Tag: Books

Book Reviews, Maya Angelou

Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou

by Darkowaa4 Comments on Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou

Date Read: July 1st 2014

Published: April 2nd 2013

Publisher: Random House

Pages: 224

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The Blurb

The story of Maya Angelou’s extraordinary life has been chronicled in her multiple bestselling autobiographies. But now, at last, the legendary author shares the deepest personal story of her life: her relationship with her mother.

For the first time, Angelou reveals the triumphs and struggles of being the daughter of Vivian Baxter, an indomitable spirit whose petite size belied her larger-than-life presence—a presence absent during much of Angelou’s early life. When her marriage began to crumble, Vivian famously sent three-year-old Maya and her older brother away from their California home to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. The subsequent feelings of abandonment stayed with Angelou for years, but their reunion, a decade later, began a story that has never before been told. In Mom & Me & Mom, Angelou dramatizes her years reconciling with the mother she preferred to simply call “Lady,” revealing the profound moments that shifted the balance of love and respect between them.

Delving into one of her life’s most rich, rewarding, and fraught relationships, Mom & Me & Mom explores the healing and love that evolved between the two women over the course of their lives, the love that fostered Maya Angelou’s rise from immeasurable depths to reach impossible heights.

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 Review – ★★★★★ (5 stars)

In Mom & Me & Mom, Maya Angelou’s prose is very engaging and flows easily. Maya Angelou never disappoints me with her writing. This was a fast read and rather comforting as well!  Even though this book had several repeated incidences (such as Angelou initially addressing her mother as ‘Lady’ since having a mother figure was new to her because she had lived with her grandmother in the South before moving to California to live with her mother, The birth of Guy- Angelou’s only son, Angelou’s failed marriage, Angelou’s near death experience with an abusive lover etc) from her three autobiographies I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Gather Together In My Name, Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas, this is a wonderful memoir centered around Maya Angelou and her mother- Vivian Baxter.

I love how the book is laden with pictures of Vivian Baxter, Maya Angelou and other loved ones during different occasions discussed in the book. A mother’s love is indeed a powerful thing! Maya’s mother’s love certainly made Maya Angelou into the phenomenal woman she was. Vivian Baxter was not a woman to mess with! She was always busy and was adored and respected by everyone in her hometown – even the police officers! She owned a gun, had a casino in Alaska, ran a boarding house in California and owned other businesses. She was a sharp businesswoman with a well of wisdom which guided and gave Maya Angelou sound direction.

Vivian Baxter was not a perfect woman but she was definitely a strong, stern, hip, inspirational, loving, jovial mother to her children (Maya and her son, Bailey). I loved reading about all the ups and downs Maya and her mother faced in their lives. Throughout the lessons Maya and her mother learned, readers also learn about the power forgiveness and survival with regards to mother-daughter relationships. Vivian Baxter was surely blessed with a daughter with impeccable memory, for Maya Angelou painted her mother in an admirable light. I will surely re-read Mom & Me & Mom again before the year ends.

★★★★★ (5 stars) – Amazing book, I loved it. Absolutely recommend!

Purchase Mom & Me & Mom on Amazon

Book Reviews, Flora Nwapa

Women Are Different by Flora Nwapa

by Darkowaa10 Comments on Women Are Different by Flora Nwapa

Date Read: June 10th 2014

Published: 1992

Publisher: Africa World Press (African Women Writers Series)

Pages: 138

The Blurb

Women are Different is the moving story of a group of Nigerian women, from their schooldays together through the trials and tribulations of their adult lives. Through their stories we see some of the universal problems faced by women everywhere: the struggle for financial independence and a rewarding career, combined with the need to bring up a family, often without a man.

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Review – ★★ (2 stars)

This book was quite painful to read… the details of the storyline were superfluous, Nwapa’s writing style wasn’t great and there were too many characters to keep track of in the book. Furthermore, there were spelling and grammatical errors in my copy of the book (I have the African Women Writer Series- First Africa World Press, edition 1992).

I love that Flora Nwapa sought out to enlighten readers on the lives of Nigerian women from the 1940’s to the 1970’s- after the Biafran war, but I did not enjoy the writing style. It was written in third-person, but quite shabbily. The sentence structures were very simple and I felt like I was reading a child’s novel.

