The Land of Five Towers - Softcover

Ahmad Fuadi

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9792275940 ISBN 13: 9789792275940

Publisher: Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2011

Synopsis

a novel inspired by a true story (English Edition) Synopsis: Alif had never set foot outside of West Sumatra. He passed his childhood days searching for fallen durian fruit in the jungle, playing soccer on rice paddies, and swimming in the blue waters of Lake Maninjau. His mother wants him to attend an Islamic boarding school, a pesantren, while he dreams of public high school. Halfheartedly, he follows his mother’s wishes. He finds himself on a grueling three-day bus ride from Sumatra to Madani Pesantren (MP) in a remote village on Java. On his first day at MP, Alif is captivated by the powerful phrase man jadda wajada. He who gives his all will surely succeed. United by punishment, he quickly becomes friends with five boys from across the archipelago, and together they become known as the Fellowship of the Manara. Beneath the mosque’s minaret, the boys gaze at the clouds on the horizon, seeing in them their individual dreams of far-away lands, like America and Europe. Where would these dreams take them? They didn’t know. What they did know was: never underestimate dreams, no matter how high they may be. God truly is The Listener. The Land of 5 Towers is the first book in a trilogy written by A. Fuadi—a former TEMPO & VOA reporter, photography buff, and a social entrepreneur. He went to George Washington University and Royal Holloway, University of London for his masters. A portion of the royalties from the trilogy are intended to build Komunitas Menara, a volunteer-based social organization which aims to provide free schools, libraries, clinics and soup kitchens for the less fortunate. To learn more about Komunitas Menara and their activities, check out www.negeri5menara.com

About this title

About the Author

From Journalist to Novelist, from Sumatra to America Ahmad Fuadi was born in Bayur, a small village on the edge of Lake Maninjau, West Sumatra, in 1972 . Fuadi traveled to Java to fulfill his mother’s request that he attend a religious school. At Pondok Modern Gontor (Gontor Modern Pesantren), he met kiai and ustad who were blessed with sincerity to teach knowledge of this world and the next. Gontor also taught him the simple yet powerful mantra, man jadda wajada—he who gives his all will surely succeed. Upon graduating with a degree in International Relations from Padjadjaran University, he became a journalist for Tempo magazine. His first class in journalism was done in reporting assignments under the guidance of senior Tempo journalists. In 1999, he received a Fulbright scholarship to take his master’s degree at the School of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University, USA. Venturing to Washington, D.C. together with Yayi, his wife—also a Tempo journalist—was a childhood dream come true. While studying, they were also Tempo correspondents and reporters for Voice of America (VOA). They reported on historical news, such as the 9-11 tragedy, straight from the Pentagon, White House, and Capitol Hill. In 2004, another world window opened when he received the Chevening Award scholarship to study documentary films at Royal Holloway, University of London. As a scholarship hunter, Fuadi is always enthusiastic to continue his education and find more scholarships. He has had opportunities to live and study in Canada, Singapore, USA, and the UK. This photography buff has served as the Director of Communication for The Nature Conservancy, an international conservation NGO. Currently, Fuadi is busy writing, being a speaker and motivator locally and internationally, and building a social foundation to aid in the education of the underprivileged—Komunitas Menara. Negeri 5 Menara (The Land of Five Towers) has won several awards, including the 2010 Khatulistiwa Literary Award (Long List) and the 2010 Favorite Fiction Writer and Book from the Indonesian Readers Awards. In 2011, Fuadi was awarded the Liputan6 Award SCTV for the Education and Motivation Category. Contact Fuadi: Email the author: afuadi@yahoo.com Email for invitations: contact@negeri5menara.com Twitter: @fuadi1 (use the number 1) Facebook fanpages: 1) Negeri 5 Menara (mainly in Indonesian); 2) The Land of 5 Towers (English)

Edition details

• Publisher: Gramedia Pustaka Utama
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 9792275940
• ISBN 13: 9789792275940
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 400