Angola - Another Day of Life

Book #3: Another Day of Life - Ryszard Kapuściński

"In 1975, Angola was tumbling into pandemonium; everyone who could was packing crates, desperate to abandon the beleaguered colony. With his trademark bravura, Ryszard Kapuściński went the other way, begging his way from Lisbon and comfort to Luanda - once famed as Africa's Rio de Janeiro - and chaos. Angola, a slave colony later given over to mining and plantations, was a promised land for generations of poor Portuguese. It had belonged to Portugal since before there were English-speakers in North America. Angola was brusquely cut loose, spurring the catastrophe of a still-ongoing civil war. Kapuściński plunged right into the middle of the drama, driving past thousands of haphazardly placed check-points, where using the wrong shibboleth was a matter of life and death; recording his impressions of the young soldiers - from Cuba, Angola, South Africa, Portugal - fighting a nebulous war with global repercussions; and examining the peculiar brutality of a country surprised and divided by its newfound freedom."

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When I started this challenge, one of my friends suggested that I start a corresponding blog. I was unsure - mostly because I'm not a literary critic, but also because I didn't know how I would handle discussing a book that I didn't really like. After all, who am I to judge an author who is writing about his or her own experiences in a country that I've likely never even visited? 

Well, three books in and here we are. I really didn't like this book. I didn't hate it either. I just didn't connect with it the way I did the first two. On further reflection, I think it's because Kapuściński is a reporter - and a foreign-born one, at that. His writing style reflects this. The book reads a bit like a news report. I just didn't feel like I was *there*. (And if you're asking yourself why I selected a book from a non-native author, it turns out there's very little alternative. There are simply not many English-language books from Angola.) 

That said, I did learn a lot about what was happening in Angola in the mid-1970s - a subject I knew nothing about before starting the book. Which, ultimately, was my main goal going into this project. Learn something! Check. 

Albania - Chronicle in Stone

Book #2: Chronicle in Stone: A Novel - Ismail Kadare (Albania)

"Masterful in its simplicity, Chronicle in Stone is a touching coming-of-age story and a testament to the perseverance of the human spirit. Surrounded by the magic of beautiful women and literature, a boy must endure the depravations of war as he suffers the hardships of growing up. His sleepy country has just thrown off centuries of tyranny, but new waves of domination inundate his city. Through the boy's eyes, we see the terrors of World War II as he witnesses fascist invasions, allied bombings, partisan infighting, and the many faces of human cruelty - as well as the simple pleasures of life..."

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I enjoyed this book for two reasons - 1) Going in, I knew basically nothing about Albania - its history or its people. Even though the setting is WWII, Kadare takes the time to really show what life was like in a small Albanian town. At various points throughout the book, the war is secondary to the happenings in the town and the characters that live there. 2) The story is told from a child's perspective. At first I wasn't sure I would like this, but it was done very well. The child was both perceptive and humorous in ways that an adult possibly couldn't have been. 

Afghanistan - A Fort of Nine Towers

Book #1: A Fort of Nine Towers: An Afghan Family Story - Qais Akbar Omar (Afghanistan)

"Twenty-three years ago - after the Soviets left and before the Taliban came to power - Kabul was a garden where seven-year-old Qais Akbar Omar flew kites from the roof of his grandfather's house. Then came the hollow sounds of rocket fire as the Mujahedin, self-proclaimed holy warriors, took over Afghanistan, and the country erupted in civil war. Omar's family fled, leaving everything behind to take shelter in an old fort. But after a narrow escape from death, his father decided that the family must leave the country. 

Yet the journey proved more difficult than anticipated, and in this stunning coming-of-age memoir, Omar offers a moving recollection of these events - a story of daily hardships, relieved by moments of joy and immense beauty. Inflected with folktales and steeped in poetry, A Fort of Nine Towers is a life-affirming triumph." 

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I loved this book. It's a brilliant way to start a daunting round-the-world journey. If you've read Khaled Hosseini's Kite Runner, Omar's Afghanistan will be a familiar place. I think it's especially important for Americans to see Afghanistan through the eyes of its people, rather than just as it's portrayed on the news. This book offers such a rich tapestry of people and places - you'll be drawn in.  

Let's do this!

Almost two months ago, I decided to try a Read Around the World Challenge. That is - one book from every country. When I started out, my requirements when selecting a book were: 

1) The author is a native of the country. 
2) The book itself will teach me something about the country - it can't just be set in that country. (That is, reading a random mystery novel set in another country doesn't count). 
3) Where possible, select an author of note in the country. 
4) Prose, not poetry. This is personal preference, really. 
5) Read everything in print. No audiobooks, no Kindle. 

I added that last requirement because I'm a librarian and I realized that it's been a shockingly long time since I've read a physical book. Like...years. So I'm setting down the Kindle and my iPhone and I'm reading actual books. 

As for the other requirements, for most countries, they're fairly easy to meet. For some, not so much. It's easy to forget that not every country will have literature translated into English. Books from countries that have really small populations (Andorra) and those with particularly violent histories (Chad) seem to be the most difficult to locate. 

To define "country," I began with the Member States of the United Nations, and where I deemed appropriate, I added them (Palestine). 

I don't have a defined time frame. I expect this project will take years. But come along with me, if you wish. Let's do this!