Kindle
$14.00
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
from $37.00
Paperback
$19.00
Kindle Price: $14.00

Save $5.00 (26%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $7.88

Save: $4.88 (62%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Benyāmin
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Goat Days Kindle Edition

by Benyamin (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 889 ratings
See all formats and editions
Najeeb’s dearest wish is to work in the Gulf and earn enough money to send back home. He achieves his dream only to be propelled by a series of incidents, grim and absurd, into a slave-like existence herding goats in the middle of the Saudi desert. Memories of the lush, verdant landscape of his village and of his loving family haunt Najeeb whose only solace is the companionship of goats. In the end, the lonely young man contrives a hazardous scheme to escape his desert prison. Goat Days was published to acclaim in Malayalam and became a bestseller.  One of the brilliant new talents of Malayalam literature, Benyamin’s wry and tender telling transforms this strange and bitter comedy of Najeeb’s life in the desert into a universal tale of loneliness and alienation.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    260 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Penguin
  5. Publication date
    July 17, 2012
  6. File size
    325 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Hard Rock apparel
Outerwear, tees, and accessories. Discover the rock shop.
Popular Highlights in this book
What are popular highlights?
Previous page
  1. We shouldn’t dream about the unfamiliar and about what only looks good from afar. When such dreams become reality, they are often impossible to come to terms with.
    Highlighted by 132 Kindle readers
  2. A way to come out of our sorrow is to listen to the stories of those who endure situations worse than ours.
    Highlighted by 127 Kindle readers
  3. One of the greatest sorrows in the world is to not have someone to share a beautiful sight.
    Highlighted by 89 Kindle readers
Next page

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An unusual worker’s-tale from the Gulf States where, instead of (technological) modernity, building and consumer frenzies, and oil-related activity one is confronted almost only with the most desolate of rural locales, Goat Days is an interesting slice of Saudi life—but one that also reaches far beyond its specifics, much of the novel’s strength coming from how universal the tale is.” ― Complete Review

“Very seldom in life does a book like Goat Days come along and ruin you for other books. It becomes like that mythic true love you once felt for someone when you were still innocent—but now that you have lived through it, you no longer are that innocent person. . . . The same feeling courses through you after you read books like Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and Orwell’s Animal Farm. Perfectly pitched books, with the language kept out of the way of storytelling.” ― Dawn

About the Author

Benyamin is an Indian writer and novelist who lives in Bahrain. Joseph Koyippally is associate professor in comparative literature at the Central University of Kerala, India.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XXMWZWP
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin (July 17, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 17, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 325 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 260 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 889 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Benyāmin

Benyāmin

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
889 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

RoseU
5.0 out of 5 stars Migrant Slave Labor in Saudi Arabia
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2016
Verified Purchase
After I listened to the review of this novel on the BBC Book Review program, I decided to purchase a copy. Najeed's bad luck started on the day he arrived in Saudi Arabia as a migrant from India seeking employment. Not knowing who his employer would be, he was hijacked by a roaming individual whom he thought was the employer. His suffering started as soon as they arrived at the abductor's destination - an animal farm in the desert - where Najeem's job would be to tend the goats and other animals. He immediately became a slave worker under a cruel slave-master. This situation lasted for over three years.

Still more suffering awaited him in the desert as he and his two companions attempted to escape through the uncharted sea of sand to the outside world.
I felt Najeed's pain physically throughout his ordeal. His is a story of endurance against all odds.

But what happened to Ibrahim Khadiri. His disappearance in the desert seems to suggest that he might have been an angel in human form sent to rescue Najeed.

The book more than met my expectations. Although it is fiction, it appears to be based on facts. Do (or did) the Gulf States actually enslave unfortunate migrant workers?
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Issa
4.0 out of 5 stars I had no idea this was a real story. ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2017
Verified Purchase
I had no idea this was a real story. I think anyone that is suffering and feel as if they are in confusing time in their life should read this novel. I have been in several spiritual deserts in my life so I was able to relate to the main character journey. I also think it's important that we listen and read the stories of population of people who are voiceless.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Cindy
5.0 out of 5 stars Unstoppable
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2021
Verified Purchase
A simple writing style of an incredibly terrifying story. Every part believable and intense and heartbreaking. I could not lay the story down, it was gripping. How can humans be so cruel and so full of hopefulness on the other end. Absolutely worth the read.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
duskyman
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent novel about plight of migrants in Arabia
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a very moving account of the life of migrants in Arabia and the Persian Gulf...and with the tales about the deaths of migrant workers coming from the stadium sites in Qatar a very timely one
Helpful
 Report
Chookal
5.0 out of 5 stars Mesmerizing
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
wretchedness that is astonishing yet tenderly funny. wonderful commentary on the retardation of any and everything saudi.
Helpful
 Report
Alex Mathew
4.0 out of 5 stars Shipping took a while for the book to arrive. ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2015
Verified Purchase
Shipping took a while for the book to arrive. I had read the original work in Malayalam, and wanted to get this for somebody who does not read Malayalam. I was a bit wary of the translation keeping the imagery and feel of the original work. But Joseph Koyippally has done a superb job!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2019
Verified Purchase
A great book that everyone must read.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Ashleen Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars The English translation is excellent
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2016
Verified Purchase
I use this book in my honors reading seminar and the students have responded positively. The English translation is excellent
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Lucas
2.0 out of 5 stars Curious story that doesn't merit a book
Reviewed in Germany on April 29, 2024
Verified Purchase
This is a curious story, but there's not much to tell to fill a book, so too much pointless text... Not well written, hard to read.
Report
Shiju Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely engaging and well written
Reviewed in India on April 23, 2024
Verified Purchase
What an effort by the author to fish the emotions out of Najeeb. Would recommend to watch the movie based on this book.
Report
Cindy
5.0 out of 5 stars great story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2024
Verified Purchase
The story is powerful n inspiring. It shows that u can overcome extreme obstacles in life but you need faith. You need determination to live.

The kindle version really needs editing and explanation for the words in italics. Plus keeping the writing formal. Without going into colloquial speech eg ‘taking a dump’ vs using terms like hyperbole. It doesn’t flow when reading it. Translation and editing issues to correct.
Report
Jpg
4.0 out of 5 stars a warning to would-be migrant
Reviewed in France on April 4, 2024
Verified Purchase
the incredible misadventures of a
Kerala migrant to the Gulf. a story of modern slavery, foreign workers exploitation,...but also faith and resilience.
Report
PB
5.0 out of 5 stars Survival story extraordinaire
Reviewed in Australia on April 24, 2024
Verified Purchase
Based on a true story of a kidnapping in Saudi Arabia. Abandoned by his sponsor on arrival, Najeeb is snatched at the airport and forced to work as a shepherd in horrific circumstances. He lived among the goats for over three years before making a miraculous escape through the desert. His story has been made into a film, “Aadujeevitham” (2024).
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report