Read Around Africa Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Africa.
Best books from Africa (1154)
Egypt302.
Les fils de la médina by Naǧīb Maḥfūẓ FR
Description:
Sur les ruines des somptueux palais fatimides a poussé la Gamaliyya, un quartier populaire du vieux Caire. De ce petit monde truculent, qui oscille au fil des rumeurs de la ville ou voltige sur les fumées somnolentes du haschisch, s'élève parfois la voix du poète populaire disant l'évasion, proférant l'illusion, tandis que se succèdent des protagonistes qui mobilisent les ferveurs du peuple et suggèrent les trois révélations. Toujours interdit par la censure égyptienne, qui l'identifia comme une scandaleuse transposition de l'histoire sainte dans la chronique familière des hommes, ce fastueux ... continue
303.
The Essential Nawal El Saadawi : A Reader by Nawal El Saadawi EN
Description:
The writings of Nawal El Saadawi are essential to anyone wishing to understand the contemporary Arab world. Her dissident voice has stayed as consistent in its critique of neo.imperialist international politics as it has in its denunciation of women's oppression, both in her native Egypt and in the wider world. Saadawi is a figure of international significance, and her work has a central place in Arabic history and culture of the last half century. Featuring work never before translated into English, The Essential Nawal El Saadawi gathers together a wide range of Saadawi's writing. From novell... continue
304.
Bird Summons by Leila Aboulela EN
Description:
'BIRD SUMMONS is a magic carpet ride into the forest of history and the lives of women. Deep and wild' Lucy Ellmann, author of SWEET DESSERTS and MIMI Salma, happily married, tries every day to fit into life in Britain. When her first love contacts her, she is tempted to risk it all and return to Egypt. Moni gave up a career in banking to care for her disabled son, but now her husband wants to move to Saudi Arabia - where she fears her son's condition will worsen. Iman feels burdened by her beauty. In her twenties and already in her third marriage, she is treated like a pet and longs for freed... continue
305.
The Gentleman from Peru by André Aciman EN
Description:
'Another masterful tale of longing and desire.' Glamour 'Aciman writes with an aching sensitivity.' JOHN BOYNE 'You don't so much read André Aciman's novels as tumble breathlessly into them.' The Times We spend more time than we know trying to go back. We call it fantasising, we call it dreaming. . . but we're all crawling back, each in his or her own way. A group of college friends find themselves marooned at a luxurious hotel on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. While their boat is being repaired, they can't help but observe the daily routine of a fellow hotel guest - a mysterious, white-bearded st... continue
307.
These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany EN
Description:
"It's always been Malak, Kees, and Jenna against the world. Since childhood, under the watchful eyes of their parents, aunties and uncles, they've learned to live their own lives alongside the expectations of being good Muslim women...With growing older and the stakes of love and life growing higher, the delicate balancing act between rebellion and religion is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate. As their lives begin to take different paths, Malak, Kees, and Jenna--now on the precipice of true adulthood--must find a way back to each other as they reconcile faith, family, and tradition ... continue
308.
Your Wish Is My Command by Deena Mohamed EN
Description:
Your Wish is My Command is the story of three people who are navigating a world where wishes are literally for sale. Mired as they are in bureaucracy and the familiar prejudices of our world, the wishes that are more expensive are more likely to work as intended. Three wishes sold at an unassuming kiosk in Cairo link Aziza, Nour and Shokry, changing their perspectives as well as their lives. Aziza learned early that life can be hard, but when she loses her husband and manages to procure a wish, she finds herself fighting unreasonable regulations and inequality for the right to have - and make ... continue
309.
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad EN
Description:
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From award-winning novelist and journalist Omar El Akkad comes a powerful reckoning with what it means to live in a West that betrays its fundamental values "[A] bracing memoir and manifesto."—The New York Times “I can’t think of a more important piece of writing to read right now. I found hope here, and help, to face what the world is now, all that it isn’t anymore. Please read this. I promise you won’t regret it.”—Tommy Orange, bestselling author of Wandering Stars and There There On October 25, 2023, after just three weeks of the bombardment of Gaza, Omar El Akka... continue
310.
Daughters of the Nile by Zahra Barri EN
Description:
History's repetitions signal the rekindling of revolutionary spirit. Paris, 1940. The course of Fatiha Bin-Khalid's life is changed forever when she befriends the Muslim feminist Doria Shafik. But after returning to Egypt and dedicating years to the fight for women's rights, she struggles to reconcile her political ideals with the realities of motherhood. Cairo, 1966. After being publicly shamed when her relationship with a bisexual boyfriend is revealed, Fatiha's daughter is faced with an impossible decision. Should Yasminah accept a life she didn't choose, or will she leave her home and coun... continue