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Basement Books

Kaitlyn

Hi, I'm Kaitlyn! As a former English teacher, I hope to create space for collective study and conversation, where reading helps us think critically and care for each other. I'm a non-ficiton lover and self-help hater, so if that's you, come join me!

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Bindery User

Basement Books

Kaitlyn

Hi, I'm Kaitlyn! As a former English teacher, I hope to create space for collective study and conversation, where reading helps us think critically and care for each other. I'm a non-ficiton lover and self-help hater, so if that's you, come join me!

Get a Rec

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Reading the World: Albania

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Non-fiction

  • "To the Lake" by Kapka Kassabova
    By exploring on water and land the stories of poets, fishermen, and caretakers, misfits, rulers, and inheritors of war and exile, Kassabova uncovers the human destinies shaped by the lakes.

  • "Free" by Lea Ypi
    Family and nation formed a reliable bedrock of security for precocious 11-year-old Lea Ypi. She was a Young Pioneer, helping to lead her country toward the future of perfect freedom promised by the leaders of her country, the People's Socialist Republic of Albania. Then, almost overnight, the Berlin Wall fell and the pillars of her society toppled. The local statue of Stalin, whom she had believed to be a kindly leader who loved children, was beheaded by student protestors.

  • "Indignity: A Life Reimagined" by Lea Ypi

    The author of Free returns with an extraordinary inquiry into historical injustice, dignity, truth, and imagination.

Poetry

  • "Negative Space" by Luljeta Lleshanaku

    Personal biography disperses into the history of an entire generation that grew up under the oppressive dictatorship of the poet's native Albania.

  • "Haywire" by Luljeta Lleshanaku
    In Haywire she turns to the fallout of her country's past and its relation to herself and her family. Through intense, powerful lyrics, she explores how these histories intertwine and influence her childhood memories and the retelling of her family's stories.

Fiction

  • "A Girl in Exile" by Ismail Kadare
    A Girl in Exile, first published in Albanian in 2009, is set among the bureaucratic machinery of Albania's 1945-1991 dictatorship. While waiting to hear whether his newest play will be approved for production, playwright Rudian Stefa is called in for questioning by the Party Committee. A girl - Linda B. - has been found dead, with a signed copy of his latest book in her possession.

  • "The Palace of Dreams" by Ismail Kadare
    A dystopian novel often interpreted as a critique of totalitarian regimes.

  • "Misinterpretation" by Ledia Xhoga

    In present-day New York City, an Albanian interpreter reluctantly agrees to work with Alfred, a Kosovar torture survivor, during his therapy sessions. Despite her husband’s cautions, she soon becomes entangled in her clients’ struggles.


    🗺️If you want to see more book recommendations from all the countries in the world, check out my Reading the World Spreadsheet.

    And if you want to support this project, consider becoming a paid member of my Bindery!

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