Around the World in 80 Books discussion
ATW in 80 Books World Challenge
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Alice - Rogue 2015
USA & China - Plastic: A Toxic Love Story by Susan Freinkel - A nice addition to the ranks of environmental/science books written by and for non-scientists. Nothing really earth-shattering to me, but I tend to know more about this stuff already than most people.3 books
USA & Kenya (small parts in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Bosnia, and Iraq) - It Happened On the Way to War: A Marine's Path to Peace by Rye Barcott - A heartfelt and open memoir of a young man who wanted to make a difference - he got his discipline, moral outlook and drive from the Marines, but in the end seems ambivalent about how the military operates. His work founding and sticking with his non-profit working with youth in Kenya survives his egocentric wish to leave his mark and it becomes about something more than just him. His writing about war and the mentality of a marine were totally foreign to me, but I can see how the lessons he learned there have made him a better person - it's a shame that there's not a way for young people to experience some of the same benefits (college tuition, discipline, a sense of service to others) without the war/violence aspects of military service.4 books
French Polynesia (Marquesas & Fakarava), Tahiti, Kiribati, Samoa - Headhunters on My Doorstep: A True Treasure Island Ghost Story by J. Maarten Troost5 books
Thailand - What the Buddha Never Taught: A 'Behind the Robes" Account of Life in a Thai Forest Monastery by Tim Ward - I don't think the narrator/author was very sympathetic in this book - but I don't think he was trying to be. Rather, he shows how running away to a monastery causes one to realize that running away from yourself never works. Rather than making him more spiritual and selfless, it results in petty annoyances with the other residents (monks and not-quite-monks) and endless navel gazing. Maybe for those who grow up in a society with a strong monastic tradition it's different, but for a westerner going to Thailand, it's a form of exoticism and self-centerdness. But, it was very interesting and worth the read. 7 books
New Zealand, Australia, Trobriands, Solomons, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, American Samoa, Tahiti, Marquesas, Cook Islands, Easter Island, Hawaii - Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific by Paul Theroux 8 books
North Korea, China, South Korea - This is Paradise!: My North Korean Childhood by Hyok Kong - A simplistic and straight-forward account of growing up in North Korea during the 90's famine. The author just tells it like he sees it, it's not extremely compellingly written - but it's simplicity in talking about such suffering is powerful in itself. However, I think this is a case of publishers only going with the tried-and-true formula of brutality, mind-control, and starvation - I'd like to see a first-hand account of North Korea from another perspective (maybe someone who lived in a southern city?). It feels too much like anti-North Korean propaganda - though I don't doubt its essential truth.9 books
India - Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo - I can't help feeling a mixture of both hopelessness (at the corruption) and hopefulness (at the ingenuity of the people) after reading this book. The Indian system is painted as being completely corrupt. Every-man-for-himself seems to be the only consistent rule. But, it's even worse than that - "powerless individuals blamed other powerless individuals for what they lacked. Sometimes they tried to destroy one another. Sometimes . . . they destroyed themselves in the process. When they were fortunate . . . they improved their lots by beggaring the life chances of other poor people." Not a happy thought, right? But, on the other hand - it's amazing how people continue to hope and strive for a better life. The idea that the chaos and unpredictability of life in India creates a society of "quick-witted, creative problem-solvers" also comes through in the book. What seems evident is that India cannot look to the Chinese, or any other, model for development/poverty alleviation (certainly not to the international charity model) - they will have to make the rules up for themselves, because their situation is so strongly influenced by their unique history and cultural norms, and the unique strengths of their people.11 books
Alice, you have some tough non-fiction reads here. A couple of years ago I read Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick and had to put it one side for a while as it was so hard reading about the famines and overall deptravation. A friend of mine has also read Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity and made similar comments to yours but I'm not sure about tackling it myself at the moment. Enjoy your journey!
UK, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia (and a touch of Hungary) - A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor12 books
US (Massachusetts/Martha's Vineyard) - Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks - I enjoyed this novel, as I enjoy all of Ms. Brooks books, but I'm not sure I agree with her choice of narrator. The book was not really about Caleb (the first native american to graduate from Harvard), but rather about a young woman of the time. Except, she wasn't really "of the time". Her sensibilities were more those of a modern woman in a lot of ways - in that sense I felt the author was trying to make the narrator more understandable and the subject more relatable for a modern audience; but I kept wondering if women of that time would really have been so open to the native religion? Overall it was obviously very well researched and a compelling story - so I can't really complain.I don't usually count my "USA" books here, but this was was so firmly set in its location, I decided to list it. :-)
13 books
My review of Caleb's Crossing says much the same as you have done. Felt a little cheated as I'd hoped to learn something about the Wampanoags, however this morning I picked up Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West, which mentions the tribe and hopefully will redress the imbalance. The ebook with the audiobook was on offer at less than the price of a cup of coffee. Irresistible.
