Here Comes a Book Rant
July 16, 2019
A review/rant about Bianca Marais’ novel If You Want to Make God Laugh, an unintentionally offensive story about three women in post-apartheid South Africa. … More Here Comes a Book Rant
Tag: Africa
Motherhood, Charity, and Africa’s AIDS Orphans: There is No Me Without You, by Melissa Fay Greene
February 19, 2019
A review of a nonfiction account of one woman’s quest to save children orphaned by or suffering from AIDS in Ethiopia. … More Motherhood, Charity, and Africa’s AIDS Orphans: There is No Me Without You, by Melissa Fay Greene
Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi: Book Review
September 10, 2016
“We believe the one who has the power. He is the one who gets to write the story. So when you study history, you must always ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? Once you have figured that out, you must find that story … More Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi: Book Review
Book Review: We Need New Names, by NoViolet Bulawayo
September 14, 2015
“Because we were not in our country, we could not use our own languages, and so when we spoke our voices came out bruised.” Having a stamp of approval from Junot Díaz is not a small deal to me. In my mind he is one of the most authentic–not to mention best–authors working today. He … More Book Review: We Need New Names, by NoViolet Bulawayo
Book Review: Every Day Is for the Thief, by Teju Cole
May 13, 2014
Teju Cole has a novelistic style unlike many other fiction writers out there today. I guess whether or not you enjoy his work comes down to how you respond to that style. Because here’s the thing: nothing happens in terms of plot. That is true of both of Cole’s novels so far: Open City and … More Book Review: Every Day Is for the Thief, by Teju Cole
Book Review: Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
July 12, 2013
“They themselves mocked Africa, trading stories of absurdity, of stupidity, and they felt safe to mock, because it was a mockery born of longing, and of the heartbroken desire to see a place made whole again.” An assertion is made in Americanah that it is impossible to write an honest novel about race in this … More Book Review: Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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