Girl Meets God by Lauren F. Winner

The topic of religion is not only very intriguing to me, but also a very timely and important subject. Girl Meets God details one young woman’s journey through Judaism and Christianity. Open, honest, intimate, and richly written, this book is a wonderful window into the paradoxical existence of a would-be-Jew-turned-Christian. Tracing her experiences through childhood, highschool, and college, her spiritual journey mingles with her search for identity, love, and belonging. Candid, conversational, and capricious—Lauren Winner quickly charms her readers, but still lapses often into more solemn spiritual and personal questions. I highly recommend it for it’s entertaining, educational, and enlightening content.

My Sister, Guard Your Veil; My Brother, Guard Your Eyes. (Various Authors)

This is one of my favorite books on Iran, and one of my favorite to recommend to more casual readers. It is a collection of short stories, ("uncensored Iranian voices" is the tag line) and is an excellent, accessible introduction to the bizarre and paradoxical world of the Islamic Republic. The stories of the various authors are included, and these alone are intriguing and revealing--many faced imprisonment, physical danger, and ostracisation in the process of pursuing their art. Among the cotnributors are Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran, Marjane Satrapi, creator of Persepolis, Shirin Neshat, a famous Iranian visual artist, and Azadeh Moaveni, author of Lipstick Jihad.

The stories range from comical reflections on the schizophrenic experiences of young people in Tehran to the tragic realities of the arbitrary and overbearing Shari'a regime, from the identity crisis of Western-thinking Iranians to the plight of censored artists. "I Used To Think I Was White," "The Death of a Mannequin," "Sex In The Time Of Mullahs," and "Receding Worlds," are a few titles of these pieces, each only a few pages in length but immensely powerful nonetheless.

I highly, highly recommend this book to those who want to explore the intimate, personal side of the mysterious nation of Iran. It's a mere 130 pages, but these words will continue to haunt you long after you close the book.

Iron and Silk by Mark Salzman

Just finished this book for my Asian History class. Excellent book. This is a non-fiction account of a Yale graduate's first teaching job--in the Hunan Province of China.

This book is extremely accessible. Many people aren't fans of non-fiction books on other cultures, as they can often be "heavy" collections of historical dates and dry information. This book is not like this at all. It is broken into small but powerful anecdotes of his experiences with Chinese students, mentors, colleagues, and random strangers. The stories explore subjects such as martial arts, "cultural exchange," Chinese hospitality, ancient lore and superstition, and the Communist regime. This book is barely 200 pages, and each story lasts for no more than 8 pages, but it is extremely powerful nonetheless. I found myself laughing out loud at parts, while other passages were extremely touching.

Readers will find themselves gaining great insight into Chinese culture without ever feeling as if they're being lectured to. I read this book in less than 3 days--as busy as I am, I made time to devour this entertaining and intriguing memoir.

"It started with an argument about Nastassia Kinski's lips...

THey seemed in a fine mood for cultural exchange, so I mentioned that, since coming to China, I had never seen two people kiss each other, even in the movies, except for mothers kissing their infant children. Their eyes opened wide and they nodded vigorously. 'Of course not! Here in China, it is very different from your country. People don't kiss here...And you must only kiss your children when they are infants, not after the age of two or three...

By ten o'clock, most of the guests had gone home, leaving only myself and Teacher Liu. I thougth it odd that Teacher Liu remained, for of all the students in that class, he was the most shy and self-concious about speaking English....

I could see that Teacher Liu was thinking about something and trying to form the words silently. I said in Chinese that he could speak Chinese now, the English party was over, but he gestured for me to be patient. Then very slowly, and with great precision, he said, "Teacher Mark. Do you remember? We said that we do not kiss our children after they are big. You are an honest, and my teacher. So I must be an honest, your student. From kissing, this is not always true. I have two daughters. One is twelve and one is ten. I cannot kiss them, they would feel embarass and they would call me foolish. But every night, after they are asleep, I go into their room to turn off the light. Very quiet, very soft, I kiss them and they don't know." -"Kissing", page 76

The Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea

This book is a truly 21st century phenomenon, originating from an email chain that was circulated in Saudi Arabia a few years ago by an anonymous young Saudi woman. The book opens with the bold invitation (or is it a dare?)..

“Ladies and Gentlemen, you are invited to be join me in one of the most explosive scandals and noisiest, wildest, all-night parties around. Your personal tour guide—that’s moi—will reveal to you a new world, a world closer than you might imagine. We all live in this world but do not really experience it, seeing only what we can tolerate and ignoring the rest.

“…to everyone out there who has got enough courage to read the naked truth laid out on the World Wide Web and resolve to accept that truth, with of course the essential patience to stay with me through this wild adventure.“

And it is a wild adventure indeed! Centering around the lives of four young Saudi women, this novel examines the unique trials facing their sex in this restrictive society and their poignant and occasionally bizarre attempts to cope with their reality.

This novel is a fast read, very accessible to even those unfamiliar with Middle Eastern culture. Much of this novel focuses on romantic mishaps, gender discrimination, and the questions of loyalty and identity within families.

Although somewhat cynical and depressing at points, the valuable insight this unique book brings to the plight of many Saudi women merits its popularity. I really enjoy the fact that it's very 'real'--it is not a simple, caricature-like depiction of Saudi-Women-Versus-The-Evil-Patriarchy. Instead, it honestly acknowledges the humanity and the complexity of Saudi society--flaws, bright moments, and all. I’d recommend it for sure.

The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan

This book explores the unique difficulties, adjustments, and compromises that make up the immigrant experiences. Focusing on the lives of four Chinese immigrant women and their relationships with their daughters, the Joy Luck Club brings beautiful insight to the complexities of cultural transition. In addition, it’s a touching illustration of women and their relationships with their mothers, their men, and themselves.

“She will fight me, because that is the nature of two tigers. But I will win and give her my spirit, because this is the way a mother loves her daughter.” - Ying-Ying, mother of Lena, page 252

Another plus is Amy Tan’s beautiful style of writing: simple, potent, delicate. Alternating between the rich and tumultous landscape of China and the streets of San Francisco, Tan helps us understand the tension, heartache, and unanswered questions that entangle the immigrant protagonists. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has struggled with the questions of assimilation, or for anyone who wishes to understand this phenomenon better.

Bienvenue

Hello there...

Welcome to My Multicultural Booklist! I will use this to share my thoughts on a wide collection of non-Western books.

Enjoy! :)