Effia and Esi: two sisters with two very different destinies. One sold into slavery; one a slave trader’a wife. The consequences of their fate reverberate through the generations that follow: from the Gold Coast of Africa to the plantations of Mississippi; from the Missionary schools of Ghana to the dive Bars of Harlem. Spanning continents and generations, Yaa Gyasi has written a miraculous novel – an intense heartbreaking story of one family and, through their lives, the story of Africa itself.
Review
A miraculous novel indeed!
I absolutely enjoyed this book and it stoked the fire in me to read more historical fiction and non-fiction which I’ve always loved!
The plot of this book easily flowed and told heart breaking stories of the characters. I like to think of the entire book as a collection of short stories which although are independent are intertwined by family.
I also loved the fact that each of the chapters were written in third person narrative but centering on each character. It was easy to understand and written according to the time it was set it.
The author did a phenomenal job with research on the Ghanaian history and explored deep themes in this work cutting across racism, discrimination, the trans Atlantic slave trade and domestic slave trade.
The prints in the paperback I bought are tiny and admittedly, some patience is required to read and finish this book. It’s not one of those books you can just start and drop intending to pick up in a couple of weeks. I advice that you read it all at once.
To see my verdict on this book, watch my full book review on the book my clicking on the link below:
I share my experience on how I balance reading with a full time job and booktubing. I also share valuable tips that could help you cultivate a reading habit even with a rigorous 9-5 and how to read more while working a 9-5.
Last year, I shared my experience preparing and writing the NLS bar finals on my blog.
On my Youtube channel, I once again share a little bit of that experience as well as some valuable reading tips for law school students, law undergraduates and individuals interested in pursuing a law career in Nigeria and/or getting called to the Nigerian bar.
I also discuss how to handle pressure before, during and after the examinations period.
I did a book review on the lovely read, Unfolding Grace by Kikelomo Kuponiyi.
I typically do not read a lot of christian fiction because religion generally tends to be very sensitive and each individual has their own unique way of expressing his/her/their religion in the way they understand it best and for writers, this may shine through in their writing. I also try to be protective of what I read or what I take into my mind, as much as I try to keep an open mind generally.
This book was a nice read and I loved the fact that although the book was close to 400 pages, the prints were big and I finished it in about 2 days! As much as I did not agree with some of the religious views and interpretations of certain religious view points, the book was all in all, an easy and nice read with a didactic feel.
If you’re looking for a nice Nigerian Christian Fiction recommendation, you can check this out!
Enjoy my book review on the book, Unfolding Grace!
It’s easy to ignore milestones because we’re focusing on the “next best thing”, but I’m super thankful for this one because when I started, I knew it was not the most popular niche on YouTube discussing books or even mainly African and Nigerian literature (there’s only a handful of Nigerian booktubers).
I’m proud of myself that I stuck to a niche (also on advice of a trusted one) that I’m super passionate about and I’ve seen how my passion has positively rubbed off on people. I’ve connected with book lovers all over the world and most importantly, Nigerian literature is getting the exposure it deserves!
So if you’re thinking of starting something and you don’t know if people will vibe with it because it’s relatively new to people around you? Why don’t you start first and let that passion drive you. You’d be surprised at how many people will vibe with it because of your passion!
Thank you to my first 500! I’ll forever be thankful!
You made this girl believe she can do anything! ✨ here’s to hundreds and thousands and millions of subscribers! 🥂
THANK YOU!!
P.S I posted semi-dramatic acceptance speech on my YouTube channel.!😭😂
I had the pleasure and honor of interviewing Bassey Ikpi, the author of the beautiful book, I’m Telling The Truth But I’m Lying and loved every second of it! I had previously done a book review of the book (which you can watch here) and the author commented on my youtube channel saying we could do a Q n A. Needless to say, I almost fainted from pure excitement!
From her book to mental health issues to Bassey’s journey with Bipolar II and Anxiety to Motherhood and mental health awareness in Nigeria, we had an amazing time discussing the book! Bassey was so open, real and honest in answering my questions!
