Literary theme analysis, by a book like {foo}
Books about Cultural Exchange
The Years of Rice and Salt
by Kim Stanley Robinson
Alternate history of a world without Europeans, where new cultures and civilizations rise.
The story is divided into ten parts. Book One, Awake to Emptiness , begins with Bold and Psin, scouts in Timur 's army, discovering a Magyar city where all the inhabitants have died from a plague. ... (Wikipedia)
Around the World in Eighty Days
by Jules Verne
An epic journey of adventure and exploration, pushing the boundaries of the known world.
The story starts in London on Wednesday, 2 October 1872. Phileas Fogg is a rich British gentleman living a solitary life. Despite his wealth, Fogg lives a modest life with habits carried out with ... (Wikipedia)
84, Charing Cross Road
by Helene Hanff
A 20-year correspondence between an American book lover and a London bookseller.
This charming classic, first published in 1970, brings together twenty years of correspondence between Helene Hanff, a freelance writer living in New York City, and a used-book dealer in London. ... (Goodreads)
Mao's Last Dancer
by Li Cunxin
A poor farmer's son's journey of hardship and triumph, rising from poverty to become an acclaimed ballet dancer.
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER The extraordinary memoir of a peasant boy raised in rural Maoist China who was plucked from his village to study ballet and went on to become one of the greatest dancers ... (Goodreads)
Death Comes for the Archbishop
by Willa Cather
An epic tale of faith and courage, set in the deserts of New Mexico during the 19th century.
The narrative is based on two historical figures of the late 19th century, Jean-Baptiste Lamy and Joseph Projectus Machebeuf , and rather than any one singular plot, is the stylized re-telling of ... (Wikipedia)
The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris
by David McCullough
Story of the American artists, writers, scientists, and others who flocked to Paris in the 19th century, searching for inspiration and creativity.
The Greater Journey is the enthralling, inspiring - and until now, untold - story of the adventurous American artists, writers, doctors, politicians, architects, and others of high aspiration who set ... (Goodreads)
Murder in Mesopotamia
by Agatha Christie
A group of archaeologists in Iraq unravel a mystery of murder and intrigue.
Nurse Amy Leatheran arrives at an archaeological dig near Hassanieh, Iraq , to assist the Swedish-American archaeologist, Dr Eric Leidner, in caring for his wife, Louise. During her initial days, Amy ... (Wikipedia)
Silk
by Alessandro Baricco
Adventure of a 19th century French trader who travels to Japan to find rare silkworm eggs.
The novel tells the story of a French silkworm merchant-turned-smuggler named Hervé Joncour in 19th century France who travels to Japan for his town's supply of silkworms after a disease wipes out ... (Wikipedia)
Shogun
by James Clavell
A thrilling historical adventure of a European in feudal Japan, navigating political intrigue and forbidden love.
John Blackthorne, an English pilot, serving on the Dutch warship Erasmus , is the first Englishman to reach Japan. England (and Holland) seek to disrupt Portuguese-Catholic relations with Japan and ... (Wikipedia)
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
by Charles C. Mann
Re-examination of the pre-Columbian Americas, uncovering new evidence of its history.
In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.,Contrary to what so many ... (Goodreads)
I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives
by Caitlin Alifirenka
True story of the meaningful friendship between an American teen and a girl from Zimbabwe, sparked by a letter.
The true story of an all-American girl and a boy from an impoverished city in Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever. It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's ... (Goodreads)
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
by Stephen Greenblatt
Uncovering the history of an ancient philosophical poem, and its impact on the modern world.
One of the world's most celebrated scholars, Stephen Greenblatt has crafted both an innovative work of history and a thrilling story of discovery, in which one manuscript, plucked from a thousand ... (Goodreads)
Digging to America
by Anne Tyler
Two families from different cultures, connected by the adoption of two babies, explore the complexities of family and culture.
