We all daydream of lying on a beach or dangling in a hammock, reading a book as we pass lazy days in paradise. But when it comes down to it – what should that book be?
When I’m travelling I love to learn more about a country – its history, its culture. It makes the whole experience more immersive, more genuine. Reading is the best way to learn.
There is a beautiful sharing culture when it comes to books on the road. Unless you have an e-reader, you can only really carry one book at a time, which leads to people passing well-worn, dog-eared novels on to strangers, or at least recommendations.
Based on all of those swaps and conversations, here’s a list of the top books to read while you’re traveling around Asia:
Vietnam – Catfish and Mandala by Andrew Pham
There are many great books to read while exploring Vietnam. The Girl in the Picture is iconic and powerful, and 2016 Pulitzer Winner The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen is a satirical feast, but Catfish and Mandala is my number one recommendation. You really won’t want it to end. It makes you think, laugh and feel all at once.
Catfish and Mandala is an eloquent and entertaining insight into the conflicted mind of Andrew Pham, who left Vietnam as a young boy fleeing the War. He ended up in America, as many did, and forged a new life in a completely alien world. Pham retells his tough American experience as well as his return to Vietnam as an adult. In cycling the length of the country, he reconnects with his past and negotiates his identity – having struggled as an outsider in America, he is similarly outcast in Vietnam, where he is considered a traitor.
This book is a great portrayal of Vietnam’s unique and captivating culture. From the affectionate mockery of his traditional mother to the descriptions of Saigon traffic, Pham invites you to appreciate what could otherwise be frustrating, and understand what initially appears nonsensical. He has a witty clarity to his descriptions that could only come from someone who both belongs and observes simultaneously.
Seeking answers on the road, Pham goes way beyond the surface level and offers intimate reflections on his experience, with snippets of beauty that you’ll be scribbling into your journal to preserve. In this globalized world where identity is becoming ever more fluid, this is an important and rewarding book to read.
Thailand – Damage Done by Warren Fellows
Thailand is seen as a hedonists’ dream. Just think of Leonardo Dicaprio in The Beach, or Hangover II. It is accessible, affordable and liberating – you can party on beaches until sunrise, ride motorcycles without licenses, get tattoos you’ll inevitably regret – it is a veritable playground. Damage Done is a reminder that there is another side to this world, a much darker one.
Australian Warren Fellows recounts his experience inside Bang Kwang prison, known as the Bangkok Hilton, after he is caught smuggling heroin. It is as gripping as it is shocking, and it will have you turning to whoever’s closest to pass on the gory details of whatever anecdote Fellows has just shared with you. The author is repentant for his crimes, and you wouldn’t blame him after 12 years of these extreme conditions that need to be read to be believed.
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India – Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
“It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured.”
How’s that for an opening sentence?
Shantaram is somewhat of a cult classic – a literary rite of passage for the backpacking community. It is the true story of an escaped Australian convict who made his way to India in order to disappear. He doesn’t dwell on his past; the story begins in Bombay. It unravels into an unpredictable epic, full of drama played out in slums, on the set of Bollywood movies and at the hands of the Bombay mafia. There is unrequited love that will have you devouring pages, and loss that will cause you to slowly close the hefty tome in respect for the character you’ve just said goodbye to. There is opium addiction so viscerally described that you recoil in disgust but understand why, and murder that bookmarks the descent of the protagonist’s values.
But aside from the jam-packed story-line, the real star of the show here is Roberts’ descriptive narrative. Some say he’s too flowery and takes too many words to describe banal things. But I believe this is his magic. You’ll be underlining passages that you don’t want to forget. And truly I believe it goes some way to reflect the crazy diversity, vivacity and grit of the subcontinent he so clearly adores – India.
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Cambodia – The Elimination by Rithy Panh
This is a difficult book to read, but Cambodia has a difficult history to face. Nonetheless, it deserves acknowledgement and respect. Knowing the statistics of the Khmer Rouge, under whose rule 1/3 of the population were inhumanely executed in the 1970s, does not do it justice. While in the capital Phnom Penh, taking a day to visit the Killing Fields and S-21 Prison Museum are life-changing, hard-hitting experiences, and essential in this beautiful, resilient country.
In The Elimination, Rithy Panh tells his survival story. As a teenager during the Khmer Rouge’s rule, he and the family who he ultimately lost were expelled from Phnom Penh – the capital – and forced to work in labor camps. The factor that makes Panh’s book so unique is that his memories are interspersed with clips from his interview with Comrade Duch, the commander of the S-21 Prison. The coming together of victim and perpetrator is incredibly powerful, and provides a riveting yet deeply personal insight into the evil that dictated his country and turned his whole life upside-down.
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All of Asia – How NOT to be a Buddhist by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse
The image of the Buddha is almost synonymous with Asia, and has become extremely popular in the Western world. We all know someone who burns incense and wears loose tie-died clothing. It might even be you. Likelihood is, this person also has a statue of the Buddha in their room, hanging around their neck, or perhaps even tattooed onto them. Travelers, hipsters and students alike love the image and symbolism of Buddha. But do we know what the core teachings of Buddhism actually are?
This book breaks down the romantic stereotype of beads and incense, and explains the four noble truths of Buddhism – about our experience of suffering and how we can overcome it. What has made it so popular is how Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, a Tibetan Buddhist master, relates ancient Buddhist principles to contemporary life, explaining to a Western audience how to approach love and loss. It is both engaging and thought-provoking, and even healing.
Read more: Best gap year programs in Asia.
Bali – Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
How else could I end this list than with Lizzy Gilbert’s fresh, uplifting and lovable Eat, Pray, Love? You may have seen the movie, but the book is a satisfying treat in itself. It’s easy to devour with its short chapters (I love short chapters; I feel like I’m achieving more). It’s humorous and heartfelt, a story of femininity and self-discovery that makes it a nomadic Bridget Jones’ Diary.
But its final third also teaches you a lot about Balinese culture. Of how everything has a ritual, of how they believe babies to be Holy, of how difficult it is to get a straight answer. You’ll fall further in love with the rice terraces of Ubud with this modern classic in your hands.
Visit Bali on an epic tour in Indonesia.
The list goes on…
More Recommendations
The list of good books to read never ends, just like the list of destinations you’ll want to visit. Here are some more that deserve a mention:
First They Killed my Father by Loung Ung. A Cambodian autobiography that was made into a movie directed by Angelina Jolie.
Sold by Patricia McCormick. A novel (and also movie) based on the brutal but all too real world of sex trafficking in India and Nepal.
Miss Bangkok by Bua Boonmee. The account of a Thai prostitute which opens a window on the world of sex tourism, which is unfortunately rife in Thailand.
Now that you’ve got the reading material, make sure you book your trip. We have tons of amazing trips in Asia!