In the past decade, African writing has gone through a Renaissance. More than ever, African literary voices are being read all over the world. This growth has been spurred in part by readers across the continent who want stories about themselves reflected in fiction that is current while not ignoring history. Prestige Bookshop in Nairobi
Dec 27Kenya’s Top 2017 Reads
1. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin (KES 1,350) To the dismay of her ambitious mother, Bolanle marries into a polygamous family, where she is the fourth wife of a rich, rotund patriarch, Baba Segi. She is a graduate and therefore a great prize, but even graduates must produce children and her
Title: Turtles All the Way Down Author: John Green ISBN: 9780241335437 Page count: 304 Pages Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers John Green‘s 2012 novel ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ was a runaway bestseller that spawned a critically acclaimed movie of the same name. His books have resonated with young readers worldwide not
Title: I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual Author: Luvvie Ajayi ISBN: 9781627796064 Page count: 256 Pages Publisher: Holt Paperbacks Luvvie Ajayi has been a popular blogger writing about topical issues in society. Her latest book is a commentary on the plethora of social issues that confound almost everyone that has to navigate both social
Dec 26Soft Magic: A Review
Title: Soft Magic Author: Upile Chisala ISBN: 9781516967889 Page count: 122 Pages Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Upile Chisala is a Malawian poet whose debut collection although slim, covers expansive issues in new and innovative ways. Her poetry explores self, her black identity, womanhood, the experience of the black immigrant, coming to terms with
Dec 26Stay With Me: A Review
Title: Stay With Me Author: Ayòbámi Adébáyò ISBN: 9781782119586 Page count: 304 Pages Publisher: Canongate Books It was much easier to be a father after three bottles of beer. Ayobami Adebayo’s debut novel, Stay With Me is a story full of poignant contradictions.Yejide and Akin are married in 1980s Nigeria, an educated couple
A Review of David Branch’s Kenya: Between Hope And Despair, 1963-2011 Democracy is really a complex phenomenon. It involves the right of people to criticise freely without being detained in prison. It involves the people’s right to know how the wealth is produced in the country, who controls the wealth, and for whose benefit
When the time comes for you to marry, take one wife and one wife alone…listen to your wife’s words. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives is Lola Shoneyin’s 2010 debut novel. It provides an intriguing portrayal of the lives of a polygamous family in Ibadan, Nigeria.The family patriarch, Baba Segi, is an uncouth,
Jun 12Born a Crime: A Review
Title: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood Author: Trevor Noah ISBN: 9781473635296 Page count: 304 Pages Publisher: Spiegel & Grau Trevor Noah’s autobiography Born A Crime is as much a history of modern South Africa as it is Trevor’s story. That he starts and ends with two traumatizing events, one where
Title: Operation Thunderbolt: Flight 139 and the Raid on Entebbe Airport, the Most Audacious Hostage Rescue Mission in History Author: Saul David ISBN: 9781444762549 Page Count: 446 pp. Publisher: Little, Brown & Company This isn’t a new story, but an old story done differently. I can’t remember the first time I watched “Raid on Entebbe”,
Title: Riding on a Tiger Author: Moody Awori ISBN: 9789966349910 Publisher: Moran Publishers I was in Standard Three at Busia Airstrip Primary School when I first heard of Moody Awori. He had just joined the campaigns for political office in the 1983 snap elections. Moody, later to be known as Uncle Moody, won the elections
Title: Hiding in Plain Sight Author: Nuruddin Farah ISBN:9781594634109 Page count:342 Publisher: Penguin Books ‘’Their relationship …like a rug: beautiful when purchased but gone threadbare over timer.’’ Nuruddin Farah’s latest novel, Hiding in Plain Sight is primarily about family, freedom, and loyalty. While his previous novels have dealt with violence and poverty in