Asian Booklist: August 2024
Discover new books by British-Asian authors
Update from Kia
Hello,
Just a quick one this month as I’m hurtling towards my 5th August book deadline. I’ve been mostly at my desk with occasional outings to enjoy the sun. I’ll be back next month with a proper update!
Kia x
Asian Booklist is – and always will be – free but if you find it useful, please upgrade your subscription to help with our running costs.
New books by British-Asian authors
1 August 2024
What’s in a Name?: Friendship, Identity and History in Modern Multicultural Britain
Our names are so mundane, we hardly notice them. Yet behind each one lie countless stories: of belonging and persecution, colonialism and resistance, cultural inheritance and conflicted identity. In this intimate exploration of British multiculturalism, Sheela Banerjee traces the personal histories of friends and family through their names. Spanning centuries and continents – from west London to India, 1960s Jamaica to pre-Revolutionary Russia […]
1 August 2024
The Twirly Wiggly Dance
Based on debut author Farrah Riaz's own childhood experiences comes The Twirly Wiggly Dance, a relatable story about dancing to your own beat set against the celebratory backdrop of a South-Asian Muslim wedding, bursting with colourful illustrations by Navya Raju. Little Intisar has a BIG job at her Auntie Mahira's wedding: she's going to dance in the group performance. […]
1 August 2024
Dream Hunters
Set in a fantasy, reimagined India where dreams can be captured and bottled, young Mimi Malou must go on a quest to save the king and rescue her parents. A gorgeous adventure dripping in magic from debut author Nazima Pathan, perfect for fans of Starfell, The Hatmakers and The Kingdom Over the Sea. […]
22 August 2024
The Exiled: The incredible story of the South Asian exodus from Uganda to the UK in 1972
Uganda, August 1972. President Idi Amin makes a shocking pronouncement: the country's South-Asian population is being expelled. They have ninety days to leave. After packing scant possessions and countless memories, 50,000 people stepped into the unknown, with more than 28,000 of them arriving in the UK in airlifts to begin new lives here. But their incredible stories have, until now, remained hidden. […]
Books out last month
4 July 2024
Unheard: The Medical Practice of Silencing
Have you ever felt unheard by your doctor? Been frustrated that they haven't understood your symptoms, that they have neglected your concerns? When Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan was admitted to hospital as a patient she didn't receive the pain medication that she told them she needed, despite her being a senior doctor. It was in that moment she understood that something was deeply wrong with our healthcare system. Doctors aren't listening. […]
4 July 2024
The Voyage of Sam Singh
In Gita Ralleigh's second magical middle grade adventure set in a parallel colonial India, land-pirate Sam Singh sails to an isle teeming with spirits and secrets on a perilous journey to find the truth. Sam's older brother, Moon, has been missing for three long years. Moon is a skilled thief, but Sam fears Moon's luck has finally run out. It's rumoured he's held in the Octopus, a notorious prison […]
4 July 2024
Dr Chintal’s Kitchen: Quick, easy, healthy meals the whole family will love
Make everyday cooking and eating at home as enjoyable and nourishing as possible, with accessible, affordable and tasty recipes the whole family will love. Specifically developed with challenges such as different tastes and diets, tight budgets and a lack of time in mind, Dr Chintal’s Kitchen takes the guesswork out of meal planning. […]
4 July 2024
Playing Games
The remarkable debut novel from critically acclaimed writer Huma Qureshi: a poignant story of art and sisterhood, family, marriage and betrayal. Hana has a perfect job, a perfect home, a perfect marriage. It is her younger sister Mira who is a mess. But Hana wants children and her husband is hesitating, and perhaps her control is slipping. Mira dreams of a creative life but she's stuck working at a local café. […]
4 July 2024
Overland
It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime: the open road, London to Kathmandu, just three young people looking for adventure. No one could have predicted the way it ended, and for fifty years the truth has been buried. But now, Joyce is ready to tell her story. London, 1970. Fresh out of a dead-end job, Joyce answers an ad in the local paper: Kathmandu by van, leave August. Share petrol and costs. […]
15 July 2024
Flash Fusion: Selected stories, interviews and prompts from writers of South Asian heritage
An anthology of flash fiction and conversations on craft with South-Asian writers. This is a unique collection of flash fiction, writing prompts, and interviews by and about talented writers of South-Asian heritage. The stories range from math problems to the moon, from food to families, and everything that makes people want to share part of themselves. […]
18 July 2024
All The Houses I’ve Ever Lived In: Finding Home in a System that Fails Us
We've all had our share of mould, dodgy landlords and awkward house shares. But Kieran Yates has had more than most: by the age of twenty-five she'd lived in twenty different houses across the country. In her coming-of-age memoir, she charts the heartbreaks and joys of a life spent searching for home. Sparkling with warmth and wit, this is a story of finding beauty in our interiors, friendships in cramped flats, and home even in the most fragile circumstances. […]
18 July 2024
Breathe: Seven Ways to Win a Greener World
Fatalism. Apathy. Cynicism. Deprioritisation. Hostility. Cost. Gridlock. When green campaigners and politicians lose the debate, this is why. Now, the Mayor of London draws on a decade in the corridors (and cycle lanes) of power to explain how, in practice, to win the climate argument. His book will help create a world where we can all breathe again. […]
18 July 2024
The Centre
Welcome to The Centre. You'll never be the same. Anisa Ellahi spends her days writing subtitles for Bollywood films in her London flat, all the while longing to be a translator of ‘great works of literature’. Her boyfriend Adam’s extraordinary aptitude for languages only makes her feel worse, but when Adam learns to speak Urdu practically overnight, Anisa forces him to reveal his secret. […]
18 July 2024
The Revenge of Rita Marsh
Rita Marsh is a good person. By day, she runs a care home, looking after the elderly and infirm. By night, she's a vigilante, posing online as young girls and snaring the men who prey on them, exposing them for what they are. Rita has successfully kept her two lives separate for years. But when an old classmate returns from her past, her two worlds start to collide. […]
30 July 2024
The Real Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O’Connor achieved worldwide success as an angel-voiced, shaven-headed Irish singer of heartfelt songs, but she was far more than just a pop star. She was also an activist and a survivor. Reeling from a troubled childhood at the hands of her violent mother, she spent 18 months living in a former Magdalene Laundry due to her truancy and shoplifting, and suffered her mother’s death in a car crash – all by the age of 18. […]
30 July 2024
British Bangladeshi Muslims in the East End: The Changing Landscape of Dress and Language
Popular discourse around British Muslims has often been dominated by a focus on Muslim women and their sartorial choices, particularly the hijab and niqab. This book takes a different angle and focuses on Muslim men, examining how factors like the global war on terror influenced and changed their sartorial choices and use of language. […]
Editor’s choice
The book I’m most excited about…
Wargh! I have no time to read at the moment, but Editor’s choice will be back next month.
Visit asianbooklist.com for more upcoming books by British-Asian authors or view all the books out last year.