Popular Asian Cultural Books
Find cultural books written by authors from Asia for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (102)
71.
The Girl Who Escaped ISIS : This Is My Story by Farida Khalaf, Andrea C. Hoffmann EN
IraqDescription:
Named a “Best Book of the Year” by New York Post “Farida Khalaf’s story is harrowing but crucial—especially when it comes to understanding what ISIS actually is and does.” —Glamour “As gripping as it is appalling…a compelling testament to the suffering of ordinary people caught up in violence far beyond their control—and to the particularly terrible price it exacts from women.” —The Guardian A young Yazidi woman was living a normal, sheltered life in northern Iraq during the summer of 2014 when her entire world was upended: her village was attacked by ISIS. All of the men in her town were kill... continue
72.
The Golden Legend by Nadeem Aslam EN
PakistanDescription:
Originally published: London: Faber and Faber, 2017.
73.
The Gray Earth by Galsan Tschinag EN
MongoliaDescription:
The acclaimed Mongolian author of The Blue Sky continues his autobiographical trilogy as a young shepherd leaves his ancestral home for boarding school. This powerful, sweeping novel continues the saga of Dshurukawaa, the Tuvan shepherd boy introduced in The Blue Sky. Torn between the onset of visions and pressure from his family to attend a state boarding school, the adolescent attempts to mediate the pull of spirituality and pragmatism, old ways and new. Taken from his ancestral home, he reunites with his siblings at a boarding school, where his brother also serves as principal. Soon he come... continue
74.
The Green Bicycle by Haifaa al Mansour EN
Country: Asia / 
Saudi Arabia
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.
75.
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa EN
JapanDescription:
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
76.
The Illusion of Return : A Novel by Samir El-Youssef EN
LebanonDescription:
The nameless narrator of this startling novella believed himself to be under no illusion: a Palestinian refugee, he had escaped the deadly tumult of Lebanon, the roving militias and endlessly complicated religious violence, by having long ago fled to London. He knew he could never go back. But then one day an old friend, who had also escaped, calls him and asks to meet at the airport on a stop-over on his way back to Lebanon. For the narrator, it summons up everything he thought he had suppressed, both the yearning to go home and the secret reason he can't. Thus the reunion with his old friend... continue
77.
The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai EN
Description:
The Kamogawa Food Detectives is the first book in the bestselling, mouth-watering Japanese series, for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. What’s the one dish you’d do anything to taste just one more time? Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant. Run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, the Kamogawa Diner serves up deliciously extravagant meals. But that's not the main reason customers stop by . . . The father-daughter duo are 'food detectives'. Through ingenious investigations, they are able to recreate dishes from a person’s treasured memories – dishes that ma... continue
78.
The Leftover Woman : A Novel by Jean Kwok EN
ChinaDescription:
"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
79.
The Memorial Feast for Kökötöy Khan : A Kirghiz Epic Poem in the Manas Tradition by Saghïmbay Orozbaq uulu EN
Country: Asia / 
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Description:
An ancient Central Asian epic, passed down through generations, carries the reader into a world of nomads, warriors and horselords A Penguin Classic This tale from the Manas epic gives the reader startling, brilliantly colored access to the world of the horse-based nomad cultures of Central Asia. Written down in the early twentieth century but drawing on sources of antiquity, The Memorial Feast for Kökötöy Khan is the bravura telling of the story of a new and uncertain khan, Boqmurun, and his decision to hold a great gathering to commemorate the life and death of Kökötoy, his already legendary... continue
80.
The Newlyweds : Rearranging Marriage in Modern India by Mansi Choksi EN
IndiaDescription:
"In India, there are 650 million people under the age of 35. These are men and women who grew up with the Internet, and the advent of smartphones and social media. But when it comes to love and marriage, they're expected to adhere to thousands of years of tradition. It's that tension between obeying tradition and accepting modernity that drives journalist Mansi Choksi's [book]"--