Last week, in my capacity as learning support teacher, I taught a lesson to the whole grade 4 cohort about my book project. Why you might ask. The Grade 4s are looking at why we read. I presented my project and blog then set them on their own discovery task, linked here. Thanks to the … Continue reading End of the road!
Spain 🇪🇸: Tell me Who I am by Julia Navarro, tr. by James Womack
In a Nutshell: Dime Quién Soy or Tell Me Who I am in English, is the story of Amelia Garagoya, the great-grandmother of the narrator. The narrator is a journalist, who lacks any ambition and is asked by his aunt to go and research the life of his great-grandmother and write a book on her life. The book … Continue reading Spain 🇪🇸: Tell me Who I am by Julia Navarro, tr. by James Womack
Sudan 🇸🇩: Thirteen Months of Sunrise by Rania Mamoun, tr. Elizabeth Jaquette
In a Nutshell: Thirteen Months of Sunrise depicts the lives of ordinary people living in contemporary Sudan. It is a slim collection of 10 short stories. My personal favourite was the first and the story that gives the collection its title. Themes: Isolation, urban living, human experience, love. A Quote: “Perhaps the abaya I was wearing … Continue reading Sudan 🇸🇩: Thirteen Months of Sunrise by Rania Mamoun, tr. Elizabeth Jaquette
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 🇰🇵: Three Days in That Autumn by Pak Wanseo, tr. Ryu Sukhee
In a Nutshell: This is a slightly upsetting yet beautiful and insightful read with a positive ending. Three Days in That Autumn is a 87 page novella that I raced through. This novella tells the story of a gynaecologist, we meet her as she approaches the final three days of her working life before retiring. She … Continue reading Democratic People’s Republic of Korea 🇰🇵: Three Days in That Autumn by Pak Wanseo, tr. Ryu Sukhee
#WorldKidLitWednesday: Amma’s Sari
With its pages encased in generous swirls of gentle blue and pink, this is a book that tells Shreya—a second-generation migrant's story. At home, she delights in her mother's touch, and sees her sari fan out like a "magic carpet" around her mother. Shreya comes across as confident, safe, and snug in contentment, within the … Continue reading #WorldKidLitWednesday: Amma’s Sari
Montenegro 🇲🇪: Catherine the Great and the Small by Olja Knežević, tr. by Paula Gordon and Ellen Elias-Bursać
In a Nutshell: This is a book about the life of Catherine. Split into two sections: Catherine the Small is about her childhood and youth growing up in Montenegro and then studying/living in Belgrade, Serbia. The second half, entitled Catherine the Great is about her time as a mother and wife. The novel takes us … Continue reading Montenegro 🇲🇪: Catherine the Great and the Small by Olja Knežević, tr. by Paula Gordon and Ellen Elias-Bursać
Serbia 🇷🇸: Feminine Genealogy by Ljiljana Habjanović Djurović
In a Nutshell: I found this wonderful read thanks to a recommendation from my friend, Anja. I read this on my kindle. This multigenerational novel tells the story of five female generations, within the same family, told from the perspective of Iva, who’s the youngest of the five generations. The feminine genealogy goes from Krstinja, … Continue reading Serbia 🇷🇸: Feminine Genealogy by Ljiljana Habjanović Djurović
Suriname 🇸🇷 : Love’s Perfumes by Rita Rahman, tr. Paul Vincent
In a Nutshell: Arno, a high-ranking Dutch civil servant meets Myrna, a Caribbean envvironmentalist. Arno suffers from insomnia and Myra can potentially help him to recover from his insomnia through a unique way of storytelling, that she has inherited. Themes: Love, power, colonialism and culture clash. A Quote: “We, the non-Westerners, non-white, non-Eurochristians have a … Continue reading Suriname 🇸🇷 : Love’s Perfumes by Rita Rahman, tr. Paul Vincent
Uzbekistan 🇺🇿: The Dancer from Khiva by Bibish, tr. Andrew Bromfield
I finished this book whilst spending Christmas last year on Koh Rong Island, Cambodia. In a Nutshell: This memoir recounts Bibish’s childhood in Uzbekistan, getting married and time spent living in Russia with her husband and children. Themes: Love, loss, family, identity and the many hardships women worldwide have to endure. Warning: there is mention … Continue reading Uzbekistan 🇺🇿: The Dancer from Khiva by Bibish, tr. Andrew Bromfield
Belarus 🇧🇾: Last Witnesses: Unchildlike Stories by Svetlana Alexievich, tr. Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky
In a Nutshell: This book was published in 1986 and it was translated into English and published a couple of years ago. It tells the story of the children, now adults, who survived the Nazi invasion on the eastern front of WW2. This book documents the memories of children who survived. Over 100 testimonies, which … Continue reading Belarus 🇧🇾: Last Witnesses: Unchildlike Stories by Svetlana Alexievich, tr. Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 