read a book about every country in the world

Sharon and my mother-in-law by Suad Amiry

A whizz through life in occupied Palenstine, including the changes brought in after each episode of rebellion… an incredibly easy read for an incredibly difficult situation.

The Devil Came on Horseback by Brian Steidle

Really accessible read on the crisis in Darfur from a Monitor who worked with the African Union in 2006ish. There is some debate about whether his coming forward made it harder for NGOs or other individuals to work in Sudan (though with the recent ousting of NGOs from Darfur, there’re certainly other factors that come into play). Still, even knowing that his testimony would add complications to people on the ground, is it possible to keep silent about something like genocide when no one else seems to know what’s happening? An interesting question without an obvious answer.

The Barefoot Emperor: An Ethiopian Tragedy
by Philip Marsden

The story of the first emperor to unite the Ethiopian tribes (Emperor Tewodros II), insane, great… all the general characteristics of powerful political figures. Basically a diplomatic nightmare for Imperial Britain and for the hundreds of European hostages he kept to bribe the queen into an alliance.

Quite a good read. Despotism makes for some interesting anecdotes.

Wild Grass by Ian Johnson. Three stories told by a journalist in China about land use rights, the destruction of the historic city of Beijing, and the persecution of the Falun Gong members.

Readable, interesting, though a bit dense for just before bed.

Definitely educational and while not unbiased, certainly not propaganda.

The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag
by Kang Chol-Hwan

This reeked heavily of propaganda, but was still informative and, i think, one of the few works that approaches such a detailed examination of the concentration camp system in North Korea.

Craze: Gin and Debauchery in the Age of Reason by Jessica Warner

Perhaps not as all encompassing a history as I might have chosen. It deals with the very specific time period of 1733 – 1751 and soley with the Gin Acts and the ensuing response of the public.

It was rather a litany of laws and names and dates. Not the most interesting read and, quite honestly, I feel that the contents of Appendix 1 would have sufficed, rather than havfing read the entire book.

In the Time of Madness
by Richard Lloyd Parry

As depressing as Hotel Rwanda and for the same reasons: the International Community’s inability to stand up for the little guy.

Written by a journalist with not too many personal asides, it focuses on the 98-99 period in Indonesia, Borneo, and the conflict in East Timor.

Switzerland Unwrapped: Exposing the Myths by Mitya New.

This book read like a Master’s Dissertation. It was a series of badly transcribed/translated interviews about a number of topics with randomly chosen subjects (probably the only people that were willing to do the interviews) and no true underlying theme. The subjects were so haphazard and badly organized that it was disconcerting.

I did, however, learn a great deal about the open drug scene in Zurich.

I Didn’t Do it For You by Michela Wrong.

Very good. For someone who had only vaguely heard of Eritrea, I now feel like I could recite historic events for the country through the last three centuries. A very liberal slant (which suits me to a tee, but may not suit everyone). Towards the end, I couldn’t put it down.

A worthwhile read.

A | Afghanistan | Albania | Algeria | Andorra | Angola | Antigua and Barbuda | Argentina | Armenia | Australia | Austria | Azerbaijan |
B | Bahamas | Bahrain | Bangladesh | Barbados | Belarus | Belize | Belgium | Benin | Bhutan | Bolivia | Botswana | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Brazil | Brunei | Bulgaria | Burkina Faso | Burundi |
C | Cambodia | Cameroon | Canada | Cape Verde | Central African Republic | Chad | Chile | China | China: Hong Kong | China: Macau | China: Taiwan | Colombia | Comoros | Congo | Costa Rica | Côte d’Ivoire | Croatia | Cuba | Cyprus | Czech Republic |
D | Denmark | Djibouti | Dominica | Dominican Republic |
E | East Timor | Ecuador | Egypt | El Salvador, England, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea | Estonia | Ethiopia |
F | Fijii | Finland | France | French Guiana |
G | Gabon | The Gambia | Gaza Strip | Germany | Georgia | Ghana | Greece | Grenada | Guatemala | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Guyana |
H | Haiti | Holy See (Vatican City) | Honduras | Hong Kong | Hungary |
I | Iceland | India | Indonesia | Iran | Iraq | Ireland (Eire) | Ireland (Northern) | Israel | Italy |
J | Jamaica | Japan | Jordan |
K | Kazakhstan | Kenya, Korea, North, Korea, South | Kuwait | Kyrgyzstan |
L | Laos – | Latvia – | Lebanon – | Lesotho – | Liberia – | Libya – | Lithuania | Luxembourg – |
M | Macao | Macedonia | Malawi | Malaysia | Maldives | Mali | Malta | Marshall Islands | Mauritania | Mauritius | Micronesia | Moldova | Monaco | Mongolia | Morocco | Mexico | Mozambique | Myanmar (Burma) |
N | Namibia | Nauru | Nepal | Netherlands | New Zealand | Nicaragua | Niger| Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Norway |
O | Oman |
P | Panama | Peru | Pakistan | Papua New Guinea | Palau | Poland | Portugal |
Q | Qatar |
R | Romania | Russia | Rwanda |
S | St. Kitts and Nevis – | Saint Lucia – | St. Vincent and the Grenadines – | Samoa (1) | San Marino – | São Tomé and Príncipe – | Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal | Serbia and Montenegro | Seychelles | Sierra Leone – | Singapore | Slovakia | Slovenia | Solomon Islands | Somalia | South Africa | Spain | Sri Lanka | Sudan | Suriname | Swaziland| Sweden, Switzerland | Syria |
T | Taiwan | Tajikistan | Tanzania | Togo | Thailand | Trinidad and Tobago | Tunisia | Turkey | Turkmenistan | Tuvalu |
U | Uganda | Ukraine | United Arab Emirates | United States of America | Uruguay | Uzbekistan |
V | Venezuela | Vietnam |
W: Wales, West Bank| Western Sahara |
Y | Yemen | Yugoslavia now Serbia & Montenegro |
Z | Zaire now Congo, Democratic Republic of | Zambia | Zimbabwe |

Also, Palestine isn’t in this list, but I think that it ought to be…