TMR’s Top 10 Must-Read Memoirs in 2025
A curated selection of memoirs for 2025 featuring captivating stories that provide deep insight into the human experience.
Books
Resilient Cartographies: Histories of the Persian Gulf
History writing opens the door for the writers and their readers to see the Persian Gulf as a connecting point rather than a delimited void.
Memories of Palestine through Contemporary Media
Malu Halasa reviews a psycho-social-virtual memoir of Palestine of both emotional and geographic proportions.
Yassini Girls—a Powerful Yet Flawed Account of Historical Trauma
Natasha Tynes reviews a Palestinian novel that thoughtfully examines intergenerational trauma, making it an insightful and worthwhile read.
No Place to Be: On Wadih Saadeh’s A Horse at the Door
Alex Tan reviews the new chronology of poems from Lebanon's bard of war and exile, Wadih Saadeh, translated by Robin Moger.
February World Picks from the Editors
Film & photography festivals, concerts, art, standup comedy, lectures...TMR World Picks run the gamut and are selected by our editors.
Radwa Ashour’s Classic Granada Now in a New English Edition
Ashour’s "Granada" trilogy arrives during the ongoing Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, and a long arc completes a circle of horror.
In Killing Gilda Yahya Gharagozlou Tells an Intriguing Iranian Tale
A review of a book that offers a portrait of a royal dynasty whose decline has significantly shaped the modern world.
Art History and the United Arab Emirates
Sophie Kazan Makhlouf challenges misconceptions that an authoritarian government precludes politically-critical cultural production.
Maya Abu Al-Hayyat’s Defiant Exploration of Palestinian Life
Zahra Hankir reviews Hazem Jamjoum's English translation of Palestinian novelist Maya Abu Al-Hayyat's novel "No One Knows Their Blood Type."
30 Recommended Books on Syria
TMR editors have compiled a list of 30 of their favorite titles on Syria, including novels, nonfiction and memoir.
“Ghosts of Farsis”—a cyberpunk story
The story is part of Hussein Fawzy's cyberpunk story collection “Graduation Project” recently published by Waziz House.
The Conqueror of Time—Egyptian Cryogenics
Nihad Sherif's 1972 novel is a pioneering Arabic sci-fi work on human cryopreservation, with prose reminiscent of Mahfouz and Taha Hussein.
Salacious Criminality—Trenchcoat Detectives, Rogues & Smoking Guns
The Arabic crime novel can't compete with more popular genres including satire, horror, or historical fiction, but that hasn't always been the case.
The Time-Travels of the Man who Sold Pickles and Sweets—an Excerpt
Ibn Shalaby, like many Egyptians, is looking for a job. Yet, unlike most of his fellow citizens, he is prone to sudden dislocations in time.