I will commend Nwapa for raising various issues women faced in Nigeria, like: arranged marriages, child marriages, poverty, the importance of girl-child education, prostitution, spinsterhood, betrayed love etc. Nwapa portrayed all of these issues through the lives of Dora, Rose, Agnes and Comfort from their high school days to their late motherhood days. The girls’ different personalities and opinions on life were basically a microcosm of the opinions and lives of other women in Nigeria. I enjoyed Comfort’s character the most, as she was vivacious and fearless- typical of Nigerian women!

But several parts of the novel were dragged out. For example: the food strike in the girls’ secondary school went on for about ten pages; Dora complaining to Rose about her wayward daughter’s failed marriage dragged on for another ten pages; Agnes’ prostitute daughter’s plight went on forever as well.

The girls’ lives did not end up how they wished it would romantically, but they were quite successful, strong women by the end of the novel.

I initially wanted to purchase Nwapa’s popular novel, Efuru but after reading this simple book that took me 18 days to complete, I think I will pass. I love African literature and I admire Flora Nwapa for being one of the pioneering African women writers, but unfortunately I do not recommend this book.

BUT!! Another African literature book blogger, Mary Okeke, loved this novel! Check out her positive review of Women Are Different – here.

★★ (2 stars) – Thumbs down. I do not recommend this.

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Purchase Women Are Different on Amazon

Book Covers

African Book Covers! (showcase 1)

by Darkowaa13 Comments on African Book Covers! (showcase 1)

Let’s be honest, we ALL judge books by their covers! The cover of a book can either dissuade or persuade anyone into reading it. African book covers in particular are all very unique. Here are 20 of some of my favorite African book covers. The cool art work of these covers either pushed me to purchase the books, or are still encouraging me to purchase them in the near future. This is showcase 1 of my Book Covers Series :).

This post is inspired by Bookshy, the creator of africanbookcovers.tumblr.com and bookshybooks.blogspot.co.uk. Several diverse African book covers are beautifully showcased and celebrated on her blogs. They are a lovely ode to African literature!

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 More book covers!

Ayesha H. Attah, Book Reviews

Harmattan Rain by Ayesha H. Attah

by Darkowaa7 Comments on Harmattan Rain by Ayesha H. Attah

Date Read: February 10th 2014

Published: 2008

Publisher: PER ANKH

Pages: 434

Harmattan-Rain

The Blurb

Harmattan Rain follows three generations of women as they cope with family, love and life. A few years before Ghana’s independence, Lizzie-Achiaa’s lover disappears. Intent on finding him, she runs away from home. Akua Afriyie, Lizzie-Achiaa’s first daughter, strikes out on her own as a single parent in a country rocked by successive coups. Her daughter, Sugri grows up overprotected. She leaves home for university in New York, where she learns that sometimes one can have too much freedom. In the end, the secrets parents keep from their children eventually catch up with them

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Review – ★★★★ (4 stars)

Once I finally gave this book a chance, I really enjoyed it! I started Harmattan Rain in October of 2013, but put it down after reading 30 pages or so. I found the beginning a bit slow so I just took a break and came back to it in February.

Harmattan Rain focuses on three generations of Ghanaian women in a family: Lizzie-Achiaa, Akua Afriyie and Sugri. Readers experience Ghana (mostly the capital, Accra) through these characters from 1954- before independence, to the early 2000’s. We learn about Ghana’s political unrest during the coup d’etat era and witness the evolution of Ghanaian politics. Ayesha Harruna Attah does a great job of weaving Ghana’s history into the storyline in a simple, clear way, without being politically biased.

The novel is divided into three parts, so readers have the opportunity to delve deep into the lives of each character and their storyline. Ayesha Harruna Attah effortlessly develops each character and their storyline to the point where all three storylines are meshed together perfectly. As the novel takes us from one generation to the next, readers witness family cycles, past mistakes and habits continuing. It was refreshing to go through the realistic ups and downs of these ladies’ lives: Lizzie-Achiaa- the brave matriarch of the family runs away from her village to find her lost lover and also tries to pursue her nursing career in Accra; Akua Afriyie- Lizzie’s rebellious first child struggles with being a single parent and strives to find happiness through her art; Sugri- Akua Afriyie’s only daughter, a brilliant but sheltered girl, learns hard lessons of life as she goes away to college in the US.

