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Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by...
Remember the title of Katherine Boo’s new book Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity, because you will see it on upcoming nominee lists for the next round of Very...
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Dororo: Omnibus Edition by Osamu Tezuka, translated by Dawn T. Laabs
Oh, what a plethora of choices for accessing this swashbuckling series by the godfather of manga: you could go with the original 1960s manga series in Japanese, watch the 26-part anime from 1969 or the...
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The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson
This is a book I bought twice: first to stick in my ears on long runs (chillingly read by a Korean American triumvirate of Tim Kang, Josiah D. Lee, and James Kyson Lee), and when I couldn’t soak in the...
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Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
Here’s a rather unique literary coincidence: Julia Alvarez‘s Finding Miracles ends with an uncle missing the grandmother’s wedding because of hemorrhoid surgery. Return to Sender begins with the...
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The Artist of Disappearance by Anita Desai
How silly of me for waiting so long to read this, the venerable Anita Desai’s latest, when I’ve had the galley for almost a year (it pubbed last December). Instead, I’ve slogged through too many...
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A Wedding in Haiti by Julia Alvarez
Neither Julia Alvarez nor her husband Bill can remember exactly when she fell in love with a Haitian boy named Piti. But both distinctly recall the first meeting, which happened in 2001 on one of their...
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Sélavi, That is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope by Youme, with an essay by...
The first thing you need to know is that this story is real. And although it was first published eight years ago – and six years before the tragic January 12, 2010 Haitian earthquake – Sélavi is an...
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Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti by Frances Temple
If Youme’s Sélavi, That is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope is a picture book for the youngest readers, then Taste of Salt is surely its companion title for older children and parents alike. The real-life...
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The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna
Months (maybe longer) have passed since I finished Aminatta Forna‘s third and latest title, exquisitely narrated by British actor Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. I think I just didn’t want to let it go by...
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The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano
Not to confuse anyone, but I have to start with p. 177 because that’s where you’ll find a reference to “that cool new show Sesame Street” (which debuted 1969), because first-time novelist Sonia Manzano...
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Lenin’s Kisses by Yan Lianke, translated by Carlos Rojas
Yan Lianke’s latest (Dream of Ding Village, Serve the People!) arrives superbly translated by Duke professor Carlos Rojas and auspiciously stamped with China’s Lao She Literary Award. Welcome to Liven,...
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Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak by Deborah Ellis
Given the latest headlines in the Middle East, this seems to be the perfect time for another Deborah Ellis title. Best known for her Breadwinner Trilogy (The Breadwinner, Parvana’s Journey, and Mud...
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The Headmaster’s Wager by Vincent Lam
Although Vincent Lam‘s first novel hit shelves months ago, I waited (and waited) to read it because I was afraid – seems to be my modus operandi for follow-up titles to books I’ve cherished, unable to...
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Escape from North Korea: The Untold Story of Asia’s Underground Railroad by...
Please allow me to share a so-called North Korean political joke: “Kim Jong Il and Vladimir Putin … decide to … see whose bodyguards are more loyal. Putin calls his bodyguard Ivan, opens the window of...
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The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork
When Pancho Sanchez arrives at St. Anthony’s Home, his 17-year-old self has already survived too much death, and yet he’s planning on more. The last of his family – his mentally challenged 20-year-old...
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Sandalwood Death by Mo Yan, translated by Howard Goldblatt
This recent novel-in-translation by the 2012 Nobel Laureate Mo Yan, originally published in China in 2004, embodies a labyrinthine web of changing alliances and terrifying vengeance. Set during the...
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The Hunger Games Trilogy: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay by...
The day I stuck Hunger Games into my ears, Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress Oscar, albeit for her role in a different film, Silver Livings Playbook. I took that as a sign that I should finish the...
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How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid
I realize it’s only March, but I’m pretty convinced Mohsin Hamid‘s latest will be one of my top three favorites for 2013. True, such a pronouncement might seem rash in a year that will see new titles...
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Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid
Let’s work ourselves from the outside in … that is, from the first and last pages, and so on towards the novel’s center. Outermost layer 1 (presented in italics): The aging, ailing Emperor Shah Jahan...
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Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
Once upon a time, I loved every book Barbara Kingsolver wrote: The Bean Trees grew into me, then Homeland and Other Stories, Animal Dreams (still my favorite), Pigs in Heaven. Heresy, I know, but...
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