In our final blog post of the academic year, the Library team would like to draw attention to South Asian Heritage Month. This year, SAHM begins on 18th July and concludes in the middle of the summer holidays on 17th August.
August 17th is a particularly significant date as it marks the anniversary of the Partition in 1947 - a major change in political borders which created the two independent dominions of Pakistan and India following the end of almost two centuries of British colonial rule in South Asia.
This year, SAHM have chosen the theme 'Stories to Tell' and in this spirit we have selected a range of books which we hope embody the month's central ideas of 'Celebrate, Commemorate and Educate'.
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie (STM)
Ellie Pillai is Brown by Christine Pillainaygam (STA)
Meet Me in Mumbai by Sabina Khan (STA)
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth (STM)
Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom by Sangu Mandanna (STA)
The Million Pieces of Neena Gill by Emma Smith-Barton (STA)
Asha and the Spirit Bird by Jasbinder Bilan (STA)
The Wheel of Surya by Jamila Gavin (STA)
My Story: Noor-un-Nissa Inayat Khan by Sufiya Ahmed (STA)
The Balloon Thief by Aneesa Marufu (STM)
Zara Hossain is Here by Sabina Khan (STA)
Further Reading:
The following titles are not at GCH but are worth looking out for at your public library this summer!
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (YA Contemporary)
All My Rage by Sabba Tahir (YA Historical and Contemporary)
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel (Adult Fiction, Hindu Mythology)
Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena (YA Fantasy)
Partition Voices: Untold British Stories by Kavita Puri (Biography, History)
The Family Tree by Sairish Hussain (Adult Fiction, Family)
Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi (YA Romance, LGBTQ)
The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim (YA Romance)
Recommended for schools from the SAHM website:
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
Brick Lane by Monica Ali
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
