When We Speak Of Nothing is a coming of age story about Karl, a transgender male who on top of having to deal with the constant bullying and discrimination which comes along with being different, has to take care of a mum so ill he needs a state-appointed guardian to look after him and had practically been adopted by Abu’s family. This is a pretty rough deal for anyone but Karl has Abu who more than anything is incredibly loyal to Karl and their friendship. Life isn’t perfect but there’s a co-operation between Karl and Abu. They get each other, work […]
Book Review – Bomboy
Title: BomBoy Author: Yewande Omotoso Published by: Bookcraft Africa Year of Publication: 2013 Genre: Literary Fiction Pages: 181 Source: Bought Publisher’s Summary Leke is a troubled young man living in the suburbs of Cape Town. He develops strange habits of stalking people, stealing small objects and going from doctor to doctor in search of companionship rather than cure. Through a series of letters written to him by his Nigerian father whom he has never met. Leke learns about a family curse; a curse which his father has unsuccessfully tried to remove. BomBoy is a well crafted and complex narrative written […]
Book Review – Ake: The years of Childhood (Abridged)
This abridged version of Ake was created for children and I remember reading this story in primary school. Don’t ask me why i decided to buy this book again… Okay, the cover made me do it.
Book Review – Daughters Who Walk This Path
Publisher’s Summary Spirited and intelligent, Morayo grows up surrounded by school friends and family in Ibadan. There is Eniayo, her adoring little sister – for whose sake their middle-class parents fight stigmatizing superstition – and a large extended family of cousins and aunts who sometimes make Morayo’s home their own. A shameful secret forced upon her by Bros T, her cousin, thrusts Morayo into a web of oppressive silence woven by the adults around her. Morayo must learn to fiercely protect herself and her sister as young women growing up in a complex and politically charged country. My Thoughts This […]
10 books in 30 days – My September ‘to be read’ List
August was a great month for my blog ( 100+ WordPress followers, Yay!!!) and reading. I read 10 books in August, more than i anticipated and the best part is i didn’t read one terrible book. Sure, there were a couple that i could have done without but they weren’t so bad to be a waste of my time. I also bought a LOT of books in August, to the detriment of new shoes even but i have no regrets. I would like to say that i’ll be reading strictly from this list but that is not possible. There are just so […]
Book Review – There was a Country
There Was A Country: A personal history of Biafra by Chinua Achebe Published by: Allen Lane – The Penguin Group Year of Publication: 2012 Genre: Non-Fiction; Memoir Pages: 319 Source: Bought Publisher’s Summary The defining experience of Chinua Achebe’s life was the Nigerian civil war, also known as the Biafran War. For more than forty years Achebe was silent on those terrible years, until he produced this towering reckoning with one of modern Africa’s most fateful events. A marriage of history, remembrance, poetry and vivid first-hand observation, There Was a Country is a work of wisdom and compassion from one of the great voices of […]
Book Review – The Drummer Boy
Title: The Drummer Boy Author: Cyprian Ekwensi Published by: Heinemann Educational Books Year of Publication: 1991 Genre: Fiction; Young Adult Pages: 81 Source: Inheritance 😉 Publisher’s Summary A Talented blind drummer boy and singer moved from place to place entertaining people with his performance. But deep down there is an undisclosed unhappiness. Why is Akin unhappy? Who among his friends can he trust in his search for true happiness? My Thoughts Akin, the drummer boy, has had a difficult life. He had an accident that turns him blind. His parents have abandoned him because they assumed he would be a burden […]
Book Review – Zahrah the Windseeker
Title: Zahrah the Windseeker Author: Nnedi Okorafor – Mbachu Published by: Kachifo Farafina Year of Publication: 2007 Genre: Fantasy; Young Adult Pages: 308 Source: Bought Publisher’s Summary In the northern Ooni Kingdom fear of the unknown runs deep, and children born dada are rumored to have special powers. Thirteen year old Zahrah Tsami feels like a normal kid – she grows her own flora computer; has mirrors sewn onto her cloths; and stays clear of the Forbidden Greeny Jungle. But unlike other kids in the village of Kirki , Zahrah was born with the telling dadalocks. Only her best friend, Dari, […]