Digging to America is a story set in Baltimore, Maryland about two very different families’ experiences with adoption and their relationships with each other. Sami and Ziba Yazdan, an ... (Wikipedia)
Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites
by Chris Heimerdinger
An adventurous time-travelling journey through a hidden world of ancient Utah.
Jim Hawkins has a bad attitude. What's more, he enjoys having a bad attitude about everything–especially about church. Garth Plimpton is a fanatic. He's spent so much time studying the scriptures and ... (Goodreads)
In the Skin of a Lion
by Michael Ondaatje
A historical novel chronicling immigrants’ struggles and resilience in early 20th century Toronto.
The first chapter, "Little Seeds," describes the growing years of the main character, Patrick Lewis, providing causation for his subsequent actions in the novel. As a young boy in Depot Creek, ... (Wikipedia)
Shantaram
by Gregory David Roberts
An Australian convict escapes to India and embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
In 1978, Roberts was sentenced to a 19-year imprisonment in Australia after being convicted of a series of armed robberies of building society branches, credit unions , and shops. In July 1980, he ... (Wikipedia)
The Post-American World
by Fareed Zakaria
Exploring the changing global order, and the implications for America's future.
"This is not a book about the decline of America, but rather about the rise of everyone else." So begins Fareed Zakaria's important new work on the era we are now entering. Following on the success ... (Goodreads)
Madeline's Rescue
by Ludwig Bemelmans
An adventurous young girl discovers a missing statue in the Parisian sewers.
Madeline falls into the Seine River one day and is saved by a stray dog. Miss Clavel and the girls cannot find the owner of the dog, so the girls decide to keep it and name it Genevieve. But problem ... (Wikipedia)
The Innocents Abroad
by Mark Twain
An account of an American tour group as they travel through Europe and the Middle East.
The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims' Progress is a travel book by American author Mark Twain published in 1869 which humorously chronicles what Twain called his "Great Pleasure Excursion" on ... (Goodreads)
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures
by Anne Fadiman
Exploring the cultural divide between the Hmong people and the medical establishment.
Lia Lee was born in 1982 to a family of recent Hmong immigrants, and soon developed symptoms of epilepsy. By 1988 she was living at home but was brain dead after a tragic cycle of misunderstanding, ... (Goodreads)
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
by Mackenzi Lee
An 18th-century adventure of love, friendship, and self-discovery as a young man travels Europe.
A Kirkus Prize nominee and Stonewall Honor winner with 5 starred reviews! A New York Times bestseller! Named one of the best books of 2017 by NPR and the New York Public Library! "The queer teen ... (Barnes & Noble)
McCarthy's Bar: A Journey of Discovery In Ireland
by Pete McCarthy
A humorous and heartfelt exploration of Ireland and its people, culture, and history.
The book describes a series of trips McCarthy makes to Ireland in the late 1990s exploring his past and family history, as well as documenting how Ireland is coping with changing realities. ... (Wikipedia)
The Hungry Tide
by Amitav Ghosh
A story of love, loss, and discovery set in the Sundarbans region of India.
Off the easternmost corner of India, in the Bay of Bengal, lies the immense labyrinth of tiny islands known as the Sundarbans, where settlers live in fear of drowning tides and man-eating tigers. ... (Goodreads)
Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe
by Laurence Bergreen
Exploration of Magellan's circumnavigation of the world and its implications.
Ferdinand Magellan's daring circumnavigation of the globe in the sixteenth century was a three-year odyssey filled with sex, violence, and amazing adventure. Now in Over the Edge of the World , ... (Goodreads)
The Island
by Victoria Hislop
A family's secrets unfold as they grapple with the consequences of the Greek Civil War.
On the brink of a life-changing decision, Alexis Fielding longs to find out about her mother's past. But Sofia has never spoken of it. All she admits to is growing up in a small Cretan village before ... (Goodreads)
The Hydrogen Sonata
by Iain M. Banks
A civilization on the brink of extinction, struggling to find a way to survive.
