A Case of Exploding Mangoes: A Novel by Mohammed Hanif [in Bloomsbury Review]
Pakistani dictator General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq’s sudden death in a mysterious 1988 plane crash remains unsolved. Hanif, once part of the Pakistani air force and now a British expat, cleverly presents a riotous fictional version of how...
A 2007 Booker Prize nominee, Sinha’s third title is presented as a series of 23 directly transcribed tapes, spoken by a creature called “Animal,” who was once human before an industrial chemical catastrophe (inspired by the...
The long-awaited follow-up to
Luddite me made a surprisingly funny joke to two techies after reading
If literary awards are any measure of prowess, then native Chinese speaker Ha Jin has most certainly mastered the English language. As a writer of poems, short stories, and fiction, he has been showered...
Originally published in six volumes in the author's native France, the full English compilation is a remarkable feat of creativity. Rendered in heavy-inked black-and-white panels that seem to physically convey the overwhelming burdens of a difficult...
As I write, I'm into the ninth of 16 hours that make up the audio version of Michael Pollan's
A spectacular book-without-words that traces one family’s immigration story with brilliant imagination. In an unnamed troubled land, a man leaves his wife and young daughter behind in search of freedom in a new country. His adjustments...
The poignant shortcomings of soulful slacker Ben Tanaka are artfully presented in this striking volume. And, of course, Ben isn’t the only one with shortcomings. When his live-in relationship in Oakland falls apart and his girlfriend...
Who knew the “godfather of manga” could be this dark? When a mysterious poison gas kills the inhabitants of a Japanese island that was once home to a foreign military base, two survivors are inextricably linked...
Four fabulous volumes (the fourth just out) about a mismatched clan that makes up the fantastically talented Kurosagi (“black crane”) Corpse Delivery Service. Five unemployed Buddhist university students band together to help corpses find eternal peace,...
Two young urchins, Black and White, run the streets of Treasure Town, a decaying urban playground of violence and destruction. Because they have superhuman abilities, even the local police and the yakuza (Japan’s criminal underworld) can’t...
Looking into the brave new world, more likely than not, the next generations of America’s best and brightest will be working for Indian and Chinese multinational companies. Read why … and be prepared. Bonus: Fascinating and...
A delightful, joyful pair of titles about a young Muslim boy, Mat, growing up in a rural village (kampung) in 1960s Malaysia and his everyday joy of discovery and plain fun. Town Boy continues with...
The perfect companion piece to Fast Food Nation, with even gorier details of death and destruction, as well as the most enlightening look at where, when, and how our food gets processed in our overindustrialized food...
In the latter 19th century, thousands of Chinese Americans were viciously purged from their homes throughout the West Coast. What makes Driven Out more than another tome of historical woe are the little-known tales of valiant...

As the daughter of struggling Korean immigrants, Casey Han has created a persona defined by her expensive tastes, her magna cum laude Princeton degree, and a wealthy family friend who is always there to lend a...
As elliptical as Hur’s debut novel is, it’s also incredibly dense, weighed down by the trials and tribulations of a lost generation of Korean American Manhattanites whose teenage lives revolve around the clubs and restaurants of...
A deserved Booker 2007 shortlister, Hamid’s slim, powerful title is a deconstruction of the failure of the American Dream for those who look like the enemy. Changez is a young, accomplished Pakistani transplant with a Princeton...