Thread by @UZAmbassador

1/ Approaching the end of the year I’m reflecting on books I read in 2022 which enhanced my knowledge of Central Asia, making me think about Uzbekistan & its neighbours in new ways. Here are 10 titles which impressed me:

2/ Atomic Steppe by @tkassenova is the gripping, real life story of Soviet nuclear testing and Kazakhstan’s campaign for nuclear disarmament. Painful but important reading.
Amazon: amzn.to/3EEi63R
Bookshop: bit.ly/3V9jToL

3/ Also from Kazakhstan, the new edition of @joannalillis’ Dark Shadows lifts the lid on many of contemporary Kazakhstan’s secrets, with new chapters on the January 2022 protests & Chinese repression of ethnic Kazakhs and others in Xinjiang.
Amazon: amzn.to/3U5TGWJ

4/ Ella Maillart’s Through Khiva to Golden Samarkand has been republished with an introduction by @edentravels. I love her evocative prose and the insight this travelogue gives us to travel in 1930s Uzbekistan.
Amazon: amzn.to/3GL5b2L
Bookshop: bit.ly/3UeMisa

5/ Poet and translator @andrewspoet’s latest work is Nodira and Uvaysiy, which makes the work of these two extraordinary 19th century women poets from Fergana accessible to an English speaking audience.
Amazon: amzn.to/3V9rx2x

6/ The Perfect Police State by @geoffrey_cain is the most terrifying and bleak read on my list, but it‘s a must-read for anyone interested in Xinjiang, human rights, and the threats posed by technology.
Amazon: amzn.to/3iieP2Z
Bookshop: bit.ly/3OFVswx

7/ I reviewed Alexander Morrison’s The Russian Conquest of Central Asia for @rsasianaffairs and was struck by the parallels between Russia’s attitude & approach to C Asia in the 19th century & to Ukraine today.
Amazon: amzn.to/3GNDO8h
Bookshop: bit.ly/3EIXyHu

8/ Not a book but a fascinating read nevertheless, the Bound for Life and Education exhibition catalogue opened my eyes to the life of Uzbek actress Sara Eshonturaeva, early Soviet photography, and the ill-fated Jadid reform movement. drive.google.com/file/d/16dkSiQ…

9/ One for picture book lovers: @scalapublishers' Story of Babur. Babur was born near Andijan & went on to establish one of South Asia’s most powerful dynasties, the Mughals.
Amazon: amzn.to/3ijRlKs
Bookshop: bit.ly/3AOWqAZ

10/ Iftikhar H Malik inspired everyone at @silkroadlitfest with The Silk Road & Beyond, his account of his lifetime of travel as a Muslim historian. The chapters on Samarkand & Bukhara were my favourites, obvs.
Amazon: amzn.to/3F6y0FW
Bookshop: bit.ly/3AOvmC2

11/ Finally, Zarifa is possibly the most important autobiography this year. @Zarifa_Ghafari was Afghanistan’s youngest female mayor. Her story is humbling but provides hope that the #futureisfemale.
Amazon: amzn.to/3U7SuSD
Bookshop: bit.ly/3F5Up6f
/end

CORRECTION: Ella Christie visited in 1910 & 1912. Ella Maillart visited in the 1930s. Serves me right for tweeting at midnight…