International Alum Library
- MH Global Alum Alliance
- Mar 1, 2017
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 23, 2025
A collection of books written by international MHC alums
Mount Holyoke alums love reading and writing! This collection includes works written by members of our international alums community. This list is by no means exhaustive, as it includes recently published books or older books recommended by fellow alums.
Help us add to this collection by mailing any suggestions to MHGlobalAA@gmail.com.
Marcia C. Schenck '09 - Germany
Global History Dialogues: Border-Crossing aims to provide a platform for showcasing the role that oral history can play in diversifying the vantage points from which, about which, and through which we approach global history. Border crossing is conceptualized as extending beyond the mere physical act of traversing administrative and political boundaries. It encompasses social, and cultural, real and imagined, material and intellectual crossings, providing a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted nature of border dynamics.
Marcella Croce â72 - Italy
A book focusing on the beautiful villages dotting the Italian region of Sicily. Discovering them means discovering all the facets of this fascinating region, rich in history, tradition, culture, and breathtaking landscapes. (Italian language only).
A family saga set in Greece that highlights the magic of language and the cycle of generations.
An intimate book that pays a touching, delightful homage to the conspiracy between a daughter and her parent.
Read more about Kiki at https://www.kikidenis.com/ and read Kiki's In the Spotlight interview about her life and the impact Mount Holyoke College had on her.
Kristin Louise Duncombe '91Â - France
A powerful coming-of-age story twice: once when a little girl grows up too fast, and a second time, in middle age, when the woman she has become finally heals.
Read more about Kristen at https://www.kristinduncombe.com/ and read Kristen's In the Spotlight interview about her life and the impact Mount Holyoke College had on her.
Liz Fenwick â85 â UK
A glorious sweeping novel full of intrigue and passion from the âqueen of the contemporary Cornish novelâ. NOTE â the book has a MHC connection!
A brand-new unforgettable and heart-warming escapist novel set in Cornwall. A "sweeping story of love, loss and finding the courage to be true to your true self".
Read more about Liz at https://www.lizfenwick.com/
An illustrated childrenâs book about a little girl who feels that magical things happen to her when she is wearing the socks knitted by her grandmother. This is a story is dedicated to grandparents and their powerful love.
Read more about Magdalena at https://mgieva.medium.com/
Mariam N. Ottimofiore â05 -Pakistan/Portugal
A guidebook for those who are moving abroad with their family and kids, adding different cultures and languages to their lives. NOTE â one scene takes place at MHC!
A rich and multi-layered story about three women (one of them a MHC graduate!) who are thrown together by happenstance in Portugal.
Read more about Mariam at https://www.mariamnavaidottimofiore.com and read Mariam's In the Spotlight interview about her life and the impact Mount Holyoke College had on her.
Karen (Loeb) Sharpe â67 â France
Compiled and edited by Karen Sharpe, this book provides a a highly accessible survey of Assangeâs philosophy and politics, conveying his views on how governments, corporations, intelligence agencies and the media function.
Tahmima Anam â97 â Bangladesh/UK
A powerful character study about newlyweds who build an app that replaces religious rituals and soon find themselves running one of the most popular social media platforms in the world.
Ayesha Harruna Attah â06 â Senegal
Shortlisted for the 2010 Commonwealth Writers Prize, Best First Book, it follows three generations of women in Ghana as they cope with family, love, and life.
A charming rom-com about one woman learning to fall in love in one of the most magical cities on Earth.
Read more about Ayesha at https://www.ayeshaattah.com/
Lan Cao â83- Vietnam/USA
Family in Six Tones â A Refugee Mother, an American Daughter
A dual first-person memoir by the acclaimed Vietnamese American novelist and her thoroughly American teenage daughter. Lan Cao was one of the commencement speakers at MHC in May 2023.
Read more about Lan at https://lancaoauthor.com/
Sabina Murray â89 â Philippines/US
A blistering novel that follows a Filipino American journalistâs return to dictatorship-ruled Manila.
A wry and spooky set of ghost stories, replete with original illustrations.
Read more about Sabina at https://www.sabinamurray.com/
Violet Kupersmith â11 â Vietnam/US
Feverishly energetic and playfully creepy, an unforgettable book that hurtles through the ghostly secrets of Vietnamese history. A book that brings to life a century of Vietnamâs history and folklore.
Read more about Violet at https://www.violetkupersmith.com/
Grace Yoon â07 â Korea/US
The first book focusing specifically on Korean herbalism and ancestral healing practices. Grace and her book were featured in the Winter 2023 edition of the Alum Quarterly!
Rita Banerji â90 â India
A collection of poems in from the personal diaries the author has kept over the last twenty-five years. They are about the emotional turbulence of her life, her journey for identity and self, and her search for a home amidst constant re-locations across towns and countries.
NOTE: One of the poems is titled âRoad to South Hadleyâ and it elaborates on her experiencing the feeling of âhomeâ for the first time in her life.
Read more about Rita at https://ritabanerji.wordpress.com/
Anjum N. Choudhury â15 â Bangladesh
A book that weaves in myth and folklore to bring readers a lyrical story with strongly etched characters.
Shoba Narayan â87 â India
A witty and tender story that endears readers to Indian culture and one of their most sacred symbols, the cow. The book immerses the reader in the culture, customs, myths, religion, sights, and sounds of a city in which the twenty-first century and the ancient past coexist like nowhere else in the world. Read more about Shoba at https://shobanarayan.com/
A series of essays, which gives visitors and new Bangaloreans a taste of what it means to live in Indiaâs most genteel and cosmopolitan city.
Athena Kashyap â91 â India
A remarkable collection of poems that explores issues relating to women, especially in India. These mythical and magical poems explore the duality of nature, the sacrifices that women make daily and the deeper societal ills that affect women.
Samhita Arni â08 â India
An eloquently written book that is a re-imagination of a famous Tamil epic.
