BOOK: Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie IN SHORT: Americanah is the story of Ifemelu, a Nigerian woman who immigrates to the U.S. and becomes a keen critic of our society; in parallel, we follow her true love, Obinze, as he tries to make his own way West. THE FAVORITE BIT:....
The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig: The End of Everything Bereft of an adjective to describe the experience of reading Stefan Zweig’s memoir and manifesto, The World of Yesterday, I looked up the definition of “uncanny”: “strange or mysterious, especially in an unsettling way.” That is the one that....
I am reading a book from every country in the world. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China is my book for China. Buy it here. THE BOOK: Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, by Jung Chang IN SHORT: This is the verifiably wild story of three women in China—from a....
This book is terrific. It’s my Pakistan book for the “reading around the world” challenge. Buy it here, maybe. THE BOOK: How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, by Mohsin Hamid IN SHORT: This is the story of one man’s rise from poverty to wealth — and then, possibly,....
This is my review of Some Girls, Some Hats, and Hitler, my Austria book: I am trying to read a book from every country in the world. THE BOOK: Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler, by Trudi Kanter IN SHORT: This is the ridiculously titled, profoundly moving memoir, originally published....
I am reading a book from every country in the world. This book is intense!(!!) (Jason Mendoza voice). Buy it here, if you like. THE BOOK: Beauty Is a Wound, by Ewa Kurniawan IN SHORT: This is the bananas recount of the life (and afterlife) of the beautiful Dewi Ayu,....
This Way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen, by Tadeusz Borowski IN SHORT: This is a harrowing, fictionalized account of life as a prisoner at Auschwitz. THE BEST BIT: It is hard to use the word “best bit” to describe any passage in this book, because “best” implies an enjoyment....
I am a Taylor Swift fan but not a Swiftie. I have a ticket to see the Eras tour, but only because I was able to purchase one at face value. I have tried to convince a boyfriend, in Paris, that we should dance ’round the kitchen in the refrigerator....
