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“Guts, Glory and Empire” by Selma Carvalho
Long hidden in private papers is the account of the revolver shots that rang out in Stone Town on an October night in 1886, but the man who died was quickly forgotten. Dismissed by the Portuguese consular court as merely “an unnamed African man”, the victim’s erasure captures exactly the system of moral compromise that…
“Brokering a Race War: Japanese Americans in the Pacific War and the Occupation of Japan” by Eiichiro Azuma
Historians writing of Japanese Americans (also known as Nisei) in the Second World War have produced more books on their…
“Just Being” by Romila Thapar
The first book I ever read about India was Romila Thapar’s 1965 History of India, published by Penguin. That little…
“First Bite: Breakfast Stories from Urban India” by Priyadarshini Chatterjee
Breakfast, the first meal of the day, in India carries two competing traditions. On one hand, ritual references to food…
“Jade People” by Angus Forsyth
Among the earliest examples of sculptural art are representations of the human figure, like the 25,000-year-old Willendorf Venus discovered in…
“To Rule All under Heaven: A History of Classical China…” by Andrew Seth Meyer
Many books about ancient Chinese history are written for those already in the know; there is a dearth of accessible narratives for the general reader. Happily, Andrew Meyer’s new book fills this gap. He skilfully recounts the Warring States Period (ca 470-221 BC), a chaotic era that followed the “slow moving crisis” of the Springs-and-Autumns…
“Eyes of the Sky” by Syaman Rapongan
At just 45 square kilometers, Orchid (Lanyu) Island might be tiny but it is a completely different world from nearby Taiwan, to which it belongs and of which it lies east in the Pacific. The island is populated by the indigenous Tao, who live a lifestyle that is tied to the sea. In Eyes of…
“Exit 8” by Genki Kawamura
“Do not overlook any anomalies… If you find an anomaly, turn back immediately… If you do not find any anomalies,…
“The Resurrected” by Joost Hiltermann
Joost Hiltermann’s new novel is a powerful exploration of the 1988 Anfal genocide, launched against the Iraqi Kurds by Saddam…
“The Young Die Old” by Nguyễn Bình Phương
The Young Die Old is Nguyễn Bình Phương second novel and was published in 1994 to great acclaim in his…
“Madame Chrysanthème” by Pierre Loti
French literature has had an outsized influence on Italian opera. Rigoletto, Manon Lescaut, La traviata, Tosca, L’elisir d’amore, La bohème…
“The Best of Urdu Short Stories”
Anthologists are wont to label their collections “the best” or “the greatest”. In The Best of Urdu Short Stories, Mehr Afshan Farooqi does the same. With the focus on the a particular genre, called afsana or kahani in Urdu, she puts her spin on “best” by bringing together new writers along with the canonical Saadat…
“Unraveling Threads” by Brenda Lin
A memoir-in-essays that, in its exploration of language, family ties, and Taiwanese history, distills how the handmade holds memory, inheritance, and the work of care-taking.“Tactile memory feels like it is…
“Xiong Yanghe: Family, Military Career and Taijiquan Legacy” by Michael A DeMarco
Born in Jiangsu Province in 1889, Xiong Yanghe grew up on his family’s estate. His early decades were marked by warfare among various factions within China and devastating encroachments by…
“The Woven Image” by Yong Cho
East Asia’s Yuan Empire (1271–1368), led by the nomadic Mongol people and Qubilai Khan (1215–1294), was marked by cross-cultural exchange and significant developments in trade, technology, and infrastructure. The Mongol…
“Chitra Demands to Go Home” by Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay
A poignant debut novel that explores mother-son relationships, cross-cultural conversations, and the tribulations of getting older. Chitra Demands to Go Home tells the story of Chitra, a 75-year-old Bengali woman who…
“Songs in a Time Confinement” by Rashmy
Rashmy writes poetry in a Tamil unique to the East Coast of Sri Lanka, embedded in its ecologies and heavily influenced by its folklore, centuries of trade, and echoes of…
“Miya’s Mooncakes” by Crystal Z Lee
It’s almost time for Miya’s favorite holiday, the Mid-Autumn Festival. She loves all the holiday traditions: moon gazing, lighting lanterns, and best of all, baking and eating mooncakes! But after…
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