Synopsis: Winnie and Helen have guarded each other's secrets for over fifty years. Believing she is dying, Helen wishes to reveal everything, prompting Winnie to decide she must tell her daughter, Pearl, the truth about their shared past—something even Helen is unaware of. This leads to Winnie's recounting of her life on a small island near Shanghai in the 1920s, her experiences in China during World War II, and the events that ultimately brought her to America in 1949.

Synopsis: The Hundred Secret Senses is a novel exploring the complexities of identity and family across cultures. Olivia Laguni, half-Chinese and typically American, struggles with her patchwork family and finds her half-sister Kwan Li particularly embarrassing. Kwan, who sees the dead with her "yin eyes" and speaks in mangled English, shares her own story that delves into Manchu China’s history. Through the contrasting narratives of Olivia and Kwan, Amy Tan weaves a story that reveals the intricacies of love, loyalty, and self-discovery with poignant and vibrant prose.

Synopsis: On a rainy afternoon, three sisters long for the rain to stop and for something to do. Their grandmother, Ying-Ying, shares a tale from her childhood about the Moon Festival, when she encountered the Moon Lady, who grants secret wishes. Through her story, Ying-Ying learns that the best wishes are those you can make come true yourself. This enchanting narrative, adapted from Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club," features rich illustrations by Gretchen Schields.

Synopsis: After centuries of slavery, apartheid, and ethnocide, the silence is broken. One hundred million Dalits in India, the twentieth century's largest and most repressed minority, seek to be heard.

Synopsis: In nineteenth-century China, seven-year-old Lily forms a lifelong bond with her laotong, Snow Flower, through an emotional match. Snow Flower gifts Lily a silk fan adorned with a poem in nu shu, a secret language created by Chinese women to communicate away from men's influence. As they grow, Lily and Snow Flower exchange messages on fans and handkerchiefs, sharing their hopes, dreams, and experiences. They endure foot-binding and navigate the challenges of arranged marriages, loneliness, and motherhood. Their deep friendship provides solace until a misunderstanding threatens to sever their connection.

Synopsis: In *The Ends of the Earth*, Robert D. Kaplan explores the challenges faced by disintegrating nation-states and diverse populations across West Africa and Southeast Asia. He navigates through shantytowns in the Ivory Coast and death camps in Cambodia, engaging with refugees, border guards, and revolutionaries. This work offers a raw examination of the realities shaping future conflicts and global history.

Synopsis: The Old Capital tells the story of Chieko, the adopted daughter of a Kyoto kimono designer and his wife. Set in the traditional city of Kyoto, Japan, Chieko becomes bewildered as she uncovers the true facets of her past. Against the backdrop of time-honored customs, the story explores her longing and confusion in a deeply poetic manner.

Synopsis: Explores the plight of the Untouchables in Hindu society during the 1930s.

Synopsis: Yasunari Kawabata, a Nobel Prize-winning novelist, explores themes of loneliness, love, and the passage of time in his collection of short stories known as "Palm-of-the-Hand Stories." These works, crafted throughout his career, showcase his mastery of short fiction.

Synopsis: At just three years old, Mineko emerges from her hiding place and catches the attention of Madam Oima, the formidable owner of a geisha house in Gion. Recognizing Mineko's potential, Madam Oima takes her away from her parents to begin an extraordinary journey as a geisha. Despite her beauty and talent, Mineko faces relentless professional demands and the jealousy of her sister, who seeks to undermine her success. "Geisha of Gion" narrates Mineko's rise to fame and her eventual decision to leave the constricting life of a geisha. After centuries of silence, she finally shares her true story, revealing the realities of her life that have long intrigued the West.