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I sorted through my reading of the past year and noticed a few themes. One is Contemporary Immigration stories.

House of Sand & Fog by Andre Dubus III. This was the first Oprah suggestion that I followed. Also the best.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Everyone knows this one and it's sequel.

A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. By Ishmael Beah. This was heavily promoted by Starbucks. Brutal story about a boy who enslaved and drugged to fight in the war in Rwanda until he is rescued by Aid workers. True story.

Sold. By Patricia McCormick. This novel tells how a girl ends up as a sex slave in Calcutta. She, like the boy soldier slave in A Long Way Gone, is rescued by American aid works. Unlike the others, it doesn't end with her in the US: she's back with her family.


Am I the only one who seems to read in themes? Another recent theme was a pair of books on religion. Actually, I bought 4 but I found 2 of them to be unreadable.

The best contemporary immigration novel I've read recently is Dave Eggers' "What Is The What", which is loosely based on the experiences of a Sudanese man who flees his native land in the midst of the civil war, lives in deplorable conditions as a refugee in neighboring African countries, and finally arrives in the U.S. (where he is robbed, tied up, and held at gunpoint by theives who prey on new immigrants). It's an excellent book and I highly recommend it!

House of Sand & Fog by Andre Dubus III. This was the first Oprah suggestion that I followed. Also the best.

House of Sand and Fog was one of the few books that managed to make me cry. Superb story.

I've read quite a few too, but do you think I can think of any just now?