Tag Archives: Middle East

In Search of Elsewhere, by Steve McCurry

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Amanda

Subtitled: Unseen Images The cover of this photography book is so striking that I had to check it out from my library on the very first day I was let back inside to browse. The book is mostly made up … Continue reading →

Posted in 2021, Adult, Visual | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The City of Brass, by SA Chakraborty

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Amanda

Nahri is a con-woman in 19th century Cairo with a few magical abilities that she uses to survive. Then one night, those magical abilities accidentally call a djinn to her, and suddenly she’s on the run from demons and discovering … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Now I Rise, by Kiersten White

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Amanda

After And I Darken, the paths taken by the three main characters have diverged. Lada (Vlad the Impaler) has gone back to Europe to try to claim the throne of Wallachia. Mehmed (sultan of the Ottoman Empire) plans to conquer … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

And I Darken, by Kiersten White

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Amanda

From Goodreads: No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Half the Sky, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Amanda

Subtitled: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide This book explores gender inequality around the world, focused primarily on sex trafficking, violence against women, and maternal mortality. It also discusses potential solutions and gives accounts of some successes and failures … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Laughing Without an Accent, by Firoozeh Dumas

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Amanda

Subtitled: Adventures of a Global Citizen Not long ago, I was asking around about books set on cruise ships. Jason did some research and discovered this collection of nonfiction stories, one of which is indeed set on a cruise. Considering … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Kingdom of Strangers, by Zoe Ferraris

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Amanda

When a body is found in a remote part of the desert, evidence emerges that there’s a serial killer long on the loose near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The homicide team is stumped, digging for patterns and clues as over a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Underground Girls of Kabul, by Jenny Nordberg (audio)

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Amanda

Subtitled: In Search of Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan [some versions are subtitled: The Hidden Lives of Afghan Girls Disguised as Boys] When Jenny Nordberg was reporting in Afghanistan, she came across a phenomenon she hadn’t heard of before: bacha posh, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2015, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Saffron Kitchen, by Yasmin Crowther (audio)

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Amanda

Maryam is an Iranian immigrant who has long lived in Britain with her British husband and a now-grown, pregnant daughter, Sara. When Maryam’s sister dies in Iran, her son comes to live with Maryam, dredging up a past that Maryam had long attempted to forget. … Continue reading →

Posted in 2015, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Alif the Unseen, by G. Willow Wilson

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Amanda

Hiding under the handle of Alif, a young man fights back against the government censorship and violence via computer in an unnamed Middle Eastern city. When his lover leaves him to enter into the marriage her family has arranged for … Continue reading →

Posted in 2015, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments