CulturalFest Revisited: Book Recommendations (Asia-Pacific region)
The 2021 CulturalFest International Expo - an all-online event - featured 35 “virtual booths” with photographs, writing, art, music, recipes, and more from volunteer contributors around the world. In this series, we’re re-publishing some of the content included in the booths so that our community can continue to enjoy it even though the event is over.
In today’s post, we’ve collected book recommendations from CulturalFest booths representing the Asia-Pacific region. We hope you enjoy, and if you have a recommendation for a book we should add to our list of recommendations, please email Annie, FIUTS Operations and Communications Coordinator, and we’ll add your suggestion to a future list!
Disclosure: FIUTS is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. For the recommendations that are linked to Bookshop, FIUTS will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Afghanistan
The Pearl that Broke Its Shell tells to story of two women practicing the ancient tradition of bacha posh - dressing like a boy, until they are of marriageable age.
Bangladesh
Sultana's dream: This book was first published in 1905 and is one of the first examples of feminist science fiction. The female narrator of Sultana’s Dream wanders into a dream city that shuns war and violence. In this utopian world, women rule and men are content with their places in the kitchen.
Book of Dhaka: Ten unique short stories about Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, which is the world’s tenth largest city with a population of more than 18 million people.
A Golden Age, The Good Muslim, and The Bones of Grace - A trilogy of historical fiction novels by Tahmima Anam, following a family over the course of three generations.
Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty: Muhammad Yunus's memoir of how he decided to change his life in order to help the world's poor by establishing the Grameen Bank.
Galpa: Short Stories by Bengali Women: An anthology of translated short stories from established women authors as well as new voices, covering many aspects of life and history in Bangladesh.
Cambodia
Lucky Child: A Daughter of Cambodia Reunites with the Sister She Left Behind is a book by Loung Ung about the challenges of building a new life in a new country after her home and past have been destroyed.
First They Killed my Father is a book by Loung Ung about her life during the Khmer Rouge. It has also been turned into a movie on Netflix.
Afterparties: Stories - Anthony Veasna So writes a collection of stories about Cambodian-Americans living in California with blend of humor, absurdity and emotional depth.
China
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang is the story of three generations in twentieth-century China that blends the intimacy of memoir and the panoramic sweep of eyewitness history.
A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers by Xiaolu Guo is a novel of language and love that tells one young Chinese woman's story of her journey to the West--and her attempts to understand the language, and the man, she adores.
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie is about two city boys that are sent to live in a rural mountain village and fall in love with…. you guessed it… a local seamstress.
India
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, is about two twins that learn how quickly lives can change.
The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga’s darkly humorous book about the underdog, follows Balram Halwai from the village to Delhi.
Japan
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle feels like you are in a dream. Haruki Murakami’s style is surreal, but undeniably entertaining.
Kitchen - Banana Yoshimoto tells an enchanting story about family, love and home.
Malaysia
The Face: Strangers on a Pier - Tash Aw explores a complicated family story of migration and adaption, weaving together many voices and places in this philosophical, funny and personal book.
SRI LANKA
Upon a Sleepless Isle by ESPN Cricket writer Andrew Fidel Fernando is a witty, beautiful, nuanced, and contemporary travelogue of Sri Lanka. His writing is relatable and pulls you in, and with short, snappy sentences, it's a joy to read.
What Lies Between Us is a painful and powerful story of maternal love and displacement. I can't tell more without spoiling it, but it's un-put-downable!
Elephant Complex is a little less about grounded backpacking, and more about complexities of the island with an insight into the upper-class. It's also also a light and entertaining read, and will make you giggle (or snort) in places.
Thank you to contributors Faizah Aziz Aditya, Thenamuthan Segaran, and Aisha Nazim, as well as staff members Alex Radi, Josef Cole, and Kailey Ulland for these recommendations!
Content included in the FIUTS CulturalFest International Expo comes from student and community volunteers sharing their own personal experiences and perspectives. It is not intended to be fully representative of any region, country, or culture.