What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Emperor of Gladness’
Reading “The Emperor of Gladness” felt like embarking on an emotional journey that resonated deeply with me
Updated 11 June 2025
Rahaf Jambi
Author: Ocean Vuong
As an avid reader, I often search for books that not only tell compelling stories but also touch the depths of my soul.
Ocean Vuong’s “The Emperor of Gladness’ is a book that captivated me in ways I did not expect. From its opening pages, I knew I was in for a transformative experience.
Vuong, a Vietnamese-American poet and novelist, is known for his lyrical and poignant style that explores themes of identity, family, and the immigrant experience.
His debut novel this year follows the success of his award-winning poetry collections, including “Night Sky with Exit Wounds,” which garnered critical acclaim and established him as a significant voice in contemporary literature.
Reading “The Emperor of Gladness” felt like embarking on an emotional journey that resonated deeply with me. Sometimes you do not just read a book; you bleed through it.
Vuong’s lyrical prose enveloped me, drawing me into the intricate lives of his characters. I found myself captivated by their struggles and triumphs, each story reflecting the complexities of identity and family ties.
This is my second five-star book of the year, and the magic of it still lingers, like an unsolved riddle in the back of my mind.
Vuong has a remarkable ability to weave together themes of love and trauma, striking a chord that reminded me of my own experiences searching for belonging.
His vivid imagery made me feel as if I was walking alongside the characters, experiencing their joys and sorrows firsthand.
I was particularly moved by how he portrayed the Vietnamese-American experience, capturing the nuances of culture and the weight of history. Each character felt real and relatable, navigating their paths in a world that can often feel isolating.
What stayed with me long after I finished the book was the tenderness with which Vuong approached his characters. This novel is not just a story; it is an exploration of what it means to be human, to love, and to endure.
Overall, “The Emperor of Gladness” is a beautifully crafted work that left a lasting impact on me. I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates lyrical storytelling and the exploration of identity.
What We Are Reading Today: ‘Paper: Paging Through History’
Each papermaker refined their formula to allow ink to glide but not soak, creating sheets that were durable and portable
Updated 08 July 2025
Jasmine Bager
Author: Mark Kurlansky
“Paper: Paging Through History” by Mark Kurlansky, published in 2016, is a sweeping, detailed chronicle of how paper, arguably one of humanity’s most versatile inventions, traveled from its origins in ancient China across continents and centuries to reshape civilizations.
Kurlansky, an American journalist known for his deep dives into everyday materials, traces how humans moved from parchment and silk to mulberry bark and linen rags.
Oral narrators once carried knowledge across generations; paper allowed that information to outlive them.
Each papermaker refined their formula to allow ink to glide but not soak, creating sheets that were durable and portable.
The watermark, made from a simple wire design, left a faint imprint that branded the paper. That part was owned by the papermaker, not the paper mill, and customers began choosing paper based on those marks.
Paper was introduced to Europe by Arabs, who brought refined papermaking techniques to the continent. Europeans initially hesitated to adopt paper widely because oral tradition was the preferred way to share important stories; they felt that writing it down cheapened its value.
Over time, through trade and cultural contact in regions like Andalusia and along the Silk Road, paper gradually gained acceptance and became widely used.
Kurlansky delves into how the use of paper birthed various industries. It offered people with an entrepreneurial spirit the ability to make a living.
Papermakers changed the art world, too, with the introduction of special papers, such as watercolor paper.
Paper also shifted the world of journalism: Broadsheets, magazines, pamphlets, almanacs and, of course, books became more widely available at a lower cost. Yesterday’s newspaper would also be reused to line things like bird cages or to wrap food with.
It helped popularize things like playing cards, wrapping paper, wallpaper, paper fans, greeting cards and paper money, and lent itself to important medical, legal and political documents, such as the US Declaration of Independence.
“Paper: Paging Through History” was such a captivating read that I often paused to reflect, and I told everyone around me about the book. One moment that stood out was the 19th-century French campaign in which women were encouraged to donate their old handkerchiefs and linen to papermakers, as it might one day return to them in the form of a love letter.
Today, paper remains a vital medium where thoughts, plans, and dreams are recorded.
It might seem mundane, but in an increasingly digitized world, its ability to let a narrative stand the test of time is history itself, like this very book.
What We Are Reading Today: ‘Life’s Devices’ by Steven Vogel
Updated 08 July 2025
Arab News
Life on Earth is subject to the pull of gravity, the properties of air and water, and the behavior of diffusing molecules, yet such physical factors are constraints that drive evolution and offer untold opportunities to creatures of all sizes.
With an illuminating foreword by Rob Dunn, this Princeton Science Library edition of “Life’s Devices” includes examples from every major group of animals and plants along with illustrative problems and suggestions for experiments that require only common household materials.
What We Are Reading Today: Ridding the World of Landmines
Afghanistan and Angola are two of the countries, among other nations, with a large number of landmines
Updated 07 July 2025
Arab News
Authors: Kjell Bjork
This book offers a study on how global treaties can be used to establish successful national programs concerned with mine action programs, focusing on the capacity of world governments to implement the convention on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines.
