English books from Africa
Recommended English books (825)
Travel the world without leaving your chair.
If you speak English here are some English books from Africa for the next part of the "Read Around The World Challenge".
411.
River Spirit by Leila Aboulela EN
SudanDescription:
The spellbinding new novel from New York Times Notable Author and Caine Prize winner Leila Aboulela about an embattled young woman's coming of age during the Mahdist War in 19th century Sudan. Leila Aboulela, hailed as "a versatile prose stylist" (New York Times) has also been praised by J.M. Coetzee, Ali Smith, and Ben Okri, among others, for her rich and nuanced novels depicting Islamic spiritual and political life. Her new novel is an enchanting narrative of the years leading up to the British conquest of Sudan in 1898, and a deeply human look at the tensions between Britain and Sudan, Chri... continue
412.
Rotten Evidence by Ahmed Naji EN
EgyptDescription:
In February 2016, Ahmed Naji was sentenced to two years in prison for "violating public modesty," after an excerpt of his novel Using Life reportedly caused a reader to experience heart palpitations. Naji ultimately served ten months of that sentence, in a group cell block in Cairo's Tora Prison. Rotten Evidence is a chronicle of those months. Through Naji's writing, the world of Egyptian prison comes into vivid focus, with its cigarette-based economy, home-made chess sets, and well-groomed fixers. Naji's storytelling is lively and uncompromising, filled with rare insights into both the mundan... continue
413.
Rotten Row by Petina Gappah EN
ZimbabweDescription:
In her accomplished new story collection, Petina Gappah crosses the barriers of class, race, gender and sexual politics in Zimbabwe to explore the causes and effects of crime, and to meditate on the nature of justice. Rotten Row represents a leap in artistry and achievement from the award-winning author of An Elegy for Easterly and The Book of Memory. With compassion and humour, Petina Gappah paints portraits of lives aching for meaning to produce a moving and universal tableau.
414.
Running and Other Stories by Makhosazana Xaba EN
Country: Africa / 
South Africa
South Africa
Description:
Turning her back on what is considered conventional, Makhosazana Xaba engages with her subject-matter on a revolutionary level in Running and Other Stories. She takes tradition ñ be that literary tradition, cultural tradition, gender tradition ñ and re-imagines it in a way that is liberating and innovative. Bracketed by Xabaís revisitings of Can Thembaís influential short story, The Suit, the ten stories in this collection, while strongly independent, are in conversation with one another, resulting in a collection that can be devoured all at once or savoured slowly, story by story. By re-envis... continue
415.
Running for My Life : One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games by Lopez Lomong, Mark Tabb EN
Country: Africa / 
South Sudan
South Sudan
Description:
This is a story about outrunning the devil and achieving the impossible faith, diligence, and the desire to give back. Lomong chronicles his inspiring ascent from a barefoot lost boy of the Sudanese Civil War to a Nike sponsored athlete on the US Olympic Team. He shares his commitment to keep moving forward and find God in each step.
416.
Saara by Mbarek Ould Beyrouk EN
Country: Africa / 
Mauritania
Mauritania
Description:
Mbarek Ould Beyrouk's greatly acclaimed novel Saara was the winner of the prestigious Prix Littéraire Les Afriques 2023. The story is told through three different narrators, Saara, an attractive young woman who is both unconventional, liberated and determined; the Sheikh, a young man who succeeds his father as the leader of a Sufi order striving to live exemplary lives in their oasis community and follow the path to salvation and the Beggar, befriended by Saara and who cares devotedly for his disabled mother and is the voice of the marginalised. It is their story and their lives are intertwine... continue
417.
NigeriaDescription:
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK | AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR “A beautiful exploration of the often complex parameters of freedom, prejudice, and individual sense of self. Chibundu Onuzo has written a captivating story about a mixed-race British woman who goes in search of the West African father she never knew . . . [A] beautiful book about a woman brave enough to discover her true identity.” —Reese Witherspoon “Onuzo’s sneakily breezy, highly entertaining novel leaves the reader rethinking familiar narratives of colonization, inheritance and liberation.” —The New York Times Book Review Named a ... continue
418.
Saturday Is for Funerals by Unity Dow, Myron Essex EN
BotswanaDescription:
Dow and Essex tell the true story of lives in Botswana ravaged by AIDS. Witness the actions of community leaders, medical professionals, research scientists, and educators of all types to see how an unprecedented epidemic of death and destruction is being stopped in its tracks.
419.
Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan EN
Description:
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 acr... continue
420.
SenegalDescription:
"Cultural differences between the families of Mireille, daughter of a French diplomat, and Ousmane, son of a poor Muslim family in Senegal, threatens to destroy their marriage."--Amazon.com viewed Dec. 12, 2022.