A new trend I'm seeing in books.
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
United States
April 16, 2007 6:40pm CST
I seem to be finding a new trend in books. There are more and more Middle Eastern themed books, even fiction, that are coming out and often authors from those countries.
A perfect example of 2 recent books I read and really enjoyed are The Attack, by Yasmina Khadra and House of Sand and Fog (actually an older Oprah Book Club book) by Andre Dubus III.
The Attack is a story of a doctor and his wife, both very 'westernized' and moved back to Irael. The doctor has no clue his wife has become involved in the Jihad and becomes a suicide bomber, killing a large amount of people, many children, in a local restaurant not far from his work. He is completely taken aback by the news that the suicide bomber is his wife, someone who used to share his thoughts on these idiotic ways to deal with the current situations and kill so many needlessly. The story is compelling and also enlightening as it shows a bit of the inside of how these people think and why they feel like they do. Even the doctor finds that he can somehow sympathize with the same people he considers his wife's brain washers and eventual murderers.
Have you read any of these type of books recently? What were they?
3 people like this
4 responses
@laowai (136)
• United States
18 Apr 07
Don't know about more recent works, but I know of quite a few great works from the Middle East. Naguib Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize quite a while back for his novels about Egypt. Taha Muhammad Ali is a really good Palestinian poet (translated mostly by Peter Cole). And Aharon Shabtai is really good Israeli poet (translated mostly by the same guy) who got in a lot of trouble for his writing.
2 people like this
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
22 Apr 07
I guess perhaps it's a change in marketing or something. I'm sure they've been around but it seems for some reason just recently I've noticed them more perhaps? I have a couple other books too that have to deal with the middle eastern world.
@lightningMD (5931)
• United States
17 Apr 07
I read House of Sand and Fog. I thought it was a very good book. I often like the books from Oprah's lists. I have never heard of the other book but it sounds very interesting. I hadnt noticed the Middle Eastern theme but now that you mention it I do see it.
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
17 Apr 07
I too seem to enjoy most of the Oprah Book Club books. I honestly dont' think I've ever found one that I haven't enjoyed. Although her current read by Sydney Poitier I'm not so sure I'd like.
1 person likes this
@thatcrazyqbanita (3312)
• United States
20 Apr 07
I love middle-eastern themed books. I especially love "Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. It evoked so mnay differnet emotions. It was beautiful and heartfelt. The characters seemed vivid and real to me
1 person likes this
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
22 Apr 07
OMG.. YES! I had forgotten about that one. That was a tremendous story indeed! Absolutely heart warming and eye opening. Wow, I have read a lot more of the middle eastern genre then I thought! DUH! LOL
1 person likes this
@arseniajoaquin (1732)
• Philippines
17 Apr 07
I don't think it's a trend. We may just lack better books. And perhaps books are good means to disseminate philosopies in life and authors use books to do it. I am an author/translator of the Holy Bible from Greek to English and I preach the Word of God thru the books I write.
I am a Christian, a child of God, baptized into Christ on October 1, 1989 and I belong to the Church of Christ founded and headed by Christ as shown in Acts Chapter 2. I am given the gift of knowledge and understanding Bible Greek and I translate the Word of God from Greek to English PLAINLY - Greek word into its English equivalent with additional words for grammar purposes written in italics so that readers may delete them when they so desire.
I have already published GENESIS, EXODUS, LEVITICUS (Greek-English), THE WILL New Testament (Greek to English), ELEMENTS of SALVATION, The Right Way, GOD, ORIGIN, TRANSFER into PERFECTION, GREEK-ENGLISH (Grammar & Vocabulary), WORDS in THE WILL New
Testament, and others shown at
http://www.lulu.com/arseniajoaquin
I have seen the versions being circulated worldwide and they are generally admitted to be 80% NOT translations. My translations are 99.99% translations and I see the truth, beauty, and sweetness of the Word of God. I hope these books could also help people understand the Word of God and be saved.
I hope that people would include these in their reading. May God bless all of us.