The Gzilt, a civilisation that almost joined the Culture 10,000 years before the novel, have decided to Sublime, leaving behind “the Real” to take up residence in higher dimensions. The ... (Wikipedia)
The Savage Detectives
by Roberto Bolaño
A poetic journey of two young poets searching for a mysterious figure through Latin America.
The novel is narrated in first person by several narrators and divided into three parts. The first section , "Mexicans Lost in Mexico", set in late 1975, is told by 17-year-old aspiring poet, Juan ... (Wikipedia)
The Shelters of Stone
by Jean M. Auel
A prehistoric clan's struggle for survival, as they journey towards the great valley of Ayla's vision.
Central to this book is the tension created by Ayla's healing art, her pregnancy , and the acceptance of her by Jondalar's people, the Zelandonii. Ayla was raised by Clan Neanderthals , known as ... (Wikipedia)
Leo Africanus
by Amin Maalouf
An epic historical novel, tracing the journey of a North African explorer and diplomat in the 16th century.
"I, Hasan the son of Muhammad the weigh-master, I, Jean-Leon de Medici, circumcised at the hand of a barber and baptized at the hand of a pope, I am now called the African, but I am not from Africa, ... (Goodreads)
Kon-Tiki
by Thor Heyerdahl
An intrepid explorer's 4,300 nautical mile journey across the Pacific Ocean on a balsa wood raft.
Kon-Tiki is the record of an astonishing adventure - a journey of 4,300 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean by raft. Intrigued by Polynesian folklore, biologist Thor Heyerdahl suspected that the ... (Goodreads)
Three Cups of Tea
by Sarah L. Thomson
The story of Greg Mortenson's mission to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the challenges he faced along the way.
This young readers edition of the worldwide bestseller Three Cups of Tea has been specially adapted for younger readers and updated by Greg Mortenson to bring his remarkable story of humanitarianism ... (Goodreads)
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World
by Peter Frankopan
An epic narrative of the discover of the world's trade routes, spanning more than 3,000 years.
The New Silk Roads takes a fresh look at the relationships being formed along the length and breadth of the ancient trade routes today. The world is changing dramatically and in an age of Brexit and ... (Goodreads)
1421: The Year China Discovered America
by Gavin Menzies
Exploration of the mystery behind the Chinese Admiral's journey to the Americas in 1421.
On 3/8/1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen set sail from China. Its mission was "to proceed all the way to the ends of the earth to collect tribute from the barbarians beyond the seas" & ... (Goodreads)
Go, Went, Gone
by Jenny Erpenbeck
A retired professor befriends African refugees in Berlin, exploring the complexities of migration and identity in modern Europe.
One of the great contemporary European writers takes on Europe's biggest issue. Richard has spent his life as a university professor, immersed in the world of books and ideas, but now he is retired, ... (Goodreads)
The Orenda
by Joseph Boyden
An exploration of the spiritual bonds between a small Huron tribe and their European invaders.
In the remote winter landscape a brutal massacre and the kidnapping of a young Iroquois girl violently re-ignites a deep rift between two tribes. The girl’s captor, Bird, is one of the Huron Nation’s ... (Goodreads)
Black Skin, White Masks
by Frantz Fanon
Examining the psychological and social effects of colonialism on people of color.
A major influence on civil rights, anti-colonial, and black consciousness movements around the world, Black Skin, White Masks is the unsurpassed study of the black psyche in a white world. Hailed for ... (Goodreads)
Playing for Pizza
by John Grisham
A former NFL quarterback's winding journey of rediscovery, finding a sense of belonging in a foreign land.
Rick Dockery was the third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In the AFC Championship game against Denver, to the surprise and dismay of virtually everyone, Rick actually got into the game. ... (Goodreads)
The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World
by Roz Hopkins
A comprehensive guide to every country in the world, featuring stunning photography and cultural insights.
This book is the definitive pictorial dedicated to travel and the world, capturing every country on the planet with photographs and atmospheric text. Inspirational, inviting, and beautiful, it ... (Goodreads)
In Patagonia
by Bruce Chatwin
A journey through the far reaches of Patagonia, exploring its culture and history.
