Read Around Asia Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Asia.
Best books from Asia (1972)
1931.
The Hostage by Zayd Muṭīʻ Dammāj EN
YemenDescription:
A REISSUED CLASSIC BY YEMEN'S ACCLAIMED LITERARY VOICE
1932.
What Have You Left Behind? by Bushra Al-Maqtari EN
Description:
Reminiscent of the work of Nobel Prize laureate Svetlana Alexievich, What Have You Left Behind? powerfully draws together civilian accounts of the Yemeni civil war and serves as a vital reminder of the scale of the human tragedy behind the headlines.
1933.
Moi Nojoud, 10 ans, divorcée by Nujood Ali FR
Description:
Mariée de force à un homme trois fois plus âgé qu'elle, Nojoud est sexuellement abusée. Elle a 10 ans. Ayant demandé en vain le divorce trois mois après ses noces, elle se réfugie au tribunal. Grâce à la mobilisation d'une avocate, des ONG et de la presse locale, elle parvient au divorce. Ce fait est exceptionnel au Yémen où près de la moitié des filles sont mariées en dessous de l'âge légal.
1934.
Land of Sweetheart Deals by Wajdi Al-Ahdal EN
Description:
Land of Sweetheart Deals is a tragic cautionary tale that explores a government's manipulation of print and social media as well as the sexual exploitation and trafficking of juveniles in Yemen. The narrator of this novel presents himself as the reader's expert guide to Yemen's slipperiest slopes, physical and moral, and then plummets down them headfirst. This amiable narrator and protagonist, Mutahhar Fadl, is assigned by the editor of a pro-government newspaper to leave his normal beat in Sana'a and travel to Hodeida to report on the rape of a child. He soon realizes that his true mission is... continue
1935.
Description:
Das Mädchen Tuha lebt in Kairo. Zur Familie gehört, wie in Ägypten gar nicht unüblich, auch ein Affe. Tuha hat ihm dem Namen Maimun gegeben, das bedeutet «glücklicher Affe». Die beiden sind unzertrennlich und auch meist mit dabei, wenn der Vater als Gaukler auf den Strassen der Stadt aufspielt. Die Zuschauer bleiben stehen und applaudieren. Und doch sind die Münzen am Ende des Tages spärlich und reichen kaum, um das tägliche Brot zu kaufen.
Tuha sieht die Sorgenfalten auf der Stirn des Vaters. Er will doch nicht etwa Maimun weggeben? Bald darauf kommt d... continue
1936.
The Crossing : A Story of East Timor by Luís Cardoso EN
Country: Asia / 
Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste
Description:
East Timor hit the world's newspaper headlines in August 1999 after its bloody, brave vote for independence from Indonesia - one of the great expressions of a people's democratic spirit, and its oppression. Before that - as a Portuguese colony and for 24 years of murderous Indonesian rule - it had been ignored.
1937.
1938.
From Timor Leste to Australia : Seven Families, Three Generations Tell Their Stories by Janet Trezise EN
Country: Asia / Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste
Description:
A collection of poignant stories and poems of seven East Timorese families living in Melbourne whose experiences belong to that long history of human tragedy created where violent conflict of power, land and resources takes place, inevitably visiting on ordinary people, disruption and loss. Since 1975 to 1999, men, women and children, and even grandparents, have been forced to flee their beloved homeland, their culture, their language, their families - - and the graves of those murdered in repeated massacres over those years. The East Timorese have a special place in our history: so close geog... continue
1939.
Resistance : A Childhood Fighting for East Timor by Naldo Rei EN
Country: Asia / Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste
Description:
Naldo Rei was just six months when Indonesia invaded East Timor om December 1975. He spent the first three years of his life in the jungle, where his family had fled for safety. An unforgettable true story of courage and survival.
1940.
Letters to a Young Muslim by Omar Saif Ghobash EN
Country: Asia / 
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
Description:
**A New York Times Editor's Pick** From the Ambassador of the UAE to Russia comes Letters to a Young Muslim, a bold and intimate exploration of what it means to be a Muslim in the twenty-first century. In a series of personal and insightful letters to his sons, Omar Saif Ghobash offers a vital manifesto that tackles the dilemmas facing not only young Muslims but everyone navigating the complexities of today’s world. Full of wisdom and thoughtful reflections on faith, culture and society. This is a courageous and essential book that celebrates individuality whilst recognising it is our shared h... continue