The Monk of Mohka by Dave Eggers

From San Francisco to Yemen, the gripping true story of a young American immigrant and his quest to resurrect the ancient art of Yemeni coffee - while escaping a terrifying civil war.

Mokhtar grew up in San Francisco, one of seven siblings in a tiny apartment, raised by Yemeni immigrant parents. As a young man he learned of the true origins of coffee making - an ancient art born in Yemen, the secret stolen by European colonisers - and became determined to resurrect the ancient art of Yemeni coffee.

Mokhtar dedicated himself to coffee, quickly becoming one of the world's leading experts, the first Arab in the world to qualify as a 'Q Grader'. But while visiting Yemen on a research trip, he was caught in the maelstrom of sudden civil war. The US Embassy closed its doors, and so Mokhtar embarked on a nail-biting adventure - to escape the country with his precious coffee samples intact.

The Monk of Mokha is heart-pounding adventure story, a tale of underdog entrepreneurship and true passion, and a fascinating modern take on the great American dream.

Dave Eggers

Formats & editions

Paperback

9780241975367

January 8, 2019

Hamish Hamilton

352 pages

RRP $22.99
Online retailers
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Hardback

9780241278505

February 15, 2018

Hamish Hamilton

352 pages

RRP $49.99
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Trade Paperback

9780241244906

January 29, 2018

Hamish Hamilton

352 pages

RRP $32.99
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The Monk of Mokha

Dave Eggers

EBook

9780241975374

January 4, 2018

Penguin eBooks
Online retailers

Extract

Chapter One

Miriam gave things to Mokhtar. Usually books. She gave him Das Kapital. She gave him Noam Chomsky. She fed his mind. She fueled his aspirations. They dated for a year or so, but the odds were long. He was a Muslim Yemeni American, and she was half-Palestinian, half-Greek and a Christian. But she was beautiful, and fierce, and she fought harder for Mokhtar than he fought for himself. When he said he wanted to finally get his undergraduate degree and go to law school, she bought him a satchel. It was a law- yerly valise, made in Granada, painstakingly crafted from the soft- est leather, with brass rivets and buckles and elegant compartments within. Maybe, Miriam thought, the object would drive the dream.