Hassan's Book of 2013

As with the end of every year, I look back on the books that I have read.  This year, I read 51 books.  Of which, I gave 13 a “Very Good,” rating and 8 books that I would recommend as REQUIRED READING:

• 05 - Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese
• 20 - The Submission, by Amy Waldman
• 22 - The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion
• 27 - Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• 32 - Sea of Poppies, by Amitav Ghosh
• 42 - Chasing Chaos, by Jessica Alexander
• 50 - The Orenda, by Joseph Boyden
• 51 - Mornings in Jenin, by Susan Abulhawa

Having lived with these characters now, I would downgrade The Submission and The Orenda to very good (both are very good, but not quite required reading).

• Cutting for Stone is the story of (bastard) twins raised in Ethiopia, adopted, and their lives.  They are warm characters who engage with the world in an interesting way.
• The Rosie Project is told from the perspective of a professor who has Asperger’s Syndrome.  It’s a quick read, and really warm and sweet.
• Americanah is written by my favourite author.  The story of a Nigerian woman who struggles in straddling Nigeria and America.  Ultimately, it’s a love story.
• Sea of Poppies stands out as the second best book of 2013.  Telling the story of the opium industry in India.
• Chasing Chaos is the autobiography of a humanitarian relief worker.
• Mornings in Jenin is by far my favourite book of the year.  The heart wrenching story of Amal, a woman born in the shadow of Israel, in a refugee camp called Jenin.

The Hassan Book of 2013 is Mornings in Jenin, by Susan Abulhawa.

A LOOK BACK

• Hassan’s Book of 2012 was City of Thieves, by David Benioff
• Hassan’s Book of 2011 was True Notebooks, by Mark Salzman
• Hassan’s Book of 2010 was Three Day Road, by Joseph Boyden
• Hassan’s Book of 2009 was The Help, by Kathryn Sockett*
• Hassan’s Book of 2008 (and of the decade) was Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

* In retrospect, I sincerely regret selecting a book that is unintentionally racist.  That attempts to write a history of a people from an outsider’s perspective.