Dave Eggers

Mokhtar Alkhanshali grew up in San Francisco, one of seven siblings in a tiny apartment. His parents are immigrants from Yemen. He is a Muslim and he is an American. In 2015 Mokhtar was travelling through Yemen when the country was engulfed in civil war. The US Embassy closed, Saudi bombs rained down on the country, and Mokhtar was trapped. Desperate to escape, he embarked on a nail-biting adventure to get back to America. A heart-pounding true story weaving a visceral portrait of ongoing war with the tale of one courageous young man determined to get home.

The Monk of Mokha

The true story of a young Yemeni-American man, raised in San Francisco, who dreams of resurrecting the ancient art of Yemeni coffee but finds himself trapped in Sana'a by civil war.

Cindy Lieberman

A brief history of coffee (discovered in Yemen!) and how that country lost and now regained prominence in this “third wave” of coffee (artisanal), thanks to an unlikely Yemeni-American from The Tenderloin area of SFO. Harrowing recountings of border crossings, security checkpoints and other gambits makes for interesting reading, even though I’m not a fan of the bitter brew. Now I want to try a cup from Yemen someday.

ben wolfson

One of my favorite books from 2019. Incredibly beautiful prose and storytelling of a Bay Area coffee success.

Pela Kolsto

Merve Yazicioglu

As a person who is interested in coffee and historical events, this book did the justice in adjoining two subjects together. The writer did the justice in talking about coffee and the civil war in Yemen without overdoing. The odor of the coffee stepped out of the book with Mokhtar’s ambition to achieve his goals as a Yemeni coffee importer. 
I would highly recommend this book to whoever wants to learn about the importing process and coffee culture

Robin

Tim Beyer 

Shan

Ben Radford

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "A gripping, triumphant adventure" (Los Angeles Times) from bestselling author Dave Eggers, the incredible true story of a young Yemeni American man, raised in San Francisco, who dreams of resurrecting the ancient art of Yemeni coffee but finds himself trapped in Sana'a by civil war. Mokhtar Alkhanshali is twenty-four and working as a doorman when he discovers the astonishing history of coffee and Yemen's central place in it. He leaves San Francisco and travels deep into his ancestral homeland to tour terraced farms high in the country's rugged mountains and meet beleaguered but determined farmers. But when war engulfs the country and Saudi bombs rain down, Mokhtar has to find a way out of Yemen without sacrificing his dreams or abandoning his people.

always online

Siya S

Zeinat Bazzi

Evan Huang

Liz Prinz

ANDREW BRYK

Todd Gagne

Kevan Lee

Judith Junghans

Neva Davies

Arwa El

JoJo Lee

From the bestselling author of The Circle and What Is the What, the true story of a young Yemeni-American man, raised in San Francisco, who dreams of resurrecting the ancient art of Yemeni coffee but finds himself trapped in Sana'a by civil war. Mokhtar Alkhanshali grew up in San Francisco, one of seven siblings brought up by Yemeni immigrants in a tiny apartment. At age twenty-four, unable to pay for college, he works as a doorman, until a statue of an Arab raising a cup of coffee awakens something in him. He sets out to learn the rich history of coffee in Yemen and the complex art of tasting and identifying varietals. He travels to Yemen and visits countless farms, collecting samples, eager to bring improved cultivation methods to the countryside. And he is on the verge of success when civil war engulfs Yemen in 2015. The US Embassy closes, Saudi bombs began to rain down on the country, and Mokhtar is trapped in Yemen. Desperate to escape, he embarks on a passage that has him negotiating with dueling political factions and twice kidnapped at gunpoint. With no other options, he hires a skiff to take him, and his coffee samples, across the Red Sea. A heart-pounding true story that weaves together the history of coffee, the ongoing Yemeni civil war, and the courageous journey of a young man--a Muslim and a US citizen--following the most American of dreams.

The Monk of Mokha

Reviews