Read Around Asia Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Asia.
Best books from Asia (1419)
791.
The cry of the dove by Fadia Faqir EN
JordanDescription:
Left pregnant after an illicit love affair, Saalma, a young Bedouin woman from Hima in the Levant flees her people to escape the honor killing waiting for her at the hands of her tribe and seeks asylum in England. Original.
792.
Description:
In her coming-of-age memoir, refugee advocate Luma Mufleh writes of her tumultuous journey to reconcile her identity as a gay Muslim woman and a proud Arab-turned-American refugee. With no word for “gay” in Arabic, Luma may not have known what to call the feelings she had growing up in Jordan during the 1980s, but she knew well enough to keep them secret. It was clear that not only would her family have trouble accepting her, but trapped in a conservative religious society, she could’ve also been killed if anyone discovered her sexuality. Luma spent her teenage years increasingly desperate to ... continue
793.
The Monotonous Chaos of Existence by Hisham Bustani EN
Description:
The stories within Hisham Bustani's The Monotonous Chaos of Existence explore the turbulent transformation in contemporary Arab societies. With a deft and poetic touch, Bustani examines the interpersonal with a global lens, connects the seemingly contradictory, and delves into the ways that international conflict can tear open the individuals that populate his world-all while pushing the narrative form into new and unexpected terrain.
794.
Description:
Two brothers fight to reunite amidst the turmoil of the Syrian War. Since the passing of their father, Omar has tried—and in his little brother Sufyan’s eyes, failed—to be the man of his family of Syrian refugees. As Omar waits in line for rations, longing for the books he left behind when his family fled their home, Sufyan explores more nontraditional methods to provide for his family. Ignoring his brother’s warnings, Sufyan gets more and more involved with a group that provides him with big rewards for doing seemingly inconsequential tasks. When the group abruptly gets more intense—taking Su... continue
795.
Am Ende bleiben die Zedern : Roman by Pierre Jarawan DE
Description:
Samir ist auf einer Reise, die Gegenwart und Vergangenheit verbinden soll: Er will endlich die Wahrheit über seinen Vater erfahren, der die Familie vor zwanzig Jahren ohne eine Nachricht verlassen hat. Mit einem rätselhaften Dia und den Erinnerungen an die Geschichten seines Vaters im Gepäck macht der junge Mann sich in den Libanon auf, das Geheimnis zu lüften. Seine Suche führt ihn durch ein noch immer gespaltenes Land, und schon bald scheint Samir nicht mehr nur den Spuren des Vaters zu folgen. Vielmehr ist es, als seien die Figuren aus dessen Geschichten real geworden. Sie bringen Samir ein... continue
796.
X by Kafa’ Al-Zoubi ES
Description:
Una escritora encuentra por casualidad por las calles de Ammán al personaje de la novela que está escribiendo, y desde entonces la búsqueda obsesiva de la autora por su personaje y la relación entre ambas, a través de la escritura de la novela, permiten atisbar al lector tanto la vida cotidiana de una mujer a la búsqueda de su libertad personal como al enfrentamiento de ambas con una sociedad opresiva. X, la incógnita de todo problema matemático, sufre desde su infancia las reglas que le impone una posición subalterna en su propia familia, donde debe aceptar desde la imposición del hiyab hasta... continue
798.
The Silent Steppe : The Story of a Kazakh Nomad Under Stalin by Mukhamet Shai︠a︡khmetov EN
Country: Asia / 
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Description:
Born into a family of nomadic Kazakh herdsmen in 1922, Mukhamet Shayakhmetov's father was imprisoned as an 'enemy of the people' as Soviet rule spread across his people's vast steppe-land in central Asia. In this book, Shayakhmetov recalls the scale of suffering in his homeland under Stalin's rule.
799.
The Dead Wander in the Desert by Rollan Seisenbayev EN
Country: Asia / Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Description:
From Kazakhstan's most celebrated author comes his powerful and timely English-language debut about a fisherman's struggle to save the Aral Sea, and its way of life, from man-made ecological disaster. Unfolding on the vast grasslands of the steppes of Kazakhstan before its independence from the USSR, this haunting novel limns the struggles of the world through the eyes of Nasyr, a simple fisherman and village elder, and his resolute son, Kakharman. Both father and son confront the terrible future that is coming to the poisoned Aral Sea. Once the fourth-largest lake on earth, it is now an impen... continue
800.
Amanat: Women's Writing from Kazakhstan by multiple authors EN
Country: Asia / Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Description:
An unprecedented collection of women's voices from the heart of Central Asia. From the foreword by Gabriel Mcguire: "I cannot think of anything quite like ... Amanat." A man is arrested for a single typo, a woman gets on buses at random, and two friends reunite in a changed world.... Diverse in form, scope and style, Amanat brings together the voices of thirteen female Kazakhstani writers, to offer a glimpse into the many lives, stories, and histories of one of the largest countries to emerge from the breakup of the Soviet Union. The twenty-four stories in Amanat, translated into English from ... continue