South Asian Heritage Month

South Asian Heritage Month is coming to an end. From July 17th to August 17th we honor the profound history and diverse cultures of South Asia. Dive into the rich legacy of India and Pakistan with our reading list for this holiday:

Nonfiction:

• The Frontier Gandhi: My Life and Struggle by Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Imtiaz Ahmad Sahibzada: The autobiography of Abdul Ghaffar Khan, tracing his journey from childhood in the North-West Frontier to leading fellow Pashtuns in the Khudai Khidmatgar movement for Indian independence.

• Kashmir at the Crossroads by Sumantra Bose: Kashmir at the Crossroads traces the Kashmir conflict from its roots to the present, detailing political upheaval, repression, and international entanglements, while examining the 2019 revocation of autonomy and prospects for peace amid rising nationalism.

Fiction:

• Love, Hate and Other Filters by Samira Ahmed: An Indian-American Muslim teen copes with Islamophobia, cultural divides among peers and parents, and a reality she can neither explain nor escape. The community she’s known since birth becomes unrecognizable; neighbors and classmates are consumed with fear, bigotry, and hatred. Ultimately, Maya must find the strength within to determine where she truly belongs.

• The Shadow of the Crescent Moon by Fatima Bhutto: This novel chronicles the lives of five young people trying to live and love in a world on fire. Set during the American invasion of Afghanistan, The Shadow of the Crescent Moon begins and ends one rain-swept Friday morning in Mir Ali, a small town in Pakistan’s Tribal Areas close to the Afghan border.

Be sure to check out our entire collection on the Fiction, Nonfiction, Arabic and Children’s Catalog tabs! If you have a book recommendation you can submit it at https://www.goodshelf.org/recommend.