Around the World in 80 Books discussion
ATW in 80 Books World Challenge
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Laurie's 2018 Tourist Challenge
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Happy travels, Laurie!
1/24 countriesStarted in my home country of the US.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead 4 stars for an unusual and unapologetically inaccurate depiction of slavery in the US. By inaccurate, I mean that the underground railroad in the story is not a metaphorical term for the safe houses that sheltered slaves in their quest for freedom when they escaped their owners. Whitehead's underground railroad is an actual physical railroad in tunnels underground that is used to transport runaway slaves to safety. There are other inaccuracies which show other terrible things which have been done to blacks in America or that might have happened if our history had gone a very slightly different way.
This has been on my reading list since it came out. Did you like the book?
Mome_Rath wrote: "This has been on my reading list since it came out. Did you like the book?"I liked it and gave it 4 stars. I can tell from the reviews that the alternate history format is not to everyone's liking.
3/24 countriesBelarus - Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich
5 stars. My review
I couldn't understand before reading this book why some people count it for Belarus since Chernobyl is in Ukraine. But most of the people interviewed in this book are from Belarus which was much more widely affected than Ukraine was by nuclear fallout.
Laurie wrote: "3/24 countriesBelarus - Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich
5 stars. My review
I couldn't understand before readin..."
We read this at the same time! Amazing book. I had wondered the same thing about why it was usually counted as Belarus instead of Ukraine as well. Very enlightening book. Compelled me to do further research on the Internet as to what has happened since the book was written.
4/24 countriesGermany - Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi
4 stars - A compelling story of a woman born in 1915 who was a Zwerg, a dwarf, growing up in a small German town. Trudi faced many challenges as a dwarf which made her always feel an outsider in her town since she was different.
I enjoyed Stones of the River so much that I read more of Ursula Hegi's books. They were good too.
Rosemarie wrote: "I enjoyed Stones of the River so much that I read more of Ursula Hegi's books. They were good too."I'll have to take a look at her others, thanks.
12/24 countriesTurkey - Notes on a Foreign Country: An American Abroad in a Post-American World by Suzy Hansen
4 stars - I found this memoir/political history fascinating because the author knew virtually nothing about the history between Turkey and the US before she went to live there in 2007. I have to add that I am quite ignorant of that particular history as well. She went on a two year journalism grant and has stayed in Turkey ever since because she fell in love with the country. She admits that looking at the US from the viewpoint of many foreigners is not easy or pleasant because of our history of intervention in seemingly everyone's affairs.
Bangladesh - Sultana's Dream by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain
4 stars - An incredible short story by a Bengali (Bangladesh) author. It is amazing because it is a feminist utopian story published in 1905. Apparently the author was an ardent Muslim feminist which I greatly admire in a woman at that time in history.
13/24 countriesChina - The Art of War by Sun Tzu
3 stars- Considered a great military classic which was undoubtedly applicable to warfare for most of the last couple of centuries, but now seems quaint. There is still some good strategy but mostly so outdated that I'm not sure why it is still read.
16/24 countriesArgentina - The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey by Ernesto Che Guevara
3.5 stars - I enjoyed this travel memoir which is Ernesto when he was a young medical student and a few years ago from his revolutionary beginnings. It is somewhat repetitive after their motorcycle breaks down and the two young men are irresponsible vagabonds, but it whetted my interest in learning about Che as a revolutionary.
17/24 countriesEngland - North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
5 stars - I loved this classic which is known for its depiction of factory workers and their struggles during the early Industrial Revolution through the eyes of a young gentlewoman in northern England.
21/24 countriesPoland - Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman
4 stars - an outstanding graphic novel depicting the beginning of the holocaust featuring the author's father and mother. Now I must move on to part 2 to see the details of the family's experience in the concentration camp.
In Maus Part 2, we also see the relationship between the author and his father. I enjoyed both parts.
Rosemarie wrote: "In Maus Part 2, we also see the relationship between the author and his father. I enjoyed both parts."I'm glad it's not all about the camp then. I don't look forward to seeing exactly what happened to his mother, but I can guess at this point.
23/24 countriesAlbania - Chronicle in Stone by Ismail Kadare
3 stars - In regard to WWII, this is one of those countries most of us never hear about. Since the story is told through the eyes of a ten year old boy, the events are isolated to what happened in his small town close to the border with Greece. It was occupied alternately and repeatedly by Greeks and Italians then finally the Germans. Amazing how the townspeople had to deal with all of the chaos of the various occupying forces and being bombed by the Allies.
24/24 countriesIsrael - A Horse Walks into a Bar by David Grossman
3 stars - My review
Challenge complete but I'll keep posting and see how many countries I can get to this year
Congrats on reaching your 24th country!
Congratulations on finishing the tourist challenge! Hope you enjoy the rest of your literary travels this year!
25 countriesSomalia
Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed
4 stars - A coming of age story about an orphaned Somali boy in the WWII era. Little of this book is actually set in Somalia (Somaliland), but the Somali kinship that Jama looks for in people wherever he travels is important.
26 countriesChile
My Invented Country: A Nostalgic Journey Through Chile by Isabel Allende
3.5 stars - I enjoyed the memories of Allende growing up in Chile along with her reflections about the history, culture, and politics of the country. It was a little disjointed in places to me and toward the end she declined to tell much about her life in exile because she had already told that story in her memoir, Paula. But since I haven't read Paula, I felt irritated that this interesting part of her life is hardly touched on. In reality, she didn't go into much depth about her life at any stage. Allende tells stories about Chile and its people, and they are the focus more than she is.
27 countriesHaiti
The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat
This could be counted for the Dominican Republic or Haiti as the first half of the book is set in DR. I chose Haiti since that is where Danticat is from.
My review
30 countriesMalawi
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba
3.5 stars - my review
31 countriesBarbados
Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord
4 stars - An unusual retelling of a Senegalese folktale told in a fantasy or magical realism genre. I counted this for Barbados since the story does not name the country of the setting, but the author is from Barbados.
32 countriesArmenia
An Armenian Sketchbook by Vasily Grossman
3 stars - A very eclectic mix of thoughts and ramblings about a 2 month visit to Armenia by the author. It was amusing to read repeated references to his role as a non-Armenian speaking translator to an Armenia author. Grossman has a kind of droll humor that peeks through as he clearly enjoyed his time in Armenia even though he didn't speak the language and he wasn't greeted with the acclaim he expected beforehand.
Around the World in 80 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
An Armenian Sketchbook (other topics)Redemption in Indigo (other topics)
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope (other topics)
Small Country (other topics)
Revenge (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Vasily Grossman (other topics)Karen Lord (other topics)
William Kamkwamba (other topics)
Gaël Faye (other topics)
Yōko Ogawa (other topics)
More...
32 countries
1. USA
2. Azerbaijan
3. Belarus
4. Germany
5. Kiribati
6. France
7. Italy
8. Finland
9. Nigeria
10. San Marino
11. Turkey
12. Bangladesh
13. China
14. St. Kitts and Nevis
15. Qatar
16. Argentina
17. England
18. Congo (Republic)
19. Vietnam
20. Australia
21. Poland
22. Jamaica
23. Albania
24. Israel
25. Somalia
26. Chile
27. Haiti
28. Japan
29. Burundi
30. Malawi
31. Barbados
32. Armenia