{"product_id":"red-like-orange-by-charles-akl","title":"Red Like Orange by Charles Akl","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn offbeat tale of creativity, friendship, and finding your voice in this uproarious journey through Cairo's music scene in the early 2000s, where everything from American rock to Egyptian popular songs cultivates big dreams\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWINNER OF THE SAWIRIS CULTURAL AWARD\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing a breakup with his long-term girlfriend, \"Local,\" as he is known to his friends, moves from Alexandria to Cairo. In his new apartment, he discovers an old accordion, while his roommate unexpectedly decides to take up the saxophone, despite never having touched one before. And so, in the blistering summer heat, the two of them, without any formal training, dive into their first musical experiment: they put his mother's cookbook to music.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlong with an eccentric assortment of acquaintances and occasional bandmates, Local crashes through his twenties and in and out of Cairo hangouts, heated debates on different music scenes, and various impromptu jam sessions and attempts at musical production.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a raucous journey through offbeat downtown Cairo in the early 2000s and the music of the era, from Mohamed Mounir to Pink Floyd. Suffused with a sardonic humor and full of hilarious observations, \u003cem\u003eRed Like Orange\u003c\/em\u003e vividly chronicles life lived just outside the mainstream.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCharles Akl \u003c\/strong\u003eis a writer and a journalist and has worked as a music producer and theater director\u003cem\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e Red Like Orange \u003c\/em\u003ewon the Sawiris Cultural Award for Best Literary Work in the Young Writers category in 2023, and is his first novel to be translated into English. He is the author of a collection of essays, \u003cem\u003eFood for the Copts\u003c\/em\u003e, and of a graphic novel, \u003cem\u003eJellybird\u003c\/em\u003e, which was a finalist in the 6th Mahmoud Kahil Award in 2021. He was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and he now lives in Bonn in Germany.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2026\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hoopoe Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52797880926493,"sku":"9781649035172","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0511\/5897\/files\/Screenshot2026-08-21at1.36.09pm.png?v=1787333782","url":"https:\/\/www.middleeastbooks.com\/products\/red-like-orange-by-charles-akl","provider":"Middle East Books and More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}