Tuma's Books
Reading for Charity: Yemen
Reading for Charity: Yemen
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For April 2024, we are amplifying the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. After nine years of war, Yemen remains one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. An estimated 4.5 million people—14 percent of the population—are currently displaced, most of whom have been displaced multiple times over a number of years.
Access to Yemeni literature for English-speaking readers is limited, so it was a challenging finding titles for you this month. But I'm happy to have found two that I believe will be amazing and powerful reads.
- The Wild Fox of Yemen: Poems by Threa Almontaser
- The Fox Hunt: A Memoir of Yemen and my Odyssey to America by Mohammed Al Samawi
20% of all sales from these titles will be donated to Yemen Aid, a nonprofit organization based in both the US and Yemen. Founded by Yemeni-Americans, the mission of Yemen Aid is to ensure the "Every Yemeni is self-sufficient and has access to clean water, healthcare, education and economic opportunities."
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ABOUT THESE BOOKS BY YEMENI AUTHORS
The Wild Fox of Yemen: Poems by Threa Almontaser (Paperback)
By turns aggressively reckless and fiercely protective, always guided by faith and ancestry, Threa Almontaser's incendiary debut asks how mistranslation can be a form of self-knowledge and survival. A love letter to the country and people of Yemen, a portrait of young Muslim womanhood in New York after 9/11, and an extraordinarily composed examination of what it means to carry in the body the echoes of what came before, Almontaser's polyvocal collection sneaks artifacts to and from worlds, repurposing language and adapting to the space between cultures. Half-crunk and hungry, speakers move with the force of what cannot be contained by the limits of the American imagination, and instead invest in troublemaking and trickery, navigate imperial violence across multiple accents and anthems, and apply gang signs in henna, utilizing any means necessary to form a semblance of home. In doing so, The Wild Fox of Yemen fearlessly rides the tension between carnality and tenderness in the unruly human spirit.
The Fox Hunt: A Memoir of Yemen and my Odyssey to America by Mohammed Al Samawi (Paperback)
Born in the Old City of Sana'a, Yemen, to a pair of middle-class doctors, Mohammed Al Samawi was a devout Muslim raised to think of Christians and Jews as his enemy. But when Mohammed was twenty-three, he secretly received a copy of the Bible, and what he read cast doubt on everything he'd previously believed. After connecting with Jews and Christians on social media, and at various international interfaith conferences, Mohammed became an activist, making it his mission to promote dialogue and cooperation in Yemen.
Then came the death threats: first on Facebook, then through terrifying anonymous phone calls. To protect himself and his family, Mohammed fled to the southern port city of Aden. He had no way of knowing that Aden was about to become the heart of a north-south civil war, and the battleground for a well-funded proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. As gunfire and grenades exploded throughout the city, Mohammed hid in the bathroom of his apartment and desperately appealed to his contacts on Facebook.
Miraculously, a handful of people he barely knew responded. Over thirteen days, four ordinary young people with zero experience in diplomacy or military exfiltration worked across six technology platforms and ten time zones to save this innocent young man trapped between deadly forces-- rebel fighters from the north and Al Qaeda operatives from the south.
The story of an improbable escape as riveting as the best page-turning thrillers, The Fox Hunt reminds us that goodness and decency can triumph in the darkest circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
Review the answers to common questions and concerns or contact us.
What is the Monthly Diverse Reads service?
Each month, choose from a carefully handpicked selection of books by diverse authors that you likely haven't heard of before, intended to broaden your horizons and expand your perspectives with diverse reads! Let Tuma do the hard work of finding you the best reads to diversify your reading list.
Each shipment includes: the book(s) of your choice, packed with branded freebies, bookmarks, and a personalized note handwritten from Tuma.
There is a one time, subscribe, pre-pay, and Mystery book club options to suit everyone.
What are Bargain Books? Can you share more about Used Books?
Bargain Books are unsold overstock books returned to publishers from big box stories like Target, BJs, or Costco. They are marked as "reminders" with a small dot or slash across the pages.
These books can then be repurchased by indie bookstores, like Tuma's Books, at huge discounts that can be passed onto their customers, like you!
There may be stickers or light scuff marks, which I will indicate in the condition. However, Bargain Books are generally in like-new condition. Any minor defects do not take away from the reading experience. Books are also carefully dusted/ wiped/ disinfected because sometimes they arrive a little dusty having been sitting on shelves for a while.
