Saudi Arabia Reading Resources
We are reading books about Saudi Arabia and learning its cultures as part of From and About Asia Reading Project during October 2021. This resource page is where I record and document the reading, and it will keep updating while our readings go along.
EVENT: FROM AND ABOUT ASIA READING PROJECT
SUBREGION: WESTERN ASIA
READING MONTH: OCTOBER 2021
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Picture by mohammed alorabi from unsplash.com 📍Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia to me, is always a mysterious country with rich and amazing Arabic culture. I read books and see stories, performances about ancient Arabic culture since I was small. Because historically, Chinese culture had many exchanges with Arabic culture dated back to thousands years ago. But I never explored its modern side. After I moved to the US, Saudi Arabia started to connect to my daily life closer. Because it’s political meaning and economic bond with the US. But still, only knowing a country from the news is never a good way to learn about its culture, so I’m pretty pumped for reading about it in October.
Fiction
you may
like
Click on pictures will direct you to details of the books!
When I was doing research about Saudi literature, I was glad by the many contemporary books we can find. Most noticeable is Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa al-Sanea, a book that shows the teenager’s life in Saudi Arabic, translated into more than twenty languages, but got banned in its own country.
If you want something spooky for October, Finding Nouf by Zoë Ferraris is a beloved first installment for a thriller series, Nayir Sharqi & Katya Hijazi Series. This psychological suspense sounds like right on the alley of October. Or you can read The Dove's Necklace by Raja Alem to solve the mystery of a death of a young woman.
BOOKs
ON SAUDI
WOMEN
Click on pictures will direct you to details of the books!
I also found there are so many books on brilliant Saudi women, including memoirs, social studies or general polities. So I listed them here separately, since the topic is so important.
other
Non-ficton
you may
like
Click on pictures will direct you to details of the books!
Politics and economics are unavoidable topics when we want to talk about Saudi Arabia, coming with them is the unique social structure and relationships between countries. These are some nonfiction books I found on those topics. I am also interested in Saudi Arabia - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs Culture by Nicolas Buchele, looks like a fun book about basic manners and common courtesies.