Fill your summer reading list with these substantial reads offering a breadth of genres, themes and perspectives
Many of the industry leaders of Asia’s Most Influential are also authors who tapped into larger audiences through the power of the written word. These six books offer but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the wealth of ideas offered by the region’s foremost thought leaders, but they make a substantial summer reading list that offer a breadth of genres, themes and perspectives.
In the mood for practical advice on turning your closet greener? Sustainable fashion advocate Christina Dean offers up Dress [with] Sense: The Practical Guide to a Conscious Closet. Similarly light but substantial, Rizal Without the Overcoat by popular Filipino historian Ambeth Ocampo is possibly one of the easiest deep reads you will encounter into the life of a historical figure. For a larger view, global strategist Parag Khanna’s Move: The Forces Uprooting Us offer an interesting view on current migration patterns.
There is no dearth of choices when it comes to fiction, especially with the sheer range of talent in Asia. In full-length novels and short-story collections, Asian fictionists tackle themes large and small, writing about human relationships, historical events, cultural identities—or all of the above, in Tash Aw's The Harmony Silk Factory, Taipei People by Hsien Yung Pai, or The Blind Earthworm in the Labyrinth by Veeraporn Nitiprapha.
Whether you choose to race through this list in the next few weeks or choose to take your time, these books will be there waiting for readers to reflect on new ideas or revisit favourite passages over and over again.
Also read: Explore the dynamic world of Asian studio art through the work of these four influential artists
The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw
Malaysian writer Tash Aw’s award-winning novel The Harmony Silk Factory explores human nature through the life of protagonist Johnny Lim, a man of humble beginnings who becomes a successful textile merchant in Malaysia. But as secrets about his past unravel, his identity comes into question: is he hero or villain? Set before and after World War II, Aw’s novel, which won the 2005 Whitbread First Novel Award and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, chronicles complex upheavals in a time of crisis.