An exhilarating look at a place that still retains the exotic mystery of a far-off, unseen land, Bruce Chatwin’s exquisite account of his journey through Patagonia teems with evocative descriptions, ... (Goodreads)
Mutant Message Down Under
by Marlo Morgan
A spiritual journey through the Australian outback, guided by Aboriginal wisdom.
Mutant Message Down Under is the fictional account of an American woman's spiritual odyssey through outback Australia. An underground bestseller in its original self-published edition, Marlo Morgan's ... (Goodreads)
Gentlemen of the Road
by Michael Chabon
Two Jewish warriors of fortune on a wild journey through the Middle East.
The story centers on two world-traveling Jewish bandits who style themselves with the euphemism "gentlemen of the road." Amram is a hulking Abyssinian (African) who is equally proficient with an axe ... (Wikipedia)
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
by Dai Sijie
Two city boys discover the beauty of the countryside, and the power of art, during the Cultural Revolution.
The novel, written by Dai Sijie, is about two teenage boys during the Chinese Cultural Revolution , Luo, described as having "a genius for storytelling", , and the unnamed narrator, "a fine ... (Wikipedia)
Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu
by J. Maarten Troost
A humorous, quirky look at the cultures of Fiji and Vanuatu, told through Troost's personal experiences.
With The Sex Lives of Cannibals , Maarten Troost established himself as one of the most engaging and original travel writers around. Getting Stoned with Savages again reveals his wry wit and ... (Goodreads)
Forest of the Pygmies
by Isabel Allende
A young American girl travels to Africa and embarks on a dangerous adventure to rescue her friend from a group of pygmies.
Kate Cold, an International Geographic reporter, is on safari in Kenya with her grandson Alex and his friend Nadia. They soon meet Angie Ninderera, a bold and seductive pilot, and Brother Fernando, a ... (Wikipedia)
Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure
by Sarah Macdonald
A humorous journey through India, exploring its culture and diversity.
In her twenties, journalist Sarah Macdonald backpacked around India and came away with a lasting impression of heat, pollution and poverty. So when an airport beggar read her palm and told her she ... (Goodreads)
The Hundred Secret Senses
by Amy Tan
A woman discovers her Chinese-American heritage with the help of her sister's spirit.
The story focuses on the relationship between Chinese-born Kwan and her younger, Chinese-American sister Olivia, who serves as the book's primary narrator. Olivia and Kwan's relationship begins when ... (Wikipedia)
The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca
by Tahir Shah
A British family moves to a dilapidated mansion in Casablanca, Morocco, and experiences the challenges and wonders of living in a foreign land.
In the tradition of A Year in Provence and Under the Tuscan Sun , acclaimed English travel writer Tahir Shah shares a highly entertaining account of making an exotic dream come true. By turns ... (Goodreads)
Seven Years in Tibet
by Heinrich Harrer
Exploration of Tibet, told through the story of a man who escapes internment and lives in the region for seven years.
The book covers the escape of Harrer and his companion, Peter Aufschnaiter , from a British internment camp in India. , Harrer and Aufschnaiter then traveled across Tibet to Lhasa , the capital. Here ... (Wikipedia)
99 Cahaya di Langit Eropa: Perjalanan Menapak Jejak Islam di Eropa
by Hanum Salsabiela Rais
Aku mengucek-ucek mata. Lukisan Bunda Maria dan Bayi Yesus itu terlihat biasa saja. Jika sedikit lagi saja hidungku menyentuh permukaan lukisan, alarm di Museum Louvre akan berdering-dering. Aku ... (Goodreads)
The Muse
by Jessie Burton
A young woman's exploration of identity and artistry, set in the 1960s England and Spain.
From the #1 internationally bestselling author of, The Miniaturist, comes a captivating and brilliantly realized story of two young women—a Caribbean immigrant in 1960s London, and a bohemian woman ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Last Camel Died at Noon
by Elizabeth Peters
A young woman sets out on a daring mission to rescue her kidnapped father in the Nile Valley.
