Great list! I am currently a chapter down with Rashid Khalidi's amazing book. So far, I am not finding it so dense - I do feel he captures the history in a way that does not miss anything important whilst keeping me engaged. Also looking forward to 'If I must die..' and I need to add 'The Message' to be TBR!
My favourite books this year:
1) Yellowface - R.F Kuang (fiction)
2) All's Well - Mona Awad (fiction)
3) The Power of Dua - Aliyah Umm Raiyaan (non fiction)
I don't NEED to add more books to my 'to read' list but of course I AM adding books to my to read list.
Favorite books of the year:
Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit. For something written in 2005 it was exactly what I needed right now.
Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale. I find the question of what happens to our stuff when we no longer want it to be pretty fascinating, and much more complex than I ever realized.
Kingdoms of Olive and Ash. This was where I started on trying to understand more about Palestine. My heart crumbled.
A Map of Future Ruins by Lauren Markham. On refugees and migration, told around the framework of the fire that burned the largest refugee camp in Greece.
Also, because not all my books are serious...The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty because who DOESN'T want to read a fantastical magical adventure about a middle-aged pirate queen? I wish she would write faster so that we get book 2!
Okay, and Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult. I don't want to say much because the pivotal plot point works best if you don't know it is coming, but it broke my heart in about 10,000 ways because where everything often comes back to Palestine for you, this is the story MY world centers around for the past several years. (Seriously, if anyone reads it, try to pick it up without spoiling yourself for what it is about beyond what's on the flyleaf.)
Also, it wasn't a 2024 book, but for another historical fiction based around things we have either forgotten or never knew about 'On a Night of A Thousand Stars ' by Andrea Yaryura Clark is about Argentina's Dirty War in the 1970's.
G'morning, Noha, I feel much the same as you do. Everything I experience during my day is connected by a live wire from my heart to Gaza. Gaza really feels like it is at the center of the world right now, holding all of the trauma and yearning, the bitterness and the sweetness of the people of Earth. It's as if everything that is cruel and limited about us and everything that is expansive, creative and loving could be summed up by one word: Gaza. Sending love.
I don’t generally read books in the year they were published, but here are books I read this year that are well worth a second reading:
1. Dragon Chica by May-lee Chai [about a family who leave Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge years and make their way in the US] (side note: This year, she noted that the “eating dogs” allegation has previously been levelled against immigrants from other countries)
2. Tiger Girl by May-lee Chai [the sequel, where the narrator learns about the family she hardly knew]
3. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd [set in South Carolina, USA, in the 1960s, about a teenage girl and her Black nanny who are taken in by a Black family]
4. The Other Americans by Laila Lalami [seldom have I read a novel with so many narrators, and with such frequent switching of narrators]
5. The Sweetness of Water [about the aftermath of the Civil War in a small town in South Carolina, USA]
6. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo [a surprisingly profound book about a summer vacation, seen through the eyes of a ten-year-old]
7. The Pearl by John Steinbeck [as short and intense as Of Mice and Men]
8. The Girls of Atomic City [a behind-the-scenes look at the establishment and operation of the secret lab that became Oak Ridge National Laboratory]
9. Apeirogon by Collum McCann [a novel based on the actual experiences of two fathers, one Israeli and one Palestinian]
10. The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar [a shattering realisation that one’s past is not what one thinks, and a lesson in understanding why people act the way they do]
A book I would like to finish reading: “I Never Thought of it That Way” by Monica Guzman.
Love ‘Half of A Yellow Sun’ so much. Read it before studying the history of my country (South Sudan) and could already start connecting dots here and there about why my people suffered through decades of conflict because of some similarities in the histories of my land and late 60s Nigeria. The only contrasting factor being that we had a short lived happily ever after moment after the successful cessation before we turned to fighting each other.
Tragic. The Christmas spirit’s been slowly fading since then. Merry Christmas world.
Thank you for your list. My escape 40years ago when my parents supported the anti-apartheid movement, was always books. Ben Okri wrote The famished road, and it opened my eyes to the immense suffering of Africa. Clea Koff (a forensic pathologist) documents many genocides she investigated in The bone woman. Despite the grim subject matter, her writing is gripping. The task of bringing closure to survivors makes the book almost spiritual.
But, as my mother in law said to me, sometimes one has to read Kiss me at the garden gate for relief.
