Reading Materials

Okay, the reading list might be a little ambitious - a bit analogous to selecting class at the beginning of the semester when every class offered looks interesting. Worse case scenario is that I have to “drop some books" during the trip without reading them, but then again I’m thinking… if I’m going to sitting in the back of the truck, traveling halfway around the world, there's going to time to read. There’s only so much I can talk to my travel mates. Besides I anticipate there will be space in my storage locker on the truck. I’m not taking a lot of clothes. And of course, as I read them, I can give them, or throw them, away to reduce the load. From previous experience, finding books that I have “wanted” to read while traveling has been a problem. Not this time.

Conventional Books

The Middle East – A Brief History of the Last 2000 Years – Bernard Lewis - Recommended by Lonely Planet and Amazon.com (Comment: excellent, well worth the read)
What Went Wrong? – A Clash between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East – Bernard Lewis (comment: basically repeats many of the topics in the book listed above)
Guns, Germs, and Steel – Jared Diamond (NY Times BSL and Pulitzer Prize)(Comment: Excellent!!! Read it. I kept thinking about it, even long after having read it.)
Neither East Nor West – One Woman’s Journey through the Islamic Republic of Iran – Christiane Bird- Recommended by Trip Company (Comment: a quick read; good intro to Iranian Culture from a female prespective. Ten other travelers on the trip also read this book after I was finished.)
Freedom at Midnight Lapierre and Collins The story of India's independence struggle, also covers the history and culture of the sub-continent – Recommended by Trip Company (Comment: good intro to India's independence)
Danziger's Travels - Beyond Forbidden Frontiers Nick Danziger- Recommended by Trip Company (Comment: book sucked. I don't like travelogues, and this book, once again, confirms it.)
The Operator – David Geffen (Biography) by Tom King (Comment: interesting guy - quite the deal maker)
An Unquiet Mind – A Memoir of Moods and Madness - Kay Redfield Jamison (Comment: it gave me a better understanding of manic/depression)
The Denial of Death – Ernest Becker (Pulitzer Prize) (Comment: excellent book, highly recommended)
Red Azalea -Anchee Min (Comment: it wasn't quite what I expected, nevertheless a quick read and an alternative perspective on China's history.)
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China: Jung Chang (Comment: a must read if you're visiting China)


Audio Books

Buddha – Karen Armstrong
Islam, A Short History – Karen Armstrong
History of the Arab People – Albert Hourani
Kiekegaard – Paul Strathern
Best Guide to Eastern Philosophy and Religion – Diane Morgan
One God, Three Faiths: Judaism, Christianity, Islam – F. E. Peters

Guide Books

Southeast Asia- Lonely Planet
China – Rough Guide
Middle East - Lonely Planet
India - Lonely Planet
China - Lonely Planet
Tibet - Lonely Planet
Istanbul - Lonely Planet


Books I purchase while traveling and read.

Throwback by Tom Sharp (Comment: don't waste your time reading this book. It's about how stupid people cheat and are mean to each other.)
Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks (Comment: mildly entertaining)
Children of the Cambodia’s Killing Fields: Compiled by Dith Pran
Mandate of Heaven: The Legacy of Tiananmen Square and the Next Generation of China’s Leaders by Orville Schell (Comment: somewhat verbose, but insightful. A good intro to China's more recent history.)
Mao Zedong: Man, Not God by Quan Yanchi
The Chinese Revolution 1800-1985 by John King Fairbank
Wings of Fire: An Autobiography by A.P.J. Abdul Kalan with Arun Tiwari (Comment: inspiring)
The Essence of Hinduism by R.V. Bhasin (Comment: mostly facts)
Lady from Isan by Michael Schemmann (Comment: this book was realy badly edited, however the story was compelling, in a sad way.)
The Coming Collapse of China by Gordon Chang (Comment: I kept reading this book with the intent to learn how and why China was going to collapse, as per the title suggests. However, even after finishing the book I was no closer to finding out how and why China was going to collapse.)


Books I took with me but didn't read.

A History of Arab People – Albert Hourani - Recommended by Lonely Planet and Amazon.com
The History of God – Karen Armstrong (Almost finished, need to finish last few chapters) (Comment: never got around to finishing this book)
The History of the Bible – Incredible Adventure 4000 years into the Past to Reveal the Historical Foundations of the “Book of Books” (quotes added by me) – Werner Keller
The Sickness unto Death – Soren Kierkegaard