It's an affordable way to diversify your reading that I'm happy to offer.
Quantities for Bargain Books are very limited. Grab the titles you want most as soon as you see them listed, as books may or may not be restocked quickly at that price. It depends on what's available from the distributors.
If you have additional questions about Bargain Books, please email me at info@tumasbooks.com.
Used Books are sold from Tuma's personal book collection. Often bought new and gently read once. They may have post-it tabs or light underlining in pencil.
Any books that are in less than great condition will be marked down even more and noted, so you can shop confidently. If you have ANY concerns about the condition of a book, please email, text, or DM me for additional photos.
Bargain and Used Books are final sale. No returns, refunds, or exchanges.
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Yes! I want to make shopping with me as easy and worry-free as possible. Shipping for monthly subscriptions is free. We also offer free shipping promotions throughout the year. Sign up for our newsletter so you never miss one.
While we hope you love all of our items, we are happy to email you a return label free of charge. See our full policy for more details.
Do you offer international shipping?
As a very small business, I don't have the monthly shipping volume required by carriers to get the best discounts that could be passed onto customers. What that means is that shipping worldwide is expensive for customers. If you are able to pay the shipping costs, I am happy to ship your book. You will see the calculated costs when you are checking out.
Where do books ship from?
Since I don't have a physical location, my main in-house inventory are Monthly Diverse Reads titles, Bargain Books, and Blind Date with a Book. In order to bring you a wider selection of diverse books, I've partnered with Bookshop.org to fulfill orders.
Books from the distributor typically ship in 1-3 business days in brown packaging and arrive within 2-9 business days via USPS Media Mail, unless you select Priority Shipping, which is 1-3 business days. Books usually arrive much faster than these estimates.
If I have a book in-house, I will ship it within 3-5 business days, in a purple bubble mailer. (I am also a full-time teacher, so thank you in advance for your patience.) If you have questions, please reach out to me at info@tumasbooks.com or 347-470-0085 (text).
I've tracked my order, but it says, "Shipping label created, USPS awaiting item." What does this mean?
It can mean a few things. One, that I've prepared your package and purchased postage but haven't taken a trip to my local post office yet.
Or two, I've dropped off your package, but my local post office hasn't scanned it yet. Sometimes, when there are too many packages, 1-2 might not be scanned before being loaded onto delivery trucks. Typically, it may scan at a later delivery point in a few days or sometimes not until it's been delivered.
Or three, it's been lost in the mail. USPS is generally reliable (in terms of getting our mail to us...eventually) so this is often not the case. Packages are usually delayed and not lost. However, if you have not received your package within 12 business days, please email me at info@tumasbooks.com and I will investigate. If needed, rest assured that you will receive an immediate refund or replacement if I find that the package has been likely lost in the mail.
I entered the wrong shipping address. Can you help?
I can change the shipping address as long as the order hasn't been shipped. I work fast to get your items to you quickly, so hurry! Send me an email as soon as you can at info@TumasBooks.com. Once the order has been shipped, it's unfortunately out of my hands. You can contact your local post office/delivery service for help.
Where's the rest of my order?!
I conduct my business out of my home office. So, I don't have all older monthly book club titles readily in stock. Most books ship from a fulfillment warehouse and store merch & gifts ship directly from the supplier or a warehouse. That is why ou will receive your order in separate packages. Just keep your eye on the tracking numbers, or reach out to me at any time.
Can I add gift wrap or a gift note?
For online bookstore orders, yes! Leave a note during checkout. For bookstore merch and gifts, I ship items directly from the suppliers and am unable to provide special gift notes or wrapping. However, you can send us a message to request a special shout-out for the gift recipient on our Facebook or Instagram page.
What if my items never arrive or arrive damaged?
I want my book lovers to be happy! So, we make returns super easy. If your items arrive damaged or never arrives based on tracking information (or it's been more than 30 business days), send me an email at info@TumasBooks.com or use the contact form and let me know. I will happily help you return the product to us and offer a refund. Read our full return/refund policy for more details.
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Log into your account to see your subscriptions. Click "see more details" button. You're now able to see your current, upcoming, past shipments. Here, you can also update your order note to let me know which title you'd like next.
I have a question that hasn't been answered.
Please reach out to me. I'll be happy to hear from you. You can email me at info@TumasBooks.com. You can visit the contact page to send a message. Lastly, you can shoot me a text at 347-470-0085. I'll get back to you within 24 hours or less.