Hello there Noha! I shall seek you out from my author Substack as well. I'm currently reading Americanah, also by Chimamanda Adichie, at the moment. I appreciated this book list. I have heard of some of the books on your favourite's list but you definitely introduced me to some more titles!
There are so many great recommendations here, and my TBR has just gotten a lot longer! I'm especially excited to read more of Refaat AlAreer's work. Thanks for sharing Noha 💕
I loved Between Two Kingdoms. Her experience with cancer and how spending years of surviving didn’t prepare her for how to live was so moving but I found her deep dive into love and relationships to be the most fascinating element of the book. I read a few books by Palestinian and Sudanese writers that were really good. Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad and Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa. Both beautifully written but especially Abulhawa is an amazing writer. I also read Mohamed Al-Kurd and Mosab Abu Toha’s latest poetry books. And A Mouth Full of Salt by Reem Ghaffar and Ghost Season by Fatin Abbas, both debut novels by Sudanese writers. I could go on but those are a few outstanding in my memory. I thought I knew a lot about the history of the Israeli occupation of Palestine but I learned a lot more from Coates’ book.
Great list, Noha. I'll add this one: Becoming a Good Relative: Calling White Settlers Toward Truth, Healing, and Repair by @hilarygiovale. It's a reflective memoir through the lens of exploring one's ancestry, and what it means to come from people who have both oppressed and been oppressed. https://greenwriterspress.com/book/becoming-a-good-relative/
The Message was huge for me. I learned so much about Palestine and Israel’s occupation and devious tactics. That the observations were from prior to October 7th made it even that more powerful.
I read Half a Yellow Sun some years ago. I need to pick up James. There’s no one I trust/admire who hasn’t raved about it.
Wonderful list, Noha, though I regret the genesis of the theme. The year ahead worries me. I am comforted knowing that there are hearts like yours among us.
Let the World Have You, poems, Mikko Harvey
[...] Poems, Fady Joudha
Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear, poems, Mosab Abu Toha
Gold, Rumi, translation from the Farsi by Haleh Liza Gafori
The Trauma of Caste A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Abolition, Thenmozhi Soundararajan
Palestinian Walks: Forays into a Vanishing Landscape, Raja Shehadeh
Great list! I am currently a chapter down with Rashid Khalidi's amazing book. So far, I am not finding it so dense - I do feel he captures the history in a way that does not miss anything important whilst keeping me engaged. Also looking forward to 'If I must die..' and I need to add 'The Message' to be TBR!
My favourite books this year:
1) Yellowface - R.F Kuang (fiction)
2) All's Well - Mona Awad (fiction)
3) The Power of Dua - Aliyah Umm Raiyaan (non fiction)
I don't NEED to add more books to my 'to read' list but of course I AM adding books to my to read list.
Favorite books of the year:
Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit. For something written in 2005 it was exactly what I needed right now.
Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale. I find the question of what happens to our stuff when we no longer want it to be pretty fascinating, and much more complex than I ever realized.
Kingdoms of Olive and Ash. This was where I started on trying to understand more about Palestine. My heart crumbled.
A Map of Future Ruins by Lauren Markham. On refugees and migration, told around the framework of the fire that burned the largest refugee camp in Greece.
Also, because not all my books are serious...The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty because who DOESN'T want to read a fantastical magical adventure about a middle-aged pirate queen? I wish she would write faster so that we get book 2!
Okay, and Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult. I don't want to say much because the pivotal plot point works best if you don't know it is coming, but it broke my heart in about 10,000 ways because where everything often comes back to Palestine for you, this is the story MY world centers around for the past several years. (Seriously, if anyone reads it, try to pick it up without spoiling yourself for what it is about beyond what's on the flyleaf.)
Also, it wasn't a 2024 book, but for another historical fiction based around things we have either forgotten or never knew about 'On a Night of A Thousand Stars ' by Andrea Yaryura Clark is about Argentina's Dirty War in the 1970's.
G'morning, Noha, I feel much the same as you do. Everything I experience during my day is connected by a live wire from my heart to Gaza. Gaza really feels like it is at the center of the world right now, holding all of the trauma and yearning, the bitterness and the sweetness of the people of Earth. It's as if everything that is cruel and limited about us and everything that is expansive, creative and loving could be summed up by one word: Gaza. Sending love.
