Read Around Africa Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Africa.
Best books from Africa (1157)
481.
Teaching My Mother how to Give Birth by Warsan Shire EN
KenyaDescription:
"Arts Council England"--Page facing title page.
482.
Decolonising the Mind : The Politics of Language in African Literature by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o EN
Description:
Ngugi wrote his first novels and plays in English but was determined, even before his detention without trial in 1978, to move to writing in Gikuyu.
483.
Going Down River Road by Meja Mwangi EN
Description:
After an exhausting day of hard labour, Ben finds oblivion in the seedy bars and clubs of River Road – anything to leave his cockroach-infested rooms and ignore the reality of living paycheck to paycheck. At times, it's difficult to remember that it wasn't always this way. Somehow, he went from a promising career as a soldier to a disgraceful dismissal and a steady decline into poverty. Now the only thing Ben has left to lose is hope. Writing with colourful realism, Meja Mwangi paints an unforgettable depiction of life in Nairobi's slums – drawing attention to the hardships of the working poor... continue
484.
The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree: How I Fought to Save Myself, My Sister, and Thousands of Girls Worldwide by Nice Leng'ete EN
Description:
An "elegant and inspiring memoir" by the human rights activist who changed the minds of her elders, reformed traditions from the inside, and is creating a better future for girls and women throughout Africa (Sonia Faleiro, New York Times). Nice Leng`ete was raised in a Maasai village in Kenya. In 1998, when Nice was six, her parents fell sick and died, and Nice and her sister Soila were taken in by their father’s brother, who had little interest in the girls beyond what their dowries might fetch. Fearing “the cut” (female genital mutilation, a painful and sometimes deadly ritualistic surgery),... continue
485.
The World We Once Lived In by Wangari Maathai EN
Description:
"From the Congo Basin to the traditions of the Kikuyu people, the lucid, incisive writings in The World We Once Lived In explore the sacred power of trees, and why humans lay waste to the forests that keep us alive.
Over the past 75 years, a new canon has emerged. As life on Earth has become irrevocably altered by humans, visionary thinkers around the world have raised their voices to defend the planet, and affirm our place at the heart of its restoration. Their words have endured through the decades, becoming the classics of a movement. Together, these books show the richness of envir... continue
486.
Auma's Long Run by Eucabeth Odhiambo EN
Description:
Auma loves to run. In her small Kenyan village, she's a track star with big dreams. A track scholarship could allow her to attend high school and maybe even become a doctor. But a strange new sickness called AIDS is ravaging the village, and when her father becomes ill, Auma's family needs her help at home. Soon more people are getting sick—even dying—and no one knows why. Now Auma faces a difficult choice. Should she stay to support her struggling family or leave to pursue her own future? Auma knows her family is depending on her, but leaving might be the only way to find the answers to quest... continue
487.
And This Is How to Stay Alive by Shingai Njeri Kagunda EN
Description:
In & This is How to Stay Alive by Shingai Njeri Kagunda, Nyokabi's world unravels after her brother Baraka's death by suicide. When an eccentric auntie gives Nyokabi a potion that sends her back in time to when Baraka was still alive, it becomes her only goal to keep him that way. Nyokabi learns that storytellers may be the carriers of time, but defying the past comes with its own repercussions. Praise: A beautiful and rending look at family, loss, and grief, all while sharply dissecting time travel tropes and delivering a powerful message about memory, storytelling, and responsibility. It's a... continue
488.
How to Write About Africa : Collected Works by Binyavanga Wainaina EN
Description:
From one of Africa’s most influential and eloquent essayists, a posthumous collection that highlights his biting satire and subversive wisdom on topics from travel to cultural identity to sexuality “A fierce literary talent . . . [Wainaina] shines a light on his continent without cliché.”—The Guardian “Africa is the only continent you can love—take advantage of this. . . . Africa is to be pitied, worshipped, or dominated. Whichever angle you take, be sure to leave the strong impression that without your intervention and your important book, Africa is doomed.” Binyavanga Wainaina was a pioneer... continue
489.
490.
People Like Us : Social Mobility, Inequality and Making It in Modern Britain by Hashi Mohamed EN
Description:
AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4'S BOOK OF THE WEEK'Hashi Mohamed powerfully exposes the alienating and segregating effect of social immobility in this country.' David Lammy 'A moving, shocking and clear-eyed account of the increasingly rare phenomenon of social mobility. Using his own extraordinary story as a spine [Hashi Mohamed] has written an analysis, how-to-guide and polemic on getting on and up in Britain today.' - Grayson Perry'Beautifully written and powerfully argued, People Like Us is essential reading' The Secret BarristerWhat does it take to make it in modern Britain? Ask a politician, and... continue