100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Auckland Bookstore open Sunday 8:30am-5:00pm πŸ“š

The Monk of Mokha

4.09 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 21,761 ratings, 2,472 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers follows the remarkable true story of Mokhtar Alkhanshali, a young Yemeni-American coffee enthusiast. The book chronicles his daring quest to revive Yemen’s ancient coffee industry amidst political instability, highlighting both his personal growth and the challenges he faces in bridging cultures. It's a tale of ambition, risk, and the journey to achieve a dream against daunting odds.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2600
Elsewhere:
$2800
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by real-life stories of adventure, determination, and entrepreneurship. The narrative follows an inspiring journey from a Yemeni-American man navigating war-torn Yemen to resurrect the ancient art of coffee production, making it a captivating blend of cultural exploration and ambition.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

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

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Dave Eggers's tale is praised for its engaging and well-crafted storytelling, offering a compelling mix of biography, history, and adventure. The narrative highlights an inspiring success story of a determined entrepreneur amidst the backdrop of Yemen's struggles, coffee’s rich history, and the exploration of Muslim American identity. The character of Mokhtar is particularly celebrated for his bravery and perseverance, making readers both empathise with and root for him. The book is seen as a vivid, enlightening journey that successfully combines real-life events with the narrative style of fiction.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241975367

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 January 2019

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 352

About the Author

Dave Eggers is the author of twelve books, including The Monk of Mokha; The Circle; Heroes of the Frontier; A Hologram for the King, a finalist for the National Book Award; and What Is the What, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and winner of France's Prix Medicis Etranger. He is the founder of McSweeney's and the cofounder of 826 Valencia, a youth writing center that has inspired similar programs around the world, and of ScholarMatch, which connects donors with students to make college accessible. He is the winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and is the cofounder of Voice of Witness, a book series that illuminates human rights crises through oral history. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letter. His work has been translated into forty- two languages. www.Internationalcongressofyouthvoices.org www.826valencia.org www.scholarmatch.org www.voiceofwitness.org www.valentinoachakdeng.org www.mcsweeneys.net www.daveeggers.net

Also by Dave Eggers

View all
  • The Eyes and the Impossible
    A New York Times bestseller Winner of the Newbery Medal "This book is a magic trick" - Jon Klassen Johannes is a free dog, a fast dog – such a fast dog! He lives in an urban park by the sea, and every day, he runs through the park, seeing all, missing nothing, and reporting what he sees to the...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Backorder
    Ships mid August
  • The Every
    The electrifying follow-up to Dave Eggers' New York Times Bestseller The Circle. When the world's largest search engine and social media company merges with the planet's dominant e-commerce site, it creates the richest, most dangerousβ€”and, oddly enough, most belovedβ€”monopoly ever known: The Every. Delaney Wells is an unlikely new hire. A former forest ranger and unwavering tech sceptic, she charms...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Zeitoun
    An urgent, timely and unforgettable true story of the horrors of post-Katrina New Orleans. In August 2005, as Hurricane Katrina blew in, the city of New Orleans had been abandoned by most citizens. But resident Abdulrahman Zeitoun, though his wife and family had gone, refused to leave. For days, he traversed an apocalyptic landscape of flooded streets by canoe. He...
    Paperback
    $2900
    Elsewhere:
    $3200
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Moving the Millers' Minnie Moore Mine Mansion: A True Story
    Author Dave Eggers and artist JΓΊlia SardΓ  spin a quirky historical event into a whimsical and tall-ish true tale of ingenuity. It all started when John β€œMinnie” Moore built a mine in Idaho and sold it to Englishman Henry Miller. Then Henry married a local lass named Annie and built her a mansion. After Henry died and Annie was hoodwinkedβ€”losing...
    Hardback
    $3600
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Pre-order
    A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
    An instant contemporary classic A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction A number one New York Times Bestseller A stunning memoir chronicling profound grief and comic absurdity Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is both heartbreaking and staggering. If capturing the universal in a fresh and memorable way defines genius, then this book is indeed a work of genius....
    Paperback
    $2800
    Pre-order
    Out 29 Sep 2026
  • The Circle
    Fast, thrilling, compulsively addictive - a timely novel about our obsession with the internet, from one of our greatest storytellers. When Mae is hired to work for The Circle, the world's most powerful internet company, she feels she's been given the opportunity of a lifetime. Run out of a sprawling California campus, the Circle links users' personal emails, social media,...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Pre-order
    Contrapposto
    Cricket is just a shy kid who likes drawing when he first meets Olympia. She's older, more confident; she bullies him into some light vandalism and instantly he's in love. When they're together, they talk about their futures, how they're going to travel the world, the beauty and rapture of art. Then those futures start to arrive in unexpected ways,...
    Hardback
    $5500
    Pre-order
    Out 29 Sep 2026
  • Contrapposto
    Cricket is just a shy kid who likes drawing when he first meets Olympia. She's older, more confident; she bullies him into some light vandalism and instantly he's in love. When they're together, they talk about their futures, how they're going to travel the world, the beauty and rapture of art. Then those futures start to arrive in unexpected ways,...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    Backorder
    Ships late August
  • The Voice of Witness Reader
    Since 2005, Voice of Witness has illuminated contemporary human rights crises through its oral history book series. Founded by Dave Eggers, Lola Vollen, and Mimi Lok, Voice of Witness amplifies the voices of people impacted byβ€”and fighting againstβ€”injustice. Voice of Witness's work is driven by the transformative power of the story, and by a strong belief that social justice cannot...
    Paperback
    $6700
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • Soren's Seventh Song
    From Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author Dave Eggers, Soren’s Seventh Song is a deadpan take on creativity and persistence, as told through the eyes of a humpback whale looking for a new songβ€”with color illustrations by Mark Hoffman. Soren, a young humpback whale, loves music but is tired of the dull, droning, endless songs that are...
    Hardback
    Sold Out
  • Lonely Planet An Innocent Abroad
    More than 20 well-known writers and celebrities share the travel experiences that shaped their personalities and changed their lives. Contributors include Dave Eggers, Richard Ford, Pico Iyer, John Berendt, Alexander McCall Smith, and Jane Smiley. About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world’s leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as...
    Hardback
    Sold Out
  • A Hologram for the King
    International literary superstar Dave Eggers on the biggest subject of them all - the state of the world . . . In a rising Saudi Arabian city, far from weary, recession-scarred America, a struggling businessman pursues a last-ditch attempt to stave off foreclosure, pay his daughter's college tuition, and finally do something great. In this critically-acclaimed novel, A Hologram for...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from Biography & Memoir

