Janika Oza recommends 6 books with global themes and conflicts
The debut novelist suggests works by Abraham Verghese, Jhumpa Lahiri, and more

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
When you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission
Janika Oza's debut novel, "A History of Burning," is the story of a family. It opens in 1898, when an Indian teenager is shipped to Kenya to work and sets a fire that haunts his progeny. Among them are sisters forced to flee Uganda in 1972.
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (2009)
Verghese's third novel is a beautiful saga about Indian twin brothers coming of age in Ethiopia amid political turmoil. It's a story about betrayal, the bonds between family, and what it takes to heal. It was also the first book I read that encompassed an Indian community in East Africa, a community adjacent to mine. Buy it here.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan (2017)
A novel about displacement, making home, and the ways we come back to one another, "Salt Houses" moves from Palestine to Beirut to Boston and beyond. The way Alyan fractures the narrative across time and place, while deeply rooting us in the hearts of one family, was an inspiration for my novel. Buy it here.
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (2013)
This is the novel in Lahiri's oeuvre that is least talked about, but it's without a doubt my favorite. Set during the Naxalite uprising in India, it is unapologetically political, deeply anchored to place, and attuned to the painful, ongoing work of forgiveness. Buy it here.
Brother by David Chariandy (2017)
Set in Scarborough, Ontario, just outside Toronto, this slim novel is about two sons of Trinidadian immigrants learning to survive, love and dream in a community and city that doesn't see them. There is an aching wound at the heart of the novel, but it is also replete with joy and tenderness on every page. Buy it here.
Beneath the Lion's Gaze by Maaza Mengiste (2010)
Mengiste's first novel is a story of complicity, underground resistance and survival set during Ethiopia's 1974 revolution. The intimacy and the power of the love between friends and family members in this novel breaks and mends my heart each time I turn to it, which is often. Buy it here.
Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work by Edwidge Danticat (2010)
The only nonfiction work on this list, Danticat's book blends memoir and essay to examine the necessity of bearing witness, writing against silencing, and what it means to be an artist in exile. "Create dangerously, for people who read dangerously," she writes — a call to action that I will always return to. Buy it here.
This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Why New York City was caught off guard by flash flooding
Talking Point Is climate change moving too fast or are city leaders dragging their feet?
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Today's political cartoons - October 2, 2023
Monday's cartoons - Biden's EV plan, the Senate dress code, and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
What is Rep. Matt Gaetz's endgame?
Today's Big Question The MAGA congressman loves to sow chaos, but there might be more to his latest moves than just disruption.
By Rafi Schwartz Published
-
6 thrilling reads chosen by Ken Follett
Feature The historical novelist suggests works by Frank Herbert, Charles Dickens and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
Etaf Rum recommends 6 empowering reads centered around women
Feature The author suggests works by Zora Neale Hurston, Sylvia Plath and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
Jeff Daniels suggests 6 books that informed his writing and acting
The star recommends works by Gabriel García Márquez, Shelby Foote and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
6 books to get cozy with this fall
The Week Recommends A cornucopia of literary greatness awaits this autumn
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Peter Heller recommends 6 poetic reads for prose lovers
feature The award-winning adventure writer suggests works by Beryl Markham, Ada Limón and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
5 illuminating books about the video game industry
Speed Read Cozy up with a few reads that dig into some of the most fascinating parts of video game history
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Andrew Lipstein's 6 favorite books that combine wealth and humanity
feature The author recommends works by Hernan Diaz, Charles Dickens and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
Tom Rachman chooses 6 books to read before you die
feature The author suggests works from George Orwell, Virginia Woolf and more
By The Week Staff Published