Thursday, December 8, 2011

The 2012 South Asian Challenge

January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012

Here it is - the moment you’ve all been waiting for (yeah, right!) - South Asian Challenge information and sign-ups for 2012!  Most of the information and requirements for the challenge have not changed from last year, so if you participated last year, you can skip the F.A.Q.  All you need to know is that you can set your own goal for the number of books to read next year - there are no longer different levels. You can scroll down to the bottom of the post for the buttons and sign-up area.

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.  Some examples:
(2) A book must be about South Asia or South Asians.  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. 
If you need some suggestions on books to read, please feel free to look at the South Asian sections of my fiction and non-fiction review databases.

Any type book qualifies, as long as it meets one of the two guidelines above - a cookbook, short story or essay collection, travel guide - feel free to be creative!

Do I need a blog to participate?

No!  Everyone is encouraged to participate.  There will be instructions on how to participate on each related post if you don’t have a blog.

Do we have to write reviews of what we read for the challenge?

No, though I’d love it if you did.  The South Asian Review Database is my attempt to collect reviews of South Asian authors from across the web - I’d love new reviews for it!

I’m not sure whether this book qualifies or not.  How can I tell?

If you can make a case for it, then it qualifies.  This challenge isn’t meant to be strict or difficult; it’s meant to broaden your reading worldview!

Additionally, sometimes it is difficult to tell whether an author is from a South Asian country because that information isn’t publicly available.  In this case, I go on instinct - if their name sounds pretty South Asian, I’d count it.

If only part of a book is about South Asia (for example, Geoff Dyer’s Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi), it still qualifies.

What dates does the challenge run?

January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012

How many books should I read for the challenge?

This is up to you! If you’ve never read about the region, you may only want to read one or two books.  If you’re very familiar with the literature or you read quickly, your goal may be higher.  All I ask is that you state your goal in your sign-up post or comment; you can feel free to change it over the course of the year.

Okay, you’ve convinced me. How do I sign up?

There is a sign up linky below. Both bloggers and non-bloggers alike are welcome to participate.

Bloggers: Write a post on your blog saying you are signing up for the challenge and include the number of books you are planning on reading.  Type your name or the name of your blog in the Name field of Mr. Linky and a permalink to your post in the URL field. Please make sure you link directly to your sign-up post and not to your overall blog address.  If you’re having trouble with the Linky, just leave a comment with a link to your post on this page and I’ll take care of it!

Non-Bloggers: Leave a comment on this post stating that you are signing up for the challenge and state your desired number of books.  I’ll take care of linking your comment up to the challenge.

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.
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