Read these five handpicked books to understand the history of West Asia better

The Message is, as described by the Associated Press, “part memoir, part travelogue, and part writing primer” written by American author Ta-Nehisi Coates. In the book, Coates writes: “I don’t think I ever, in my life, felt the glare of racism burn stranger and more intense than in Israel.” The book’s longest section is Coates talking about his travels to Palestine, which reminded him how easily nationalist narratives can mislead us. He also talks  about justice being a personal war.

The never-ending war on Palestine

Rashid Khalidi’s 2020 book, The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine, focuses on a series of six “declarations of war” on the people of Palestine. The book aims to portray this war as “colonial”, one which was against the native population and was backed by the great powers of the age, Britain and the United States. The book offers a alternate view to the conflict that is still raging to this day. Khalidi’s own story and his family’s is worth the read.

Rebellion in contemporary Iran

Women without Men: A Novel of Modern Iran is a novel by Iranian author Shahrnush Parsipur that revolves around five women trying to escape societal and oppressive restrictions in contemporary Iran. These five women share a common quest for independence that may be fulfilled in a garden villa. They escape the narrow confines of family and society through a series of obstacles, only to face new challenges. Fun fact: The novel takes its title from Hemingway’s short story collection Men Without Women.

The history of Israel

Ari Shavit is a well-known Israeli journalist, and his book My Promised Land tells the story of Israel in a unique narrative. Israel is today in the middle of an existential crisis, facing both internal and external pressures. Shavit, through the means of revealing and ordinary stories of significant events, throws light on the issues and threats that Israel currently faces. The book uses past happenings to throw new light onto the current state of a country that plays a very important role in today’s global political landscape.

The women who brought change

If you’re looking to read more about the 2022 women-led protests in Iran, For the Sun After Long Nights: The Story of Iran’s Women-Led Uprising is perfect for you. After the death of Mahsa Jina Amini in September 2022 (she was arrested for not wearing her hijab properly), thousands of Iranian women protested Iran’s religious extremist regime and Fatemeh Jamalpour, a journalist, was one of them. Nilo Tabrizy, another journalist based in New York was covering these same protests knowing that this would not let her return to her birth country. The two of them co-wrote this book, talking about how they kept in touch and worked to expose what was happening. All the aforementioned books are available in all major book stores and websites.

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