Popular Asian Cultural Books
Find cultural books written by authors from Asia for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (102)
41.
Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin EN
ChinaDescription:
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER AND BASIS FOR THE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE The extraordinary memoir of a peasant boy raised in rural Maoist China who was plucked from his village to study ballet and went on to become one of the greatest dancers of his generation. From a desperately poor village in northeast China, at age eleven, Li Cunxin was chosen by Madame Mao’s cultural delegates to be taken from his rural home and brought to Beijing, where he would study ballet. In 1979, the young dancer arrived in Texas as part of a cultural exchange, only to fall in love with America-and with an American woman... continue
42.
Memories of Philippine Kitchens by Amy Besa, Romy Dorotan EN
Country: Asia / 
Philippines
Philippines
Description:
The owners and chef at Soho's popular Cendrillon restaurant present a fascinating look at Filipino cuisine and culture. They document dishes and culinary techniques that are rapidly disappearing and offer more than 100 unique recipes.
43.
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie EN
IndiaDescription:
The story of Saleem Sinal, born precisely at midnight, August 15, 1947, the moment India became independent. Saleem's life parallels the history of his nation.
44.
Description:
From the author of 'The Good Women of China' comes the uplifting story of three sisters who, like so many migrant workers in today's China, leave their peasant community to seek their fortune in the big city.
45.
Miss Kim Knows and Other Stories by Cho Nam-Joo EN
Country: Asia / 
South Korea
South Korea
Description:
FROM THE AUTHOR OF KIM JIYOUNG, BORN 1982 Eight women. Eight stories. One reality. A woman is born. A woman is filmed in public without consent. A woman suffers domestic violence. A woman is gaslit. A woman is discriminated against at work. A woman grows old. A woman becomes famous. A woman is hated, and loved, and then hated again. Written in Cho Nam-Joo's masterful, razor-sharp prose, Miss Kim Knows brings together the lives of eight Korean women, aged 10 to 80. Contained in each of these biographies is a microcosm of contemporary Korea, and the challenges and injustices that women face from... continue
46.
My Country, My Life : Fighting for Israel, Searching for Peace by Ehud Barak EN
IsraelDescription:
In the summer of 2000, the most decorated soldier in Israel's history - Ehud Barak - set himself a challenge as daunting as any he had faced on the battlefield: to secure a final peace with the Palestinians. He would propose two states for two peoples, with a shared capital in Jerusalem. He knew the risks of failure. But he also knew the risks of not trying: letting slip perhaps the last chance for a generation to secure genuine peace. It was a moment of truth. It was one of many in a life intertwined, from the start, with that of Israel. Born on a kibbutz, Barak became commander of Israel's e... continue
47.
Native Speaker by Chang-rae Lee EN
Country: Asia / South Korea
South Korea
Description:
ONE OF THE ATLANTIC’S GREAT AMERICAN NOVELS OF THE PAST 100 YEARS The debut novel from critically acclaimed and New York Times–bestselling author of On Such a Full Sea and My Year Abroad. In Native Speaker, author Chang-rae Lee introduces readers to Henry Park. Park has spent his entire life trying to become a true American—a native speaker. But even as the essence of his adopted country continues to elude him, his Korean heritage seems to drift further and further away. Park's harsh Korean upbringing has taught him to hide his emotions, to remember everything he learns, and most of all to fee... continue
48.
No Funeral for Nazia by Taha Kehar EN
PakistanDescription:
A witty and theatrical South Asian mystery novel set over the course of one single electrifying night, exploring the unfinished business death leaves in its wake. Nazia Sami is a celebrated author, but perhaps her greatest plot twist is yet to be produced. In her final days, she wields a pen one last time as she fills her diary with instructions for her sister and writes six letters to be delivered after her death. There is to be no funeral for Nazia. Instead, only six invitees are invited to a party, one of whom is a mystery guest. Over the course of an extraordinary evening, secrets are reve... continue
49.
No Presents Please by Jayant Kaikini EN
Description:
No Presents Please is a vivid evocation of city life, exploring the sub-locales and spatial identities of Mumbai and the struggles of small-town migrants. Jayant Kaikini's gaze takes in the people living on the margins - a bus driver who, when denied annual leave, steals the bus to travel home; a slum dweller who catches cats and sells them for pharmaceutical testing; a father at his wit's end who takes his mischievous son to a reform institution. From Irani cafes to chawls, old cinema halls to local trains, the author seeks out and illuminates moments and feelings of existential anxiety, path... continue
50.
Now You See Us by Balli Kaur Jaswal EN
SingaporeDescription:
We are invisible: we clean your houses, we look after your children, we know your secrets. But now you know one of ours...