My favorite part of the novel is part three, which focuses on Sugri. I could identify with Sugri more, as she attended an international high school, went to university abroad and experienced being ‘different’ outside of Ghana. She may be a little naive, but her growth and strength by the end of the novel was inspiring! Ayesha Harruna Attah seems to be a shy person from some interviews I’ve seen, so I was pleasantly surprised when I was reading this book because she’s a powerful writer with an unexpected creative imagination. Harmattan Rain is a great debut for Ayesha Harruna Attah and I can’t wait to read her next novel!

Check out a sneak peek of her second novel, Saturday’s Shadows to be launched this Fall – here!

★★★★ (4 stars) – Great book. Highly recommend!

Purchase Harmattan Rain on Amazon

Currently Reading, Goodreads Reading Challenge (2014)

Currently Reading

by DarkowaaLeave a Comment on Currently Reading

I just finished Leila Aboulela’s book “Minaret”. I wasn’t really impressed with how the story concluded, but a review on that book will be coming soon.

I’m currently reading: Sozaboy: A Novel in Rotten English

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The book is written in pidgin english, so it flows differently. But I’m enjoying it so far 🙂

Book Reviews, E.C Osondu

Voice of America: Stories by E.C Osondu

by Darkowaa2 Comments on Voice of America: Stories by E.C Osondu

Date Read: April 30th 2014

Published: October 25th 2011

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Pages: 216

VOA

The Blurb

E.C. Osondu is a fearless and passionate new writer whose stories echo the joys and struggles of a cruel, beautiful world. His characters burst from the page—they fight, beg, love, grieve, but ultimately they are dreamers. Set in Nigeria and the United States, Voice of America moves from the fears and dreams of boys and girls in villages and refugee camps to the disillusionment and confusion of young married couples living in America, and then back to bustling Lagos.
Written with exhilarating energy and warmth, the stories of Voice of America are full of humor, pathos, and wisdom—an electrifying debut from a winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing.

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Review – ★★ (2 stars)

I bought Voice of America: Stories because Osondu’s story “Waiting” won the Caine Prize in 2009 and I found it very touching. I wanted to read more of his work and I’m satisfied with my overall reading experience of this book.

But most of the short stories (set in both USA and Nigeria) were lackluster. I found issues like childless marriages, arranged marriages, kidnappings and fraud cliché with the plethora of African novels on the market on immigrant experience in the West. I’m used to short stories being extraordinary, shocking, disheartening, exhilarating- not simply okay, as with this collection of short stories.

My favorite story was:

“A Letter From Home”- a hilarious letter that a nagging Nigerian mother writes to her adult son in the United States, demanding extra monetary support and discussing the future bride she found for him.

Other stories had hilarious bits as well, but were still quite lackluster for me. Voice of America: Stories is a pleasant read, but not on my highly recommended list.

★★ (2 stars) – Thumbs down. I do not recommend this.

Purchase Voice of America: Stories on Amazon

Book Reviews, Jamaica Kincaid

Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid

by Darkowaa9 Comments on Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid

Date Read: May 22nd 2014

Published: September 4th 2002

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Pages: 164

lucy

The Blurb

Lucy, a teenage girl from the West Indies, comes to North America to work as an au pair for Lewis and Mariah and their four children. Lewis and Mariah are a thrice-blessed couple–handsome, rich, and seemingly happy. Yet, almost at once, Lucy begins to notice cracks in their beautiful facade. With mingled anger and compassion, Lucy scrutinizes the assumptions and verities of her employers’ world and compares them with the vivid realities of her native place. Lucy has no illusions about her own past, but neither is she prepared to be deceived about where she presently is.
At the same time that Lucy is coming to terms with Lewis’s and Mariah’s lives, she is also unravelling the mysteries of her own sexuality. Gradually a new person unfolds: passionate, forthright, and disarmingly honest. In Lucy, Jamaica Kincaid has created a startling new character possessed with adamantine nearsightedness and ferocious integrity–a captivating heroine for our time.

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Review –  ★★★★★ (5 stars)

Lucy is a quick read and was wonderfully written. I really enjoy Jamaica Kincaid’s style of writing – it is clean and simple yet laden with deep meaning. Lucy, the protagonist of the novel is a sorrowful, bitter person and I blame her abandoned upbringing and the love-hate relationship she has with her mother as the cause. The novel in general is full of misery – not only from the protagonist, but also from the family Lucy is working for (Mariah and Lewis).

