The Bibliophiles' Emissary

Author : Binwell Sinyangwe My Rating : 3 Stars Genre : Fiction/ Literature Year Published : 2000 ISBN : 9780435912024 Number of Pages : 152 Date Read : 03/12/2017 SUMMARY 'These were the nineties,' reflects the narrator of A Cowrie of Hope , and for the young widow Nasula they are years of relentless economic hardship and privation. She dreams of a better life for her beautiful daughter, Sula, free from poverty and independent of marriage. But when Nasula finds herself unable to pay for Sula's education, her hopes seem to have been extinguished - until a friend advises her to go to Lusaka and sell her last sack of highly sought-after Mbala beans. Nasula makes the journey, but in the city she finds herself exposed to new, and predatory, dangers. MY THOUGHTS The author's writing style was pretty basic. The plot was kind of predictable, nothing mind-blowing, but pretty decent. I especially loved how the story gave me Joys of Motherhood vibes.

Author : Uwem Akpan My Rating : 3.5 Stars Genre : Fiction/Short Story Year Published : 2008 Number of Pages : 258 Date Read : 14/07/2017 SUMMARY Each story in this jubilantly acclaimed collection pays testament to the wisdom and resilience of children, even in the face of the most agonizing circumstances. A family living in a makeshift shanty in urban Kenya scurries to find gifts of any kind for the impending Christmas holiday. A Rwandan girl relates her family's struggles to maintain a facade of normalcy amid unspeakable acts. A young brother and sister cope with their uncle's attempt to sell them into slavery. Aboard a bus filled with refugees—a microcosm of today's Africa—a Muslim boy summons his faith to bear a treacherous ride across Nigeria. Through the eyes of childhood friends the emotional toll of religious conflict in Ethiopia becomes viscerally clear. Uwem Akpan's debut signals the arrival of a breathtakingly talented writer who gives a matter-

Author : Osisiye Tafa Year of Publication: 2015 Genre : Biographical / Fiction Number of Pages : 270 My Rating : 3 Stars Date Read : 14/04/2016 SUMMARY Sixty Percent of a True Story’ is a window into the different realities of three undergraduates. Osisiye arrives the University of Lagos on a windy morning with dreams of high grades but must explore the fleshpots of the city, freedom of the campus and spiritual diversity of the bustling city of Lagos, Nigeria. Will he find a balance soon enough and will his dalliances with drugs, women and new friends be his undoing? The story moves on to Korede, a depressive introvert. He takes one through the vagaries of growing up as ‘different’ in a society that sees things in black and white and does not forgive men who do not act as men. Chris is a staple in Nigeria’s urban lore, the internet fraudster. Through his eyes, we understand the various motivations for this career choice and explore the process that births such d

Author : Steve Jacobs My Rating : 4.5 Stars Genre : Fiction/Literature Year of Publication : 1995 Date Read :16/08/2017 Number of Pages :185 ISBN : 9780435909987 SUMMARY A black man, brutalised by apartheid, murders his wife. His fate is in the hands of a young Jewish lawyer, Jeremy Spielman. As Jeremy prepares to defend his client, he discovers uncomfortable facts about his own life: the racism of his girlfriend, the injustice of the legal system and his own weakness in the face of his country's enemies . MY THOUGHTS The Enemy Within   is one of numerous books, which are part of the African Writers Series (AWS). If you don't know what the African Writers Series is, click  here  to educate yourself :) This book was really quick and easy to read, yet it carried so much depth in it's pages. This is a quality that all the AWS books I've read all possess and for this reason, I hope to read all the books in the series- all 200+ of them. I caught a gli

I believe as Africans, we ought to embrace every aspect of our culture, down to the littlest things. We, as Africans, tend to disregard anything that is affiliated with Africa and this has generated stereotypes that define us till this day. African Literature to me is a form of art that deserves all the laud and appraisal it is currently not receiving. Below is a list of reasons why African lit will forever have a special place in my heart. It is very relatable .  It depicts Africa as the giant it is and it blots out the false perception the rest of the world has about Africa. It is unconventional  This post was inspired by Chimamanda Adichie's interview with The Atlantic,  which I came across a few months ago on  Brittle Paper  . The award winning author's interview talks about stereotypes and what makes them problematic. The interview was designed as an animation and she did the voice-over. It was so brilliant. It's like she took the words right out of my mouth

This post is going to be a bit of a chatty one. I was nominated for this award by my lovely friend  Demilade of Coco-Bella Blog  . Do check out her blog. She discusses everything from beauty to books. I really appreciate the nomination, Demss <3 Below are the rules of the award, so if you're nominated by the end of this post then you can use this as a guide for your post :) Now on to the questions I was asked : Why did you start blogging? I actually began blogging, because I was inspired by the same person who nominated me for this award- lol coincidence, right? After reading her blog back in SS2 (year 11), I was inspired to create a virtual platform were I could share my thoughts on the books I read and my other findings. Although I'm not as consistent as I like to be, I'm definitely grateful for Demilade's influence. Biggest lesson blogging has taught you? 1.Everyone's blog is different, don't compare yourself to them.  2. Success d

Sourced from  www.pulse.ng Feminism:  the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. Author : Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie My Rating : 4.5 Stars Date Read : 21/05/17 Year Published : 2017 Genre : Non-fiction/Essay SUMMARY Here are fifteen invaluable suggestions- compelling, direct, wryly funny, and perceptive- for how to empower a daughter to become a strong, independent woman. From teaching a young girl to read widely and recognize the role of language in reinforcing unhealthy social norms; encouraging her to choose a helicopter, and not only a doll, as a toy if she so desires; having open conversations with her about appearance, identity, and sexuality; criticizing cultural norms surrounding marriage; and debunking the myths that women are somehow biologically designed to be in the kitchen, and that men can "allow" women to have full careers, Dear Ijeawele goes right to the heart of sexual politics in the twenty-first centu