...to celebrate the books that are published and that are MidEast-inspired, I’m crowning 2020 the Year of the Middle East Reading Challenge (YMERC).
Category: YMERC2020
‘Dates and Kibbeh’: Children’s book on Arab immigration by Brazilian Isa Colli
The book traces back the history of Arab immigration to São Paulo. An Arab culture aficionada, Colli had a stint living in the Brás neighborhood of the city, where she found out about the history of Hospedaria do Brás, a public lodge which welcomes immigrants from multiple nationalities, including Syrian and Lebanese.
#YMERC2020 DECEMBER
Ahlan wa sahlan! Thank you for joining in with us in the Year of the Middle Eastern Reading Challenge (YMERC).
Banned in Egypt for “offending public morals – Magdy El Shafee’s Metro
"We’re all living in one big cage...The cage is open, but nobody leaves…We all have to leave the cage together."
#YMERC2020 November
Ahlan wa sahlan! Thank you for joining in with us in the Year of the Middle Eastern Reading Challenge (YMERC).
3 Arab (English-translated) Halloween Reads
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi, translated by Jonathan Wright The book features a living corpse, stitched together of different blown-up body parts and made into a what’s-its-name that claims to be on a “grand mission in order to punish, with the help of God and Heaven, all criminals and eventually do justice on Earth.” From the rubble-strewn streets … Continue reading 3 Arab (English-translated) Halloween Reads
31 Days of Spooky Reads: A Mexican Jane Eyre – Mexican Gothic
A dark, foreboding retelling of Jane Eyre and The Haunting of Hill House - a Mexican god-like family, psychedelic mushrooms, and incest.
31 Days of Spooky Reads: Pretty Things
Surprising page-turner about mother-daughter grifters, family drama, thriller, murder, and revenge.
31 Days of Spooky Reads: Horrid
Horrid tells the story of Jane, whose father died 5 weeks ago, and whose mother is lying to her.
#YMERC2020 October
Ahlan wa sahlan!