Global reads: Rest of World's 2022 book list
-
Loading... - Darby Hughes
- 30 May 2022
- 272 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
In this understated administrative thriller set in Singapore’s stifling police bureaucracy, novelist Jolene Tan writes about how Singaporeans “sustain the myths of our nation, specifically by unseeing the empirical evidence which would call those myths into question.” Her novel follows a middle-aged civil servant looking into the shooting of a police sergeant, a case which had already been closed, and uncovering disturbing secrets along the way. Tan’s unsettling read shows how individual acts of ambition and callousness in a system that prioritizes stability over humanity add up to a banal, but fundamental evil.
One of the most widely-read novels in Nepal, Buddhisagar’s Karnali Blues, published in 2010, has finally been translated into English this year. The book recounts the relationship between a father and a son, told through the memories of a young son living in a remote village along the Karnali river in far-western Nepal. The book paints a vivid depiction of helplessness and hope, death and disease in a rural country on the verge of dramatic socio-political change. For readers anywhere in the world, this story of family, memories of childhood joy and pain, and the constant struggle for life and livelihood is an instant treat.
Thousands of refugees have crowded into refugee camps on the Greek island of Lesbos. One is Omar, a former translator and driver for foreigners in Afghanistan – including reporter Matthieu Aikins, who disguised himself as a fellow refugee to undertake the same journey. Aikins travels with Omar, who left his family and fiance behind, from Kabul to Athens, along the way lighting one of his own passports on fire to avoid exposure. The book documents the smuggling, theft, and cruelty that refugees face when attempting to gain entry to the kinds of places Aikins can visit any time he wants.
Lebanese journalist Kim Ghattas’ book traces how the past four decades of rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran has redrawn beliefs and loyalties across the Middle East. Ghattas argues that events triggered by the fall of the Shah of Iran and the seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca cascaded through the subsequent decades, sowing intolerance, fundamentalism, and violence throughout the region. A product of Ghattas’ decades of experience as a journalist, Black Wave follows the stories of dissidents, academics, and writers, and flows across the borders of Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Pakistan.
Nutmeg originates from just one place on Earth: the Banda Islands, an archipelago in what is today Indonesia. This exceptional accident has reduced the islands to the status of a rarefied commodity throughout their history, which Rest of World contributor and photographer Muhammad Fadli and folklorist Fatris MF chronicle in The Banda Journal. The book, which won the 2021 Paris Photo-Aperture Foundation PhotoBook of the Year Award, reflects multiple trips the authors made to document life and work in a place that has played an overlooked but central role in the development of global capitalism.
Nintendo was in trouble when Satoru Iwata took over. But he realized that fighting with Sony and Microsoft for hardcore gamers wasn’t the right fight, so he led the creation of the Wii, a game console for everyone, and Nintendo has gone from strength to strength. But his successes aren’t why the late Iwata is beloved by employees, fans, and even rivals. He genuinely saw the world in a different way, and drew on his experiences from every level of the gaming business — from programmer to executive — to drive his unique approach to management. This book collects his columns and interviews, giving insight into the gaming titan. Read More…