View all
  • This Angry Pen of Mine
    This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...
    Hardback
    $7299
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Famesick
    Chronicling the tumultuous decade between the premiere of Girls to her 2021 shotgunΒ wedding (minus the baby, because she has no uterus), Lena Dunham takes us through herΒ journey with her trademark mix of humor, unsparing honesty, and keen eye for detail. We peek behind the scenes - of her work, her family, her relationships, and her battle to reclaim her body...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Dogs, Boys and Other Things I've Cried About
    From the social media superstar behind @SimonSits, Isabel Klee--known for her heartwarming tales of dog rescue--comes an utterly winning memoir about a twentysomething woman's search for true love in New York City and the dogs who helped her find it. A Jersey girl by birth, Isabel Klee had always wanted to live in New York City. At age 20, she...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Signed Copy
    New Release
    Stakes
    Read our interview with author Noelle McCarthy! A darkly funny, sparkling follow-up to the author’s bestselling memoirΒ Grand. You have to invite him in. You have to want the vampire’s badness in the house with you. Growing up in Catholic Ireland, Noelle McCarthy is captivated by Bram Stoker’sΒ Dracula. The vampire is a risk-free fantasy, a suave alternative to the fraught realities...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Built for This
    Raised among strong women, butcher's benches, and hard ideas about what men are meant to be, Brad Poulter grows up knowing he's different long before he has the words for it. But in late '90s small-town New Zealand, 'different' isn't discussed, it's managed. Joining the Royal New Zealand Navy offers escape, certainty, and belonging. The rules are clear, the uniform...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Even the Good Girls Will Cry
    Thanks to a thrown beer bottle and a fan letter to a P.O. box, Melissa Auf der Maur's first band scored an opening slot for the Smashing Pumpkins in her bohemian home town, Montreal. Sensing Melissa's talent, Billy Corgan recommended her to Courtney Love. Whisked from her local scene, Melissa joined Hole just after the deaths of Kurt Cobain and...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    An Ocean and a Day
    An utterly riveting, moving and poignant memoir of grief and loss that will speak to anyone who's ever lost someone they love. An Ocean and a Day is Hannah Richell's personal account of losing her husband, Matt, in a surfing accident on Tamarama beach in 2014. It is the story of the grief journey she travelled over the first two...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    A Place to Stand
    A Place to Stand by Clare Ward is a profound memoir that delves into the life of a country doctor living and working in the Hokianga Harbour area in the far north of Aotearoa New Zealand. This region is sparsely populated and poses numerous health challenges. This thoughtful account details Clare’s thirty-year career, highlighting the people she works with and...
    Hardback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Rule of Lies
    Written with all the pace and energy of a John Grisham novel … An incredible true story and a great read! BILL BROWDER, author of Red Notice and Freezing Order An American lawyer’s brilliant, propulsive story of witnessing and playing a part in the transformation of Russia under Yeltsin and Putin. A true tale of fascinating personalities, criminal intrigue, harrowing...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    Backorder
    Ships late August
  • New Release
    Rory
    TheΒ New York TimesΒ bestseller The #1Β Irish TimesΒ bestseller The definitive biography of Rory McIlroy, the most important, popular and confounding player of the post-Tiger era. Rory McIlroy contains multitudes. The child of a working-class family from a small town in a war-torn homeland now commutes to work in his own private jet and counts billionaires as confidants. He can overwhelm a golf...
    Paperback
    $3699
    Elsewhere:
    $4199
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Te Kaikaukau | The Swimmer
    Novelist, memoirist and playwright Witi Ihimaera – author of Pounamu, Pounamu and The Whale Rider – decided, at the age of eighty, to dive back into the water and spend a year full-time at Te Wānanga Takiura, immersing himself in his own language, in te reo Māori. This book tells the story of this kaikaukau, this swimmer, and his year...
    Paperback
    $3500
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    This Is Me: A Reckoning
    This is a searingly honest and moving memoir from double Golden Globe-nominatedactress Hayden Panettiere. Hayden Panettiere has been in front of the camera since before she could talk. She roseto stardom typecasted as Hollywood's blonde girl next door. As a young celebrity,naysayers were certain she would crash and burn. Not one to disappoint, she did.Hayden Panettiere's irreverent memoir satisfies our...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.