Afghanistan and Angola are two of the countries, among other nations, with a large number of landmines.
This book sets out to answer the research considering the disparate levels of success among countries committed to implementing the Mine Ban Treaty, according to a review on goodreads.com.
The Navier-Stokes equations, first derived in the 18th century, serve as an accurate mathematical model with which to describe the flow of a broad class of real fluids
Updated 07 July 2025
Arab News
Author: P. A. LAGERSTORM
Fluid mechanics is one of the greatest accomplishments of classical physics.
The Navier-Stokes equations, first derived in the 18th century, serve as an accurate mathematical model with which to describe the flow of a broad class of real fluids.
Not only is the subject of interest to mathematicians and physicists, but it is also indispensable to mechanical, aeronautical, and chemical engineers, who have to apply the equations to real-world examples, such as the flow of air around an aircraft wing or the motion of liquid droplets in a suspension.
Kendah Jambi has turned to local folklore and southern Saudi Arabia for her next novel
Updated 06 July 2025
Ghadi Joudah
RIYADH: When Saudi writer Kendah Jambi released “The Epic of Frost” in 2024, she wrapped up a fantasy trilogy that had been nearly a decade in the making.
Spanning three titles published by Adab Book — “The Voyagers” (2021), “The Historian” (2023), and “The Epic of Frost” (2024) — the trilogy reflects a growing interest in Arabic speculative fiction and highlights her steady rise within the Kingdom’s evolving literary scene.
With the series complete, the 25-year-old has turned the page with a new project: “Khalil,” a standalone novel rooted in Saudi heritage and slated for release this year.
Author Kendah Jambi sees the current moment in Saudi Arabia as particularly significant for writers, with growing cultural initiatives under Vision 2030. (Supplied/AN photo)
Reflecting on her journey, she told Arab News: “In comparison to when I first started, it has definitely become a lot easier to write and complete a novel in shorter amount of time.”
Her works have resonated with readers across Saudi Arabia who seek her out at the region’s various book fairs. Jambi said that she is touched by the kindness they express and their connection to her works. “I have young authors flooding my socials daily talking about how my work inspired them to write and stay persistent.”
HIGHLIGHTS
• Kendah Jambi’s ‘The Voyager’ fantasy trilogy gained momentum through its Manga Arabia adaptation.
• The writer’s next project ‘Khalil’ is a stand-alone novel rooted in Saudi heritage and slated for release this year.
• Her works have resonated with readers across Saudi Arabia who seek her out at the region’s various book fairs.
She added that her goal has always been “to make the world fall in love with the Arabic language.”
Jambi’s trilogy was published in Manga Arabia magazine’s print and digital versions. (AN Photo Basheer Saleh)
Her trilogy also gained momentum through its Manga Arabia adaptation, which Jambi said brought new attention to the original novels.
This, she said, brings the story full circle as “The Voyagers” was written originally to be a manga series and ended up becoming a novel.
Her advice to aspiring writers is grounded in experience: “Always chase what you believe in, no matter how long it takes. It took me seven years to write my first book, and I never regret taking my time,” she said.
Jambi’s trilogy gained momentum through its Manga Arabia adaptation, which Jambi said brought new attention to the original novels. (Supplied/AN photo)
While her earlier work leaned heavily into fantasy, her upcoming novel “Khalil” represents a shift in setting and tone.
“‘Khalil’ takes place in our modern-day Saudi Arabia across different regions. It reflects our heritage and traditions while being completely inspired by Arabian mythology,” she explained.
One such reimagining involves the folklore figure “Um Al-Saaf wa Al-Leef,” whom she described as “a witch who sits atop palm trees and eats children.”
Jambi participated in numerous book fairs in the MENA region, including the Riyadh International Book Fair. (AN Photo Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
In Jambi’s version, the character is still a deranged witch, but she does not eat children — instead, she has children named Al-Saaf and Al-Leef.
Jambi emphasized the importance of cultural accuracy in portraying southern Saudi characters, noting that her work “stays true to the people … I definitely made sure of that with help from friends native to that region.
“The characters are people whom Saudi readers can relate to as they hold similar values and have a familiar upbringing,” she added.
Explaining the shift from fantasy to a narrative more grounded in reality, Jambi said: “My pen is free and can go wherever it wants.”
She sees the current moment in Saudi Arabia as particularly significant for writers, with growing cultural initiatives under Vision 2030.
Maram Al-Samman, who read Jambi’s trilogy, told Arab News: “I see in Kendah Jambi a new and promising voice in Arabic fantasy literature … There are some moments that might lack narrative coherence, but her boldness in introducing new ideas and her creation of complex characters distinguish her work.”
Reflecting on her overall impression, Al-Samman added: “Personally, I believe her writing is worth reading, especially for those who enjoy novels that expand the imagination and open the door to deep thought.”
With the trilogy and her upcoming standalone novel sharing the same narrative universe, Jambi has created an expansive literary ecosystem where the fantastical and the familiar coexist.
