The Ordinary Chaos of Being Human
The second edition was designed by Camden Richards, 2024.
The Ordinary Chaos of Being Human is a collection of personal stories by people you wouldn’t ordinarily get to meet, living all over the world. Originally published by Penguin SEA in 2019, an updated second edition with additional stories was released in January 2024 in time for Galle Literature Festival and The Ceylon Literary Festival in Sri Lanka, and then online and in bookstores worldwide by the summer.
Early Praise for the 1st Edition, Penguin SEA 2019
“Anthologies highlighting Muslim voices are not anomalies in the literary spaces, but rarely do we see an anthology that attempts to compile stories across several Muslim worlds; The Ordinary Chaos of Being Human is one that manages to achieve this goal.”
Aisha Yusuff, UK on The New Arab.
“The collection manages to bring out ideas of devotion, family, and paints a comprehensive picture of the values Muslims hold dear, regardless of which part of the world they’re in, uncovering the potential and beauty of what it means not just to be Muslim, but a human, in today’s tumultuous times.”
on Bakchormeeboy.com, Singapore.
“I came to this book expecting to read stories steeped in Islamic practices and religious beliefs. Instead, I got a kaleidoscopic spread of intimate encounters, humanness all laid bare. The Ordinary Chaos of Being Human is a collection that throbs with an authentic, earnest vulnerability. It is more soul-baring dinner conversations with fascinating strangers than detached observation piece. Herein lies its strength.”
Amanda Chin @mandaisreading, Singapore.
“The stories aren’t masked in any way at all. It’s pure ugly truth about living as a Muslim in either their own country, as immigrants in western countries, and the challenges we face in embracing and practicing the religion itself.”
Aiza @biblio_mom, Malaysia.
“These tales vividly breathe into life a number of personal, intimate accounts rekindling historical events or extraordinary encounters that render a profound significance in these writers’ lives. They excellently capture the thought of collectivity and depth of us humans; that despite the vast lacuna of our differences, we are bound by similar experiences and steered by the same sentiments of compassion for one another.”
Lui @myquietnook, Philippines.
A glimpse of the stories…
Two schoolgirls in Yemen skip class, and wander into a yellow circus tent, empty except for one rusty cage. A Jordanian man spends a maddening summer in his sweaty apartment cursing his loud, ignorant neighbors. A woman in Beirut is heartsick, waiting for her kidnapped parrot to return. A young Bangladeshi-American argues with her father about her choice of boyfriend. A lady discovers the secret about the Pakistani neighbor who had stolen her birthday gifts. And an Iraqi soldier pines for an American journalist obsessed with someone else. This book is a collection of 35 soul-bearing stories by people that you might ordinarily never get to meet.