Book club moderator Gemma picked this month’s country. Can you guess which land she selected based upon these interesting facts from Facts Institute?
It’s the 10th largest country in the world.
It boasts of 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
One of its national park even has a few prehistoric rock drawings & other archaeological sites from the Neolithic age.
Speaking of rock, a big punk (rock) hit from 1982 was inspired by this country.
It’s the only country to mention two countries in its national anthem. At the time that it was adopted, the composers only intended for it to be a temporary national anthem, as it more closely resembles a battle song. However, it has remained to this day.
Following widespread cheating in school exams in 2016, the government there took the extraordinary step to block the internet temporarily. Mobile & fixed internet connections were cut for 2 hours across the entire country as children took their tests.
Despite being largely covered by desert, it enjoys a surprisingly varied climate. In some areas, the country receives almost no rain—less than 1 inch (25 mm) per year—while in others it sees up to 2.5 feet (760mm) which is more than London! Likewise, temps can range from 21F (-6°C) to over 104F (40C)!
Any guesses? What if I added on that:
There are are 2 Nobel Prize winners from there.
Its national animal is the Fennec Fox.
Petrol is cheaper than water there.
70% of the lawyers there are women, while 60% of judges are women. But this may be even more surprising when you find out this is an Arab country.
The US imported camels from there starting in the 1850s to travel west. Horses & mules couldn’t do the long trip. Camels were the pioneers’ answer since they don’t need to stop as often for water. The US military began using them as well for the same reason up until the end of the US Civil War.
So what country are we reading?
It’s the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (aka Algeria)!
Wondering what punk hit was inspired by Algeria?!? It’s 1 of my favorite bands, the Clash singing Rock the Casbah. 1 version of the story is that the Clash based the song on the Algerian freedom fighters, who would use the kasbah in Algiers as a base during the Algerian Revolution. (Kasbah or casbah = citadel.) Another version is where Rachid Taha, an Algerian musician, gave the Clash his own band’s recordings after running into them on the street. Either way, Algeria influenced punk around the world with this hit:
HAVE ANY BOOK SUGGESTIONS?
Just let us know your Algerian suggestions by Fri., June 24 11PM ET. (That’s NYC time. See it converted to your time below.)
You can comment with your suggestion below or in our online book club in Facebook.
We'll use 1 suggestion from each moderator, 1 suggestion from an admin, & 2 suggestions from book club members to compile a list of 6 books. The book judged as best will then be read.
Please note - We're specific in our books, they must:
Largely occur in the location specified unless the world/situation described is not specific to a country (e.g., sci fi, fantasy, some poetry, philosophical books, etc.)
Be written by an author born there who has spent a good portion of their life there
Exist in paperback & ebook available on both Amazon & Kindle at least in the US & hopefully elsewhere
Also, we love it when folks suggest books which are also available in audio format. While we know this isn’t always possible so it is not a requirement, it is more inclusive & something for which all of us should strive.