The Wind Knows My Name

By Isabel Allende, Frances Riddle (translator),

Book cover of The Wind Knows My Name

Book description

THE POWERFUL AND MOVING NEW NOVEL FROM LITERARY LEGEND ISABEL ALLENDE PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR 'A grand storyteller' - KHALED HOSSEINI 'A new novel by Isabel Allende is always a treat' - DAILY MAIL 'What a joy it must be to come upon Allende for the first time' - COLUM…

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Why read it?

3 authors picked The Wind Knows My Name as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Isabelle Allende is truly one of the great writers of our time, a strong recommendation in itself. What I found particularly thrilling about this book, however, was the way she shed light on how authoritarianism and fascism are disproportionately devasting for the most vulnerable among us – children.

By weaving together narratives about the displacement of and harm to children during the Nazi holocaust and under the brutal immigration policies of President Trump, Allende provokes outrage and inspires compassion.

I was very moved by the way the author combined the story of the old man who had escaped Germany on Kindertransport with the young girl in the migrant shelter.

The young girl's voice is especially heartfelt, and the relationship between these two people, who both lost so much in their lives, was rendered very poignantly, showing how–even in dark times–we can find solace through connection. 

Isabel Allende is one of my favorite authors. She once again writes poignantly about political violence in Latin America and the plight of two victims, presenting sympathetic characters in a tightly woven plot.

The two victims are from Latin America — Allende’s “home turf.” We meet Leticia, whose father swam across the Rio Grande while Letitia clung to his back, and Anita Dias, who survived the hazardous trip only to be separated from her mother (who was deported) when they reached Nogales (Arizona).

The third character’s narrative was similarly compelling. As a child, Samuel Adler escaped the Nazis on a…

Shahrazad's Gift

By Gretchen McCullough,

Book cover of Shahrazad's Gift

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author Traveler Lover of the quirky Cairene Texan

Gretchen's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Shahrazad’s Gift is a collection of linked short stories set in contemporary Cairo — magical, absurd, and humorous.

The author focuses on the off-beat, little-known stories, far from CNN news: a Swedish belly dancer who taps into the Oriental fantasies of her clientele; a Japanese woman studying Arabic, driven mad by the noise and chaos of the city; a frustrated Egyptian housewife who becomes obsessed by the activities of her Western gay neighbor; an American journalist who covered the civil war in Beirut who finds friendship with her Egyptian dentist. We also meet the two protagonists of McCullough's Confessions of…

Shahrazad's Gift

By Gretchen McCullough,

What is this book about?

Shahrazad's Gift is a collection of linked short stories set in contemporary Cairo-magical, absurd and humorous. The author focuses on the off-beat, little-known stories, far from CNN news: a Swedish belly dancer who taps into the Oriental fantasies of her clientele; a Japanese woman studying Arabic, driven mad by the noise and chaos of the city; a frustrated Egyptian housewife who becomes obsessed by the activities of her Western gay neighbor; an American journalist who covered the civil war in Beirut who finds friendship with her Egyptian dentist. We also meet the two protagonists of McCullough's Confessions of a Knight…


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