Bestselling author Peters brings back 19th-century Egyptologist Amelia Peabody and her entourage in a delicious caper that digs up mystery in the shadow of the pyramids. ... (Goodreads)
Peace Child: An Unforgettable Story of Primitive Jungle Teaching in the 20th Century
by Don Richardson
A modern-day missionary's account of his life-changing experience with a remote tribe in New Guinea.
In 1962, Don and Carol Richardson risked their lives to share the gospel with the Sawi people of New Guinea. Peace Child tells their unforgettable story of living among these headhunters and ... (Goodreads)
Monsieur Ibrahim and The Flowers of the Qur'an
by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
A young Jewish boy befriends a Muslim shopkeeper and embarks on a journey of self-realization.
The book begins with a young Moïse, commonly referred to as Momo, preparing to search for a prostitute . It is written as a reflection of his childhood, and he notes that he was only eleven years old ... (Wikipedia)
A Hologram for the King
by Dave Eggers
A businessman's quest for redemption and a new start in Saudi Arabia.
The novel tells the story of a washed-up, desperate American salesman, Alan Clay, who travels to Saudi Arabia to secure the IT contract from the royal government for a massive new complex being built ... (Wikipedia)
Evening Class
by Maeve Binchy
A group of strangers come together to learn Italian, forging relationships, finding love and understanding.
Among the many evening classes starting all over Dublin is an 'Introduction to Italian'. On the surface it could be just one of hundreds in which some students will succeed and some will fall along ... (Goodreads)
The Refugees
by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Short stories of Vietnamese refugees in America, and their struggles to assimilate and find belonging.
From a young Vietnamese refugee who suffers profound culture shock when he comes to live with two gay men in San Francisco, to a woman whose husband is suffering from dementia and starts to confuse ... (Goodreads)
Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
by Mark Adams
An adventurous journey to uncover the secrets of Peru's Machu Picchu.
THE, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLING TRAVEL MEMOIR,What happens when an unadventurous adventure writer tries to re-create the original expedition to Machu Picchu?,In 1911, Hiram Bingham III climbed into ... (Barnes & Noble)
Bruchko: The Astonishing True Story of a 19-Year-Old American, His Capture by the Motilone Indians and His Adventures in Christianizing the Stone Age Tribe
by Bruce Olson
A 19-year-old's experiences living among and converting a Stone Age tribe in South America.
What happens when a nineteen-year-old boy leaves home and heads into the jungles to evangelize a murderous tribe of South American Indians?, For Bruce Olson, it meant capture, disease, terror, ... (Barnes & Noble)
Everything I Don't Remember
by Jonas Hassen Khemiri
"Folk säger att Samuel och Laide var själsfränder, att deras kärlekshistoria var helt jävla magisk, att dom var menade för varandra. Folk säger att Samuel gjorde det för att hämnas, för att han var ... (Goodreads)
The Days: His Autobiography in Three Parts
by Taha Hussein
A reflection on the author's life, exploring his identity and sense of belonging.
كتاب "الأيام" أشهر من أن يعرّف، وهو بجانب قيمته الأدبية الرفيعة باعتباره طرازاً فريداً من السير الذاتية لشخصية أدبيه قل أن يجود الزمان بمثلها، وصدق وعذوبة وطلاوة أسلوب، وهى مزايا يكاد يستأثر بها، فإن ... (Goodreads)
She: A History of Adventure
by H. Rider Haggard
A thrilling journey of a woman's search for her true identity, filled with adventure and danger.
On his twenty-fifth birthday, Leo Vincey opens the silver casket that his father has left to him. It contains a letter recounting the legend of a white sorceress who rules an African tribe and of his ... (Goodreads)
Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China
by Guy Delisle
A graphic novel memoir of a French cartoonist's experiences living and working in Shenzhen, China.
Delisle had already been to China in Nanjing . He is deployed to Shenzhen as part of an outsourcing project, where he will spend three months in the Great Wall Hotel. Unlike in Hong Kong, there are ... (Wikipedia)
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