I don’t generally read books in the year they were published, but here are books I read this year that are well worth a second reading:
1. Dragon Chica by May-lee Chai [about a family who leave Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge years and make their way in the US] (side note: This year, she noted that the “eating dogs” allegation has previously been levelled against immigrants from other countries)
2. Tiger Girl by May-lee Chai [the sequel, where the narrator learns about the family she hardly knew]
3. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd [set in South Carolina, USA, in the 1960s, about a teenage girl and her Black nanny who are taken in by a Black family]
4. The Other Americans by Laila Lalami [seldom have I read a novel with so many narrators, and with such frequent switching of narrators]
5. The Sweetness of Water [about the aftermath of the Civil War in a small town in South Carolina, USA]
6. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo [a surprisingly profound book about a summer vacation, seen through the eyes of a ten-year-old]
7. The Pearl by John Steinbeck [as short and intense as Of Mice and Men]
8. The Girls of Atomic City [a behind-the-scenes look at the establishment and operation of the secret lab that became Oak Ridge National Laboratory]
9. Apeirogon by Collum McCann [a novel based on the actual experiences of two fathers, one Israeli and one Palestinian]
10. The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar [a shattering realisation that one’s past is not what one thinks, and a lesson in understanding why people act the way they do]
A book I would like to finish reading: “I Never Thought of it That Way” by Monica Guzman.
“The world was silent when we died”
Love ‘Half of A Yellow Sun’ so much. Read it before studying the history of my country (South Sudan) and could already start connecting dots here and there about why my people suffered through decades of conflict because of some similarities in the histories of my land and late 60s Nigeria. The only contrasting factor being that we had a short lived happily ever after moment after the successful cessation before we turned to fighting each other.
Tragic. The Christmas spirit’s been slowly fading since then. Merry Christmas world.
Keepeyesonsudan
Highly recommend adding to your 2025 reading list: The Palestine Sermons by Khaled Abou El Fadl, edited by Josef Linnhoff: https://a.co/d/14QFuy1
Omar El Akkad’s book sounds like a must read. Maybe we can read it together ❤️
Thanks for these great recommendations!
Thank you for your list. My escape 40years ago when my parents supported the anti-apartheid movement, was always books. Ben Okri wrote The famished road, and it opened my eyes to the immense suffering of Africa. Clea Koff (a forensic pathologist) documents many genocides she investigated in The bone woman. Despite the grim subject matter, her writing is gripping. The task of bringing closure to survivors makes the book almost spiritual.
But, as my mother in law said to me, sometimes one has to read Kiss me at the garden gate for relief.
Hello there Noha! I shall seek you out from my author Substack as well. I'm currently reading Americanah, also by Chimamanda Adichie, at the moment. I appreciated this book list. I have heard of some of the books on your favourite's list but you definitely introduced me to some more titles!
There are so many great recommendations here, and my TBR has just gotten a lot longer! I'm especially excited to read more of Refaat AlAreer's work. Thanks for sharing Noha 💕
I loved Between Two Kingdoms. Her experience with cancer and how spending years of surviving didn’t prepare her for how to live was so moving but I found her deep dive into love and relationships to be the most fascinating element of the book. I read a few books by Palestinian and Sudanese writers that were really good. Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad and Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa. Both beautifully written but especially Abulhawa is an amazing writer. I also read Mohamed Al-Kurd and Mosab Abu Toha’s latest poetry books. And A Mouth Full of Salt by Reem Ghaffar and Ghost Season by Fatin Abbas, both debut novels by Sudanese writers. I could go on but those are a few outstanding in my memory. I thought I knew a lot about the history of the Israeli occupation of Palestine but I learned a lot more from Coates’ book.
Great list, Noha. I'll add this one: Becoming a Good Relative: Calling White Settlers Toward Truth, Healing, and Repair by @hilarygiovale. It's a reflective memoir through the lens of exploring one's ancestry, and what it means to come from people who have both oppressed and been oppressed. https://greenwriterspress.com/book/becoming-a-good-relative/
The Message was huge for me. I learned so much about Palestine and Israel’s occupation and devious tactics. That the observations were from prior to October 7th made it even that more powerful.
I read Half a Yellow Sun some years ago. I need to pick up James. There’s no one I trust/admire who hasn’t raved about it.
Wonderful list, Noha, though I regret the genesis of the theme. The year ahead worries me. I am comforted knowing that there are hearts like yours among us.