literary Prize 2008 ‘With Ilustrado, Miguel Syjuco obliges us to remake the canons of our great classics of contemporary literature. Ilustrado is, literally, a masterpiece’ Alberto Manguel It begins with a body. One anonymous winter day, the corpse of Crispin Salvador is pulled from the Hudson River. Gone is the controversial giant of Asian literature. And missing is the only manuscript of his final book, an exposé of the corrupt roots of the ruling Filipino famil... continue
1036.
Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) by Jose Rizal EN
Country: Asia / Philippines
Philippines
Description:
The great novel of the Philippines In more than a century since its appearance, José Rizal's Noli Me Tangere has become widely known as the great novel of the Philippines. A passionate love story set against the ugly political backdrop of repression, torture, and murder, "The Noli," as it is called in the Philippines, was the first major artistic manifestation of Asian resistance to European colonialism, and Rizal became a guiding conscience—and martyr—for the revolution that would subsequently rise up in the Spanish province. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher... continue
1037.
State of War by Ninotchka Rosca EN
Country: Asia / Philippines
Philippines
Description:
An endless festival amidst an endless war is the central image of this novel of the Philippines of the time of Marcos. Three young people seek relief from the suffocating repression and brutality of the Dictatorship by joining an ancient festival in the island of K----. They find instead that the war has followed them and that the festival is but a metaphor for an entire society and culture in conflict. The three find distinct destinies of death, liberation, affirmation and ultimately, salvation. This book is now considered a classic of Philippine literature.
1038.
The Mango Bride by Marivi Soliven EN
Country: Asia / Philippines
Philippines
Description:
Two women, two cultures, and the fight to find a new life in America, despite the secrets of the past… Banished by her wealthy Filipino family in Manila, Amparo Guerrero travels to Oakland, California, to forge a new life. Although her mother labels her life in exile a diminished one, Amparo believes her struggles are a small price to pay for freedom. Like Amparo, Beverly Obejas—an impoverished Filipina waitress—forsakes Manila and comes to Oakland as a mail-order bride in search of a better life. Yet even in the land of plenty, Beverly fails to find the happiness and prosperity she envisioned... continue
1039.
Smaller and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan EN
Country: Asia / Philippines
Philippines
Description:
This harrowing mystery, winner of the Philippine National Book Award, follows two Catholic priests on the hunt through Manila for a brutal serial killer Payatas, a 50-acre dump northeast of Manila’s Quezon City, is home to thousands of people who live off of what they can scavenge there. It is one of the poorest neighborhoods in a city whose law enforcement is already stretched thin, devoid of forensic resources and rife with corruption. So when the eviscerated bodies of preteen boys begin to appear in the dump heaps, there is no one to seek justice on their behalf. In the rainy summer of 1997... continue
1040.
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay EN
Country: Asia / Philippines
Philippines
Description:
A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST "Brilliant, honest, and equal parts heartbreaking and soul-healing." --Laurie Halse Anderson, author of SHOUT "A singular voice in the world of literature." --Jason Reynolds, author of Long Way Down A powerful coming-of-age story about grief, guilt, and the risks a Filipino-American teenager takes to uncover the truth about his cousin's murder. Jay Reguero plans to spend the last semester of his senior year playing video games before heading to the University of Michigan in the fall. But when he discovers that his Filipino cousin Jun was murdered as part of Presi... continue