Imagine that you were trapped in a hostile country with little chance of escape any time soon and that a you have a love of books. So you decide to compile a list of titles for future reading, partly as a way of passing the time.
This is the situation for my young Afghan friend whose writings I periodically publish here.
He loves to read books in English. It helps him improve his knowledge of the language, as well as his grasp of the cultural and social values that prevail in the Western countries he hopes to visit someday.
Over the five months I have been working with him, his English skills have improved noticeably, to the point he now often helps other Afghans with their letters and applications.
So today I have an open request of anyone who reads this post.
Which works of literature or literary fiction would you recommend for him to read? Most of you have favorites, as do I. My goal is to compile a short list of ten or so “must-reads” for him.
Please either add your favorite fiction and non-fiction book in “Comments” or send to me privately and I will aggregate the results.
Thank you!
Thanks to Mary Sturges for her help with this one.
***
Mathematically this month is like no other in our lifetimes, because this February will have four days each for all seven days (M,T.W,Th,F,Sa,Su). According to Fengshui, this only happens once every 832 years.
Thanks to Tomoko Fukatsu for this one.
TODAY’s NEWS (40):
Trump reportedly directed Giuliani to press officials to seize voting machines (Guardian)
Trump advisers drafted more than one executive order to seize voting machines. (CNN)
Trump Had Role in Weighing Proposals to Seize Voting Machines (NYT)
Trump escalates racist rhetoric and plays on white grievance at recent rallies (NPR)
Pence chief of staff Marc Short questioned by Jan. 6 committee (ABC)
Trump’s Grip on G.O.P. Faces New Strains — Shifts in polls of Republicans, disagreements on endorsements and jeers over vaccines hint at daylight between the former president and the right-wing movement he spawned. (NYT)
Biden vs. Trump: The Makings of a Shattering Constitutional Crisis (Politico)
Book Bans Are Back. Here's What's In Danger. — These 14 titles have been under attack in schools for doing exactly what literature is supposed to do. (Atlantic)
4.3 million Americans left their jobs in December as omicron variant disrupted everything (WP)
The great resignation is not going away (Financial Times)
More than half of teachers are looking for the exits, a poll says (NPR)
More than 12 HBCU campuses targeted in new round of bomb threats (NBC)
FBI, ATF respond to HBCU bomb threats (Politico)
Yes, more variants may emerge in the future. That’s why we should lift restrictions now. (Leana Wen/WP)
Russia accused the West on Monday of “whipping up tensions” over Ukraine and said the U.S. had brought “pure Nazis” to power in Kyiv as the U.N. Security Council held a stormy debate on Moscow’s troop buildup near its southern neighbor. It was the first session where all protagonists in the Ukraine crisis spoke openly. The Security Council took no action. [AP]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a decree to boost his armed forces by 100,000 troops over three years and raise soldiers' pay, but said this did not mean war with Russia was imminent. Zelenskiy urged lawmakers to stay calm as he prepared to host the leaders of the Netherlands, Britain and Poland as part of efforts to defuse tension. Here's a timeline of Ukraine's turbulent history since independence in 1991. (Reuters)
Poland to provide Ukraine with arms to counter potential Russian invasion (Financial Times)
Putin offers more talks with West to defuse Ukraine tensions (AP)
Republicans lead 2022 money race as both parties hit record levels of cash on hand (WP)
Some documents in the National Archives from the Trump White House had been ripped up and needed to be taped back together to be given to lawmakers investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. The Archives noted that Trump regularly tore up papers he was finished with, according to previous reporting. [HuffPost]
First vaccine for children under 5 may be available by end of February — Pfizer and its partner BioNTech are expected to submit to the Food and Drug Administration as early as Tuesday a request for emergency use authorization, people briefed on the situation said. (WP)
Bitcoin was assailed by thousands of new 'altcoin' competitors in 2021, raising the prospect of a rapid fragmentation of the crypto market. Yet it has stemmed its loss of market share this month, and begun to regain ground, as rattled investors seek the relative safety of the biggest crypto player while they contend with an aggressive Fed and talk of war in Europe. (Reuters)
A crypto breakthrough? Western states consider taking digital currency (Politico)
The Miami Herald slammed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for downplaying a neo-Nazi demonstration in Orlando over the weekend. “Say they are abhorrent. Say they are despicable. Say they have no part in this society or this state,” the board wrote. DeSantis said they were "jackasses" and then spun questions into an attack on President Joe Biden and the Democrats. [HuffPost]
Amnesty International accused Israel of subjecting Palestinians to a system of apartheid founded on policies of "segregation, dispossession and exclusion" that it said amounted to crimes against humanity. The London-based rights group said its findings were based on research and legal analysis in a 211-page report into Israeli seizure of Palestinian land and property, unlawful killings, forcible transfer of people and denial of citizenship. (Reuters)
Taliban raised on war bring a heavy hand to security role (AP)
Thousands of Afghans Face Narrow Path to U.S. Entry — Afghans who have applied to come to the U.S. on humanitarian grounds have been denied entry, sparking confusion and finger-pointing among administration officials, lawmakers and immigration advocates. (WSJ)
Pregnant New Zealand journalist in Afghanistan can go home (AP)
We Already Have the Technology to Save Earth From a “Don’t Look Up” Asteroid (SciTech Daily)
NASA plans to take International Space Station out of orbit in January 2031 by crashing it into 'spacecraft cemetery' (Sky News)
Tesla recalls 53,822 cars because they won’t stop at stop signs (Ars Technica)
Sierra Nevada snowpack spells bad news for drought (SFC)
Next winter storm will stretch over 2,000 miles (CNN)
World record 477-mile-long lightning ‘megaflash’ confirmed over U.S. (WP)
The New York Times Co's acquisition of Wordle has created uproar on social media, with fans expressing fears that the popular online word game, which is currently free to play, might be put behind a paywall. Announcing that it had bought Wordle for an undisclosed price in the low seven figures, the Times said the game would "initially" remain free for existing and new players. (Reuters)
Scientists developing single test to detect risk of four cancers in women — Experts may be able to predict risk of developing ovarian, breast, womb and cervical cancers using cells from routine smear test (Guardian)
Tom Brady retires after 22 seasons, 7 Super Bowl titles (Instagram/AP)
Man Always Self-Sabotaging By Working To The Best Of His Ability (The Onion)
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