Even after Lucy obtains all the things she once longed for – freedom to do as she pleases and to be away from home (a nameless Caribbean island) she still isn’t fully satisfied with life. The bond she forms with her friend Peggy and her romantic relationships with men don’t seem completely sincere in love. There is a deep void in Lucy’s life and I believe only her mother’s love can fill it but her mother was quite controlling and hostile to Lucy as a child. What kind of mother tells her daughter that she was named after Satan because she was a botheration from the moment she was conceived? And that ‘Lucy’ is the girl’s name for Lucifer? Crazy.

 This story could be seen as a sequel to Jamaica Kincaid’s novel, Annie John. There are a lot of similarities in the protagonists of the two stories. Kincaid seems to enjoy writing on mother-daughter relationships in these two novels… and they are both quite tragic! Kincaid’s ability to articulate emotions and feelings of joy, vulnerability, sorrow, pain and grief are very palpable in her novels. This is why I love her books and I highly recommend this one!

★★★★★ (5 stars) – Amazing book, I loved it. Absolutely recommend!

Purchase Lucy on Amazon

Book Reviews, Chimamanda N. Adichie

The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

by Darkowaa8 Comments on The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Date Read: April 2nd 2014

Published: June 1st 2010

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Pages: 240

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 The Blurb

In “A Private Experience,” a medical student hides from a violent riot with a poor Muslim woman whose dignity and faith force her to confront the realities and fears she’s been pushing away. In “Tomorrow is Too Far,” a woman unlocks the devastating secret that surrounds her brother’s death. The young mother at the center of “Imitation” finds her comfortable life in Philadelphia threatened when she learns that her husband has moved his mistress into their Lagos home. And the title story depicts the choking loneliness of a Nigerian girl who moves to an America that turns out to be nothing like the country she expected; though falling in love brings her desires nearly within reach, a death in her homeland forces her to reexamine them.

Searing and profound, suffused with beauty, sorrow, and longing, these stories map, with Adichie’s signature emotional wisdom, the collision of two cultures and the deeply human struggle to reconcile them. The Thing Around Your Neck is a resounding confirmation of the prodigious literary powers of one of our most essential writers.

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Review – ★★★★ (4 stars)

The Thing Around Your Neck is a pretty good collection of twelve short stories and a fast read. Adichie manifests her effortless artistry with words and I enjoyed the stories- hence my rating of 4 stars. Since most of my life experiences are American and Ghanaian, I could relate to a good number of the stories, as they are set in the US and Nigeria (Ghana’s anglophone West African brother nation).

But I was dissatisfied at how most of the stories had weak conclusions. I’ve read other short story collections and enjoyed them more, such as Happiness, Like Water by Chinelo Okparanta. Despite my slight disappointment, my favorite stories were:

“A Private Experience” – a touching tale of two young women from different religious backgrounds who take temporary refuge in an empty shop during a riot in Kano, Nigeria.

“The Shivering” – a modern story set on the Princeton University campus where two African students form a strong friendship, despite their different beliefs and sexualities.

“The American Embassy” – a disheartening tale of a woman trying to seek asylum in America after witnessing the murder of her baby son by armed robbers.

The rest of the stories were good, but again, their conclusions were not that great to me. Also, because I read Americanah before this book (in October 2013), I found some of the characters from both novels a bit similar.

My favorite quotes from The Thing Around Your Neck:

 “It is one of the things she has come to love about America, the abundance of unreasonable hope.” pg. 26

 “She dated married men before Obiora- what single girl in Lagos hadn’t?” pg. 31

 “I remember now that I once saw you on the shuttle. I knew you were African but I thought you might be from Ghana. You looked too gentle to be Nigerian.” pg. 151 (Hahaa!)

“I was happy when I saw your picture…you were light-skinned. I had to think about my children’s looks. Light-skinned blacks fare better in America.” pg. 185

 I could discuss these quotes till Thy kingdom come. There’s so much to analyze from them to keep a conversation going for a while!

★★★★ (4 stars) – Great book. Highly recommend!

Purchase The Thing Around Your Neck on Amazon