Leah's comments
(member since Jan 02, 2009)
Leah's comments from the Read a book from each country group.
(showing 1-20 of 20)
I hope you liked it. It's a well-written series, especially since it is from the perspective a narrator whose consciousness of the world around him is continually expanding. Toer's own life story too is quite amazing.
The Buru Quartet by Pramoedya Ananta Toer consists of the following books:
(1) This Earth of Mankind
(2) Child of All Nations
(3) Footsteps
(4) House of Glass
I really liked Oryx and Crake as well, but I am sad to say it was the only Margaret Atwood I've read. Anyone have any suggestions for another that they've liked?
Tim wrote: "Cien Anos De Soledad
100 Years of Solitude - One of my favorite books ever."
I agree. Another book I like by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (much shorter too) is Chronicle of a Death Foretold.
Technically Michael Ondaatje was born in Sri Lanka, but I think his work (which includes The English Patient and Divisadero) is considered Canadian, and very good :)
Agreed.
Here are some others:
Rosa Guy - My Love, My Love, Or, the Peasant Girl
V.S. Naipaul - Magic Seeds
F.M. Esfandiary's Identity Card is touted by some reviews as a satire, though I'm told by someone I know from Iran that this is actually not a far exaggeration from the truth of what happens there.
Julie Otsuka's When the Emperor Was Divine - a really poetically written book, and one of my favorites.
Carlos Bulosan's America Is in the Heart: A Personal History is a poignant memoir of life in the Philippines and the transition to America:
"People interested in driving from America the scourge of intolerance should read Mr. Bulosan's autobiography. . . They will not find it difficult to read. The author writes simply and well. He makes no effort to spare the reader's nerves; he recounts his incidents shamelessly and realistically, be they love, murder, or brutality." (Saturday Review of Literature)
Another memorable one that comes to mind is When the Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe, a heartbreaking book that takes place during World War II in the Philippines. Portions of it were based on the author's family stories of that era.
The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, written by Maxine Hong Kingston, is in my opinion one of the quintessential modern Chinese texts written in English.
And of course, I would be remiss not to mention Amy Tan in this category as her books deal heavily with Chinese identity, my favorite of hers being The Bonesetter's Daughter.
Laila Lalami's book "Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits" is a beautiful book (written by a Moroccan in part about Morocco, but really more about the human condition and the idea of home). Its prose is spare so it's a quick but enjoyable read.
Just read Tsitsi Dangarembga's "Nervous Conditions." The protagonist is a young female, so I think this book works well even with younger people, assuming they are sensitive enough to deal with some of the more difficult topics.
Here's a website that includes some discussion points:
http://www.wmich.edu/dialogues/texts/ner...
"The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" has to be one of the best books I read in 2008, if not the funniest. Highly recommended.
Read a book from each count
