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Suswatibasu (1702 KP) rated The Fishermen in Books

Oct 10, 2017 (Updated Oct 10, 2017)  
The Fishermen
The Fishermen
Jon Gray, Chigozie Obioma | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A heartbreaking elegy to Nigeria's lost promise
A beautiful and deeply tragic story exploring a family's secrets based in Nigeria. The novel follows four brothers in a small Nigerian village who are given a violent prophecy which shakes their family to the core.

Like most classic African novels in the Achebe-Ngugi tradition, The Fishermen mixes the traditional English novel form with the oral storytelling tradition, dramatising the conflict between the traditional and the modern. It is rather depressing but poignant.
  
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill
1998 | Hip-hop, Rhythm And Blues, Soul

"I sang this song, a capella, at a talent show and won three weeks in a row. As a young African-American woman, I found the lyrics resonated with me, because I was still trying to find out who I was, what I wanted to say and how I was going to make music. Everything she says in the song helped shape my early thoughts. She hasn’t made an album in a long time, but that’s cool — I’ll be here waiting."

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ClareR (5748 KP) rated Soul Sisters in Books

Feb 25, 2022  
Soul Sisters
Soul Sisters
Lesley Lokko | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Soul Sisters by Lesley Lokko is the story of Jen and Kemi. Jen is from a wealthy Sottish family, and Kemi comes to live with them as a child. She is from a political, black South African family, at a time when it was dangerous to be. Kemi has been sent to Edinburgh for her own safety.

Jen and Kemi become ‘soul sisters’, perhaps closer than real sisters would be. Even thought their lives are very different (Kemi becomes a surgeon, Jen works in the art world), they never lose that bond. Until, that is, a man comes between them.

Solam Rhoyi. He’s a black South African financier who wants to go into politics - and he wants to be really successful.

The feelings of Kemi and Solam were conveyed really well, and their need for identity as ‘exile kids’; the political aspect was interesting and it didn’t have too much romance (which is just how I like it: some, but not an overwhelming amount!). Other themes were family, secrets, race and power.

I really enjoyed the background to this story, and the hints as to why Kemi and Jen’s family had such a close bond. I loved the South African setting, and how, as the reader, I got to see a little of what goes on in hospitals and in politics. I wish we’d got to see a little more of the consequences of some of the huge events, both personal and political. There was a bit too much of jumping years ahead for me. Perhaps it would have been better as a duology (as some other reviewers have said). I absolutely would have read it!
  
This was a very informative and detailed read. Before Hidden Figures the movie came out, I didn't know this was a book and more importantly, I didn't know about these women and their contributions to NASA and the space program. It's truly amazing what they were able to figure out with their minds. This is a book that everyone should read so they can see the ways in which African-Americans contribute to something as important as getting a man in space and then safely back home.
  
AW
Akata Witch (Akata Witch, #1)
6
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Okay, don't get me wrong. I can see what people see in this series. I don't know what I thought I'd expect considering I generally don't like fantasy, and I definitely don't like Harry Potter. It's just not my jam. In many ways, Akata Witch is very HP, just in Nigeria. In other ways, it's so steeped in African mythology, it's a true breath of fresh air from the normally very European folklore that fantasy so often draws from. It's definitely a book I'd recommend.