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".
531.
The Dark Child : The Autobiography of an African Boy by Camara Laye EN
GuineaDescription:
The Dark Child is a distinct and graceful memoir of Camara Laye's youth in the village of Koroussa, French Guinea. Long regarded Africa's preeminent Francophone novelist, Laye (1928-80) herein marvels over his mother's supernatural powers, his father's distinction as the village goldsmith, and his own passage into manhood, which is marked by animistic beliefs and bloody rituals of primeval origin. Eventually, he must choose between this unique place and the academic success that lures him to distant cities. More than autobiography of one boy, this is the universal story of sacred traditions st... continue
532.
The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai EN
EgyptDescription:
From debut author Hadeer Elsbai comes the first book in an incredibly powerful new duology, set wholly in a new world, but inspired by modern Egyptian history, about two young women--Nehal, a spoiled aristocrat used to getting what she wants and Giorgina, a poor bookshop worker used to having nothing--who find they have far more in common, particularly in their struggle for the rights of women and their ability to fight for it with forbidden elemental magic As a waterweaver, Nehal can move and shape any water to her will, but she's limited by her lack of formal education. She desires nothing m... continue
533.
The Dawning of the Day : A Jerusalem Tale by Haim Sabato EN
Description:
Ezra Siman Tov is a simple storyteller who captivates his friends in the Nachlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem. His professor brother-in-law gives him grudging respect, Torah scholars listen to him surreptitiously, and a famous author bases his work on his tales. But Ezra has a secret that overshadows his family life and refuses to leave him. In this colorful novel, Sabato creates a world in which faith provides a framework and a deep source of comfort in life.
534.
The Day the Leader Was Killed by Naguib Mahfouz EN
Description:
From the Nobel Prize laureate and author of the acclaimed Cairo Trilogy, a beguiling and artfully compact novel set in Sadat's Egypt. The time is 1981, Anwar al-Sadat is president, and Egypt is lurching into the modern world. Set against this backdrop, The Day the Leader Was Killed relates the tale of a middle-class Cairene family. Rich with irony and infused with political undertones, the story is narrated alternately by the pious and mischievous family patriarch Muhtashimi Zayed, his hapless grandson Elwan, and Elwan's headstrong and beautiful fiancee Randa. The novel reaches its climax with... continue
535.
The Death of Comrade President by ALAIN. MABANCKOU EN
CongoDescription:
In Pointe-Noire, in the small neighbourhood of Voungou, on the family plot where young Michel lives with Maman Pauline and Papa Roger, life goes on. But Michel's everyday cares - lost grocery money, the whims of his parents' moods, their neighbours' squabbling, his endless daydreaming - are soon swept away by the wind of history. In March 1977, just before the arrival of the short rainy season, Comrade President Marien Ngouabi is brutally murdered in Brazzaville, and not even naïve Michel can remain untouched. Starting as a tender, wry portrait of an ordinary Congolese family, Alain Mabanckou ... continue
536.
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi EN
NigeriaDescription:
"A tender, potent, and compulsively readable novel of a Nigerian-Indian family and the deeply held secret that tests their traditions and bonds"--
537.
The Deep Blue Between by Ayesha Harruna Attah EN
GhanaDescription:
A sweeping adventure with richly evocative historical settings, The Deep Blue Between is a moving story of the bonds that can endure even the most dramatic change.
538.
The Desert and the Drum by Mbarek Ould Beyrouk EN
Country: Africa / 
Mauritania
Mauritania
Description:
"The Desert and the Drum reveals a hidden Bedouin world and what happens when its values clash with those of contemporary urban life. It was awarded the Ahmadou-Kourouma Prize in 2016 and is the first novel from Mauritania to be translated into English. Everything changes for Rayhana when foreigners with strange machines arrive to mine for metal near her Bedouin camp. One of them is the enigmatic Yahya. Her association with him leads to Rayhana to abandon all that she has ever known and flee alone to the city. But when her tribe discover she has stolen their sacred drum, they pursue her to exa... continue
539.
The dilemma of a Ghost by Ama Ata Aidoó EN
Description:
Ato comes back to his african village, after his university studies in the United States. But he doesn't come alone: with him comes his afroamerica wife. How will his community recieve him?
540.
The Dilemma of a Ghost : Anowa : Two Plays by Ama Ata Aidoo EN
Description:
Two dramas depict the stories of a man who returns to his native Ghana with his sophisticated American wife, and a young woman who marries the man she loves, against her parents' wishes