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".
681.
The Sexual Life of an Islamist in Paris by Leïla Marouane EN
TunisiaDescription:
"An eloquent work that explores complex social, ethnic, religious, and psychological issues with great sensitivity."---The French Review --Book Jacket.
682.
The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste EN
EthiopiaDescription:
An utterly captivating novel about female strength. Set during Mussolini's 1935 invasion of Ethiopia, The Shadow King casts a light on the women soldiers written out of African history
683.
The Shameful State by Sony Labou Tansi EN
Country: Africa / 
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Description:
Set in a fictitious African nation, this novel by the distinguished writer Sony Labou Tansi takes aim at the corruption, degeneracy, violence, and repression of political life in Africa. At the heart of The Shameful State is the story of Colonel Martillimi Lopez, the nation's president, whose eccentricity and whims epitomize the "shameful situation in which humanity has elected to live." Lopez stages a series of grotesque and barbaric events while his nation falls apart. Unable to resist the dictator's will, his desperate citizens are left with nothing but humiliation. The evocation of this de... continue
684.
The Silence of the Wilting Skin by Tlotlo Tsamaase EN
BotswanaDescription:
In an African city, a nameless young woman living in the wards slowly begins to lose her identity: her skin color is peeling off, people are becoming invisible, and the city plans to destroy the train where they bury their dead. After the narrator is given a warning by her grandmother's dreamskin, things begin to fall apart. Struggling to hold onto a fluctuating reality, she prescribes herself insomnia in a desperate attempt to save her family.
685.
The Simple Past by Driss Chraïbi EN
MoroccoDescription:
The Simple Past came out in 1954, and both in France and its author’s native Morocco the book caused an explosion of fury. The protagonist, who shares the author’s name, Driss, comes from a Moroccan family of means, his father a self-made tea merchant, the most devout of Muslims, quick to be provoked and ready to lash out verbally or physically, continually bent on subduing his timid wife and many children to his iron and ever-righteous will. He is known, simply, as the Lord, and Driss, who is in high school, is in full revolt against both him and the French colonial authorities, for whom, as ... continue
686.
The Slave Yards : A Novel by Najwa Bin Shatwan EN
LibyaDescription:
Set in late nineteenth-century Benghazi, Najwa Bin Shatwan’s powerful novel tells the story of Atiqa, the daughter of a slave woman and her white master. We meet Atiqa as a grown woman, happily married with two children and working. When her cousin Ali unexpectedly enters her life, Atiqa learns the true identity of her parents, both long deceased, and slowly builds a friendship with Ali as they share stories of their past. We learn of Atiqa’s childhood, growing up in the “slave yards,” a makeshift encampment on the outskirts of Benghazi for Black Africans who were brought to Libya as slaves. A... continue
687.
The Smell of Apples : A Novel by Mark Behr EN
TanzaniaDescription:
The story of an affluent white South African family during apartheid. Its narrator is the son of an Afrikaner general and he describes his growing disillusion with the cruelty and arrogance of the whites. Set in the 1970s, the novel follows him from boyhood to soldiering in Angola, fighting the blacks.
688.
The Society of Reluctant Dreamers by José Eduardo Agualusa EN
AngolaDescription:
While swimming in the clear blue waters of the Rainbow Hotel, Daniel Benchimol finds a waterproof camera, floating seemingly lost in the sea. He goes on to discover that the camera belongs to Moira, a Mozambican artist famous for a series of photos depicting her own dreams. On seeing the images, Daniel realises that Moira is also the mysterious woman whom he has been dreaming about repeatedly. The two meet, and Daniel becomes involved in a unusual dream experiment with a Brazilian neuroscientist, who's working with Moira on a machine to film and photograph people's dreams. Meanwhile, Daniel's ... continue
689.
The Stars of Algiers by Aziz Chouaki EN
AlgeriaDescription:
"The Star of Algiers powerfully depicts youth in distress, caught between the lure of the West and the mosque." —BIBA "We share his stage fright before each new gig. We are fired with his boundless energy. And once we've taken off, we come crashing down with him . . . Everything is human, alive and transparent." —Elle, France Moussa Massy's ambitions extend far beyond the three-room apartment he shares with the other thirteen members of his family in Algiers. A gifted performer of modern Kabyle song, he is as inspired by Prince and Michael Jackson as he is by Arab and Algerian traditional musi... continue
690.
The Strange Bride by Grace Ogot EN
KenyaDescription:
An interpretation of a Luo myth. The people of GotOwaga lead a placid, almost idyllic, life-style until the glamorous and mysterious Nyawir suddenly appears from an unknown world.