I’m Telling The Truth But I’m Lying is such an amazing book that I recommend for every Nigerian, mental health advocate, Nigerians with mental health issues and everyone dealing with Biplolar II and/or anxiety.
You can watch the full interview by clicking on the video below.
Ahhh….this book was absolutely beautiful! It broke my heart in so many ways.
I loved my reading experience while reading this book (as it was deeply infused with music) and loved how each story was beautiful in its on way.
Although the collection of short stories is fictional, some of the stories felt very real and relatable to me. I like how the stories were independent yet some were linked to each other in an interesting way! This is an interesting one if you’re looking for an African collection of short stories.
Watch my review of this book by Chimeka Garricks up in my YouTube channel!
SO I’ve been on a social media/youtube break for a couple of weeks; taking time to just refresh and rest. I am excited to be back bringing you book-ish content!
Today, I share the books I bought and received in the months of June and July or as I call it, my JUNLY Book Haul!
Thank you guys so much for subscribing to my youtube channel so far! I really appreciate it!
I participated in the mid-year freak out tag! I discussed my reading experience so far; the books I loved and the ones I did not and my expectations for the next half of the year!
Published By: First published by the author under a pseudonym, Satayaa
Release Date: 2017
Genre: Fiction
Format: Paperback
Length: 174 pages
Synopsis
In a rustic part of Nigeria, an unusual farm records uncommon success and productivity in its operations. Separated from her loved ones, Moremi is flung into an unfamiliar world that is highly expectant of her. Amidst fatal changes, bizarre alliances, the quest for wealth and love, she finds an unlikely friend in Ugonna. Together they must do their part to ensure the continued success of the Farm. With each choice they make, their lives unfold before them until they stumble upon a shattering revelation that unsettles what little balance there is at the Farm.
Review
We selected this book as our read at The Readers’ Hub Book Club for the month of June 2020. The author of the book is a member of our book club so we were honoured to have read her book and reviewed same in her presence.
The book is divided into four stories with “The Farm” being the major story. Without giving too much away, the Farm gives an in-depth expose into baby making factory which poses as a typical farm to outsiders. The story delves into the lives of women who have found themselves, by different means, in a baby making factory in eastern Nigeria. Some of these women are held against their will, raped continuously by members of a gang and are obligated to bear children which are in turn sold to affluent members of the society.
The other stories in the book tell gripping and heart-wrenching stories of love birds torn apart in the most disastrous of circumstances common in Northern Nigeria and young women who are given away as child brides and made to bear children even though they are as young as 12.
This book is truly one of a kind. I do not think I have read anything quite like it.
I honestly did not know what to expect when I picked up this book because I had not read anything else by the author. I am happy to say that I was not disappointed. I loved the way the author used fictional stories to explore and shine a light on really deep societal themes and issues that plague Nigeria as a whole from baby factories to child brides and the effect of having children at really young ages to insecurity, death and the negative impacts of terrorism in Northern Nigeria.
In my opinion, the book is a great attempt at personalising the accounts of victims of some of these heinous and life-changing activities happening around us in every day life. As human beings, it is easy to hear some of these issues on the local news or look at certain individuals as mere statistics, but often times than not, we fail to understand deeply, and cannot even begin to relate to the negative impact these activities have on human beings living in these areas in Nigeria. This book is one of such exposes into the ordinary lives of those we often classify as statistics.
The writing style of the author was simple. and easy to understand. While most of the book was told in. the third person narrative, one of the. stories was told in the first person narrative, giving it a much more personal feel. And the plot twists??? Whoosh! I loved the plot twists in The Farm (which had me screaming “ewwwooo” at some point, because I”m randomly. extra like that). I commend the author for a job well done on that.
Although I felt the end of The Farm was a little rushed and I would have preferred the other stories to have been longer (for purely selfish reasons), I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It. was a huge eye-opener for me and I enjoyed discussing it at our book club meet for the month of May 2020. I recommend!
Verdict
A strong 8/10 from me.
P.S. I spoke about The Farm and Other Stories in my “Maypril” wrap up. Watch below:
Rachel Eyo 