2011 South Asian Author Challenge

January 1 - December 31, 2011

Swapna at S. Krishna's Books is planning on hosting the South Asian Author Challenge in 2011. Here is what she writes:

Hello everyone! As the year is quietly slipping away, I wanted to go ahead and let you know about the 2011 South Asian Challenge. For those of you who participated in 2010, I hope you will agree with the changes I’ve made and sign up again. For those of you who didn’t participate, I hope you will want to learn more about South Asia through this challenge! And for those of you who don’t have a blog and have no idea what a reading challenge even is? It’s simple: I challenge you to read books about South Asia and by South Asian authors during the calendar year of 2011.

What books are eligible for the 2011 South Asian Challenge?

There are two ways for a book to qualify for the South Asian Challenge

1. A book must be by a South Asian author. For these purposes, South Asia includes the following countries: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and the Maldives. There are no limitations on what the book can be about.
   
2. A book must be about South Asia. In this case, it can be set in a South Asian country or be about South Asians living abroad. It can also be a biography or memoir of a South Asian, or of a non-South Asian traveling or working in South Asia. In this case, the author does not need to be South Asian, as long as the subject matter focuses on the region, peoples, or cultures in some way.
   

Any type book qualifies, as long as it meets one of the two guidelines above - a cookbook, short story or essay collection, travel guide, etc...AND if only part of a book is about South Asia it still qualifies.

Other guidelines:

• Everyone is encouraged to participate.
• Reviews are not required. However, there is an awesome South Asian Review Database associated with this challenge.

There are several levels of participation:

• South Asian Encounter - 1 book
• South Asian Wanderer - 3 books
• South Asian Explorer - 5 books
• South Asian Adventurer - 7 books
• South Asian Hero/Heroine - 10 books
• South Asian Guru - Over 10 books (you can set your own goal)

The FAQ page for this challenge is an awesome resource. Sign ups begin on December 1st, so watch Swapna's blog for details and buttons!