BOOK TRANSLATION PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT FOR

UNCLAS AMMAN 001035

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IIP/G/NEA/SA (SCOTT); NEA/PPD (BENZE,
AGNEW)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KIRC KPAO OIIP OPRC JO
SUBJECT: BOOK TRANSLATION PROGRAM ANNUAL REPORT FOR
FY-05

REF: STATE 6778


1. Summary: Embassy Amman's Arabic Book Program
translated and published nine titles by American
authors in Arabic during FY-05. We sent out over
10,000 books to libraries and American Corners.
Through the program, the publishers we work with
printed a total of 22,500 copies of those titles and
sold over 30% of those books commercially.


2. Listed below is each book title, author and the
retail price that the publisher charged.

1) "Crescent" by Diana Abu Jaber, $5.60
2) "Watching the Wind" by Suzan Collin Marks, $3.50
3) "Let It Shine" by Andrea Davis Pinkney, $7.50
4) "A Journey to Paradise" by Anne Siberell, $4.90
5) "Bravo, Brava! A Night at the Opera: Behind the
Scenes with Composers, Cast and Crew" by Anne
Siberell, $4.90
6) "Culture and Democracy in the United States:
Studies in Ethnicity" by Horace M. Kallen, $4.20
7) "Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in
International Politics" by Margaret E. Keck and
Kathryn Sikkink, $7.00
8) "Natural Resources and Violent Conflict: Options
and Actions," a World Bank Book, $5.60
9) "The Right to Tell: The Role of Mass Media in
Economic Development," a World Bank Book, $8.50


3. The Arabic Book Program publically launched and
promoted six of the FY 05 titles. The program hosted
two speakers, Diana Abu Jaber, author of "Crescent"
in November 2004 and Anne Siberell, author of "A
Journey to Paradise" and "Bravo, Brava! A Night at
the Opera: Behind the Scenes with Composers, Cast
and Crew" in June 2005. The program also organized a
Digital Video Conference for women activists from
Jordanian NGOs with Dr. Kathryn Sikkink author of
"Activists Beyond Borders" in November 2005. The
title "The Right to Tell" was launched in March 2005
through a media workshop with leading journalists
and media figures in the Jordan. The program also
organized a book reading for schoolchildren at a
children's bookshop in Amman to launch the title
"Let it Shine." All those events witnessed excellent
turn out and reached out to two important mission
target groups: youth and civil society.


4. The Arabic Book Program sent out a total of
10,273 books to libraries and American Corners in
the region. Out of this number, we provided
approximately 5000 books to all the regions in Iraq,
as well as to African posts such as Dakar and
Bamako. The program arranged for the display of our
titles at the major book fairs in Cairo, Casablanca,
Tunis, and Damascus. We constantly receive book
orders and hear positive feedback from posts.


5. Our book publishers report that to date they have
sold over 30% of the above titles.


6. For further information, please contact Arabic
Book Program Specialist Ruba Hattar, Tel: 962-6-590-
6050, Fax: 962-6-590-0121, E-mail:
hattarrh@state.gov. You can also check our page on
the Amman Embassy website:
http://amman.usembassy.gov.

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