Cultural genre books (207)


151.

The Green Bicycle by Haifaa al Mansour EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Country: Asia / Saudi Arabia flag Saudi Arabia
Description:
Dreamer. Rebel. Hero. Wadjda has one simple wish - to race her friend Abdullah on her very own bicycle. But in Saudi Arabia, it is considered improper for girls to ride bikes and her parents forbid her from having one. Sick of playing by the rules, Wadjda schemes different ways to make money and buy the bike herself. But freedom comes at a high price . . . Set against the shifting social attitudes of the Middle East, The Green Bicycle explores gender roles, conformity, and the importance of family, all with wit and irresistible heart.

152.

The History of a Difficult Child by Mihret Sibhat EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Country: Africa / Ethiopia flag Ethiopia
Description:
"A tragicomic family saga set in a small Ethiopian town following the 1974 socialist revolution, told from the perspective of the youngest daughter of a large, formerly land-owning family, who contends with bullies, poverty, and a dictatorship with humor and a refusal to be silenced"--

153.

The Hotel Tito : A Novel by Ivana Bodrožić EN

Rating: 3 (1 vote)
Country: Europe / Croatia flag Croatia
Description:
Winner of the Prix Ulysse for best debut novel in France Winner in Croatia and the Balkan region of the Kočićevo Pero Award, the Josip and Ivan Kozarac Award, and the Kiklop Award for the best work of fiction When the Croatian War of Independence breaks out in her hometown of Vukovar in the summer of 1991 she is nine years old, nestled within the embrace of family with her father, mother, and older brother. She is sent to a seaside vacation to be far from the hostilities. Meanwhile, her father has disappeared while fighting with the Croatian forces. By the time she returns at summer’s end ever... continue

154.

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa EN

Rating: 5 (10 votes)
Country: Asia / Japan flag Japan
Description:
Yoko Ogawa's The Housekeeper and the Professor is an enchanting story about what it means to live in the present, and about the curious equations that can create a family. He is a brilliant math Professor with a peculiar problem—ever since a traumatic head injury, he has lived with only eighty minutes of short-term memory. She is an astute young Housekeeper—with a ten-year-old son—who is hired to care for the Professor. And every morning, as the Professor and the Housekeeper are introduced to each other anew, a strange and beautiful relationship blossoms between them. Though he cannot hold mem... continue

155.

The Island of Forgetting by Jasmine Sealy EN

0 Ratings
Description:
'Inventive, excellent ... a pure pleasure to read' THE TIMES In this compelling debut, an unknowable legacy passes through generations of one family living on the beautiful island of Barbados. In this compelling debut, an unknowable legacy passes through generations of one family living on the beautiful island of Barbados. There is Iapetus, a lonely soul haunted by the memory of his father; his son Atlas, dreaming of a life far removed from his reality; Atlas's daughter Calypso, struggling to find her place in an unforgiving society; and her son Nautilus, grappling with various parts of a comp... continue

156.

The King of Kahel by Tierno Monénembo, Nicholas Elliott EN

0 Ratings
Country: Africa / Guinea flag Guinea
Description:
The story is loosely inspired by the life of Olivier de Sanderval, who, intent on becoming an explorer for most of his life, finally set sale for Africa in 1879 after turning 40. As Monenembo tells it, once there he recruits a crew of Senegalese infantrymen and travels to Fouta Djallon, a land he desperately wants to rule. He learns local customs that will aid him in his quest to govern. During the following years of conquests and re-conquests, Sanderval never loses his taste for European luxury and moves between Africa and France, where he publishes books on his experience and struggles to co... continue

157.

The Leftover Woman : A Novel by Jean Kwok EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Country: Asia / China flag China
Description:
"At once a hugely atmospheric and suspenseful mystery and a compelling exploration of motherhood and belonging that packs a profound emotional punch. I couldn't stop thinking about this book." -- Lucy Foley, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Apartment An evocative family drama and a riveting mystery about the ferocious pull of motherhood for two very different women--from the New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee and Girl in Translation. Jasmine Yang arrives in New York City from her rural Chinese village without money or family support, fleeing a contro... continue

158.

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline EN

Rating: 4 (7 votes)
Description:
In this futuristic dystopian novel for teens, the Indigenous people of North America are on the run in a fight for survival.

159.

The mauve umbrella by Alki Zei EN

0 Ratings
Country: Europe / Greece flag Greece
Description:
The Mauve Umbrella is a story of two worlds – the adult world of approaching war and the children’s world of close friendships, rivalry and games of the imagination. Eleftheria lives somewhere in Marousi, Athens, with her parents and younger, identical twin, brothers. It is shortly before the war in 1940 and she is nine, going on ten. The children’s best friend is the daughter of a rich family in the neighbourhood. Later, a young French boy arrives, escaping from Nazi occupied France, to live with his French uncle, who lives in the apartment above Eleftheria’s family. ... continue

160.

The Mourning Bird by Mubanga Kalimamukwento EN

0 Ratings
Country: Africa / Zambia flag Zambia
Description:
When eleven-year-old Chimuka and her younger brother Ali find themselves orphaned in the 1990s, it's clear that their seemingly ordinary Zambian family is brimming with secrets: from HIV/AIDS to infidelity to suicide. Faced with the difficult choice of living with their abusive extended family or slithering into the dark underbelly of Lusaka's streets, Chimuka and Ali escape and become street kids. Against the backdrop of a failed military coup, election riots and a declining economy, Chimuka and Ali are raised by drugs, crime and police brutality. As a teenager, Chimuka is caught between pros... continue