US, Brazil, Venezuela, France, the Netherlands, Britain, Germany, Turkey, Kenya, Iran, India, Bangladesh, China - Arrival City: The Final Migration and Our Next World by Doug Saunders - A well-researched book with a good point - but I think the number of variables to creating a city that functions well for new arrivals are too numerous to fit into the neat box that the author tries to put them in. Kudos for pointing out that outlying slums fill a very specific need, and can be an important step into the middle class for many rural migrants. But, in the end I didn't think he provided a fully viable model for achieving that goal. Still, it was an enlightening book.15 books
North Korea (and China) - Dear Leader: Poet, Spy, Escapee--A Look Inside North Korea by Jang Jin-Sung - Wow - I wanted to read a memoir of someone from North Korea's elite, and boy did I get it! Much of the narrative is about his escape, but there are numerous flashbacks where he explains life in Pyongyang for the chosen few. I still want more info about day-to-day life (most of the flashbacks were about how the government/spies operate), but it was interesting to read about how shocked he was by the everyday affluence of Chinese people - even though he was super-rich by North Korean standards. The elite in North Korea aren't exactly living it up - the fact that they're not struggling for their daily existence is a rare privilege there.17 books
Italy (Sardinia) - Reeds in the Wind by Grazia Deledda - Why do some authors make books full of unlikeable characters who are always doing stupid things and being mean to each other? They do mean, stupid things even to those they're supposed to love. Ugh! There's a character in here who keeps threatening to kill someone who won't sell him their farm, then ends up marrying one of them. Really? These are not realistic portrayals of people! This is why I read so much non-fiction.18 books
Palestine, Israel - Where the Streets Had a Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah - A good look at daily life inside the West Bank and how young people negotiate the politics of living in an occupation. Interesting that the author made the main character's two best friends both Christian - are there really that many Christians there? Maybe because it's set in Bethlehem?19 books
Zimbabwe - Where We Have Hope: A Memoir of Zimbabwe by Andrew Meldrum - A really good examination of how Zimbabwe went from a hopeful, energetic pride of African independence to just another corrupt, failed state. A quote from the epilogue sums it up: "Those who use violence, even for a just cause such as ending Rhodesia's minority rule, often find it too easy to employ violence again for less noble purposes." Those less noble purposes all too often involve enriching themselves at the expense of the country. However, if this is true, then the next generation should do better as long as Zimbabwe can avoid the type of civil war that has plagued so much of Africa lately.20 books
United States, Monaco - The Bridesmaids ~ Inside the Privileged World of Grace Kelly and Six Intimate Friends by Judith Balaban Quine21 books
Oceania - Papua New Guinea - Lost in Shangri-la: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff22 books
Bosnia & Herzogovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo - The Road To Kosovo: A Balkan Diary by Greg Campbell 25 books
Gambia - Our Grandmothers' Drums: A Portrait of Rural African Life and Culture by Mark Hudson26 books
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan & Afghanistan - Land Beyond the River: The Untold Story of Central Asia by Monica Whitlock27 books
Brunei, Nigeria, Australia, Russia, Japan, Singapore, UK, Phillipines (and probably others I'm not remembering now) - Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs, She Thinks I'm a Piano Player in a Whorehouse by Paul Carter28 books
Bermuda, Antigua, Turks & Caicos, UK - The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave Narrative by Mary Prince29 books
Uzbekistan & environs - The Railway by Hamid Ismailov - I'm really fascinated with Central Asia right now, but this book felt too much like plodding, soviet literature for my tastes. Plus, way too poetic for me. Just not my cup of tea.30 books
England & France - Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein - Great book - the only thing holding me back from 5 stars is that both narrators had the same voice, I would have liked to feel more like I was in the head of each of them more (or, that they didn't think about things in exactly the same way).33 books
US - The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander - Wow. I have long known that prisons in the US had an over-representation of black men; but I had no idea how bad it was; and how it pervades the entire criminal justice system. This needs to be required reading for every police officer, legislator, and prosecutor.34 books
Falkland Islands/Malvinas - A Little Piece of England: My Adventures as Chief Executive of the Falkland Islands by Andrew Gurr36 books
USA (New York) - The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro - A classic book about power, intrigue, and how to "get things done" if you don't care who you run over in the process. Also, a classic of urban planning. My two big lessons from the book: 1. power corrupts (duh!), 2. people need to change with the times. Robert Moses might never have fallen from power if what he "got done" continued to be what people wanted. But, like many who are successful as young adults, he thought he could just keep doing the same things and get the same results - never realizing that the world was changing around him. Interesting food for thought.37 books
Burkina Faso - Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman by Malidoma Patrice Some 39 books
Botswana - Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman by Marjorie Shostak - This was really interesting as a look at the hunter/gatherer way of life. But, about half-way through the book I began to wonder: wait a minute, she really talks about sex/affairs and fights a LOT. Is that because it's the stuff of gossip, or does she really think it's the most important things in her life? So, it was good to read the epilogue and find out the anthropologist/translator had the same feelings, but could only present what she was told.42 books
Cayman Islands, US - The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Love, Race, and War in the Nineteenth Century by Martha Hodes44 books
US, Latvia, Switzerland, Israel - A Life in Pieces: The Making and Unmaking of Binjamin Wilkomirski by Blake Eskin45 books
Around the World in 80 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Mumbai To Mecca: A Pilgrimage to the Holy Sites of Islam (other topics)The Girl on the Train (other topics)
Swimming with the Dead (other topics)
Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest (other topics)
Laugh with the Moon (other topics)
More...
1 book!