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32nd out of 655 books
—
492 voters
The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born
A railway freight clerk in Ghana attempts to hold out against the pressures that impel him toward corruption in both his family and his country.
Paperback, 191 pages
Published
October 23rd 1989
by Heinemann Educational Books
(first published January 1st 1969)
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All the Beautyful Ones are Not Yet Born, by Ayi Kwei Armah, is an excellent read and the second-best book I read all year, after Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo.
Armah wrote this novel in 1968, only eleven years after Ghana got its independence, and he is often considered to be from the "second generation" of African writers. The first generation wrote around the time of independence and was filled with optimism. Things went bad quickly, though, as Armah's book shows.
The story follows an unna...more
Armah wrote this novel in 1968, only eleven years after Ghana got its independence, and he is often considered to be from the "second generation" of African writers. The first generation wrote around the time of independence and was filled with optimism. Things went bad quickly, though, as Armah's book shows.
The story follows an unna...more
Set in Nkruma's Ghana, this is a tale of a man (only identified as "the man") who once was involved with and captured by the dreams of independence, of revolution, who has since become a small-time bureaucrat who struggles to keep is family fed. Corruption is all around, and the pressure to take advantage of it comes at him from all sides - his former school mate, now a minister who is making himself rich from schemes and connections; his mother-in-law; his wife and the expectations of his three...more
The Beautyful Ones are Not Yet Born is a novel set during the last days of the Nkrumah government in Ghana. It’s about a man resisting corruption, quixotically in the view of most of those around him. The scathing portrayal of a corrupt society is all the sharper because of the contrast with the optimism that came with independence; it’s a novel, among other things, about the loss of hope. A kind of Animal Farm of post-colonialism.
It’s a slim book, less than 200 pages, but it took me quite a lon...more
It’s a slim book, less than 200 pages, but it took me quite a lon...more
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The last honest man in Ghana? Images of rot persist, even as the characters are forced by rebellion's upsurge into even further filth. This novel, while certainly part manifesto, still carries a storyteller's flair, and perhaps it is totally my misread, has more than a bit of humor in it. Or maybe that is just my inner pragmatist laughing at the shadow of my once proud inner idealist.
I miss that guy...
Anyways, if this is "socialist fiction", its strength is in the latter aspect triumphing. I fou...more
I miss that guy...
Anyways, if this is "socialist fiction", its strength is in the latter aspect triumphing. I fou...more
I did not know what to expect from this one. As it turns out, it’s quite a good literary book, although its tone is poorly represented by its cover; picture instead a dark road strewn with litter, under a cloudy sky, lined by buildings in various stages of collapse, and you’ll have a better idea of what to expect.
This book is set in Ghana in the 1960s, and is about corruption. It follows the unnamed third-person narrator, a railroad clerk, who is one of the few who refuses to take bribes--which...more
This book is set in Ghana in the 1960s, and is about corruption. It follows the unnamed third-person narrator, a railroad clerk, who is one of the few who refuses to take bribes--which...more
This is quite a cynical story. Ghana seems to be grubby with dirt and dirty money, and a lot of polishing trying to cover it up. The imagery is effective; the language is rich and evocative; the society evoked is detailed and believable; the overall impression is of disillusionment.
A quote:
"It was all so good, the youth and the thoughts of honest living water flowing to thirsty land, wasn't it? But what happens when you come out and you see the land wants you, not honest and living, but complete...more
A quote:
"It was all so good, the youth and the thoughts of honest living water flowing to thirsty land, wasn't it? But what happens when you come out and you see the land wants you, not honest and living, but complete...more
I don't even know if I should/can rate this book. Up until the last 50 or so pages, it took a lot of effort to slog through.
Ayi Kwei Armah set out to take a stand, make a political statement, and it is evident in every part of the book. A lot of similes, a lot of hyperbole, painful description, and LOTS of pontification. It is annoying, and it makes the book painful to read, but it also gets his point across very well.
He wrote this book in 1968, 11 years after Ghana's independence, when the jo...more
Ayi Kwei Armah set out to take a stand, make a political statement, and it is evident in every part of the book. A lot of similes, a lot of hyperbole, painful description, and LOTS of pontification. It is annoying, and it makes the book painful to read, but it also gets his point across very well.
He wrote this book in 1968, 11 years after Ghana's independence, when the jo...more
So this book is by an American trained Marxist and it about the new Ghana with Nkrumah as president. It traces the sad move from idealistic and hopeful begins of a new state, to a corrupt and selfish mess. It is a book that I as a Westerner identified with, but my African students found it harsh and unrealistic. It has a heavy existensialist bent, one character, nameless, the man, refuses to participate in the corruption, and he is hated by everyone. Yet he goes on, trying to avoid the dirt, des...more
College lit class at BCC. Stark, vivid detail, good flow, and sympathy maintained for the main character despite him being an ass and a lousy husband. I think my understanding/enjoyment were hurt by my lack of context re: the political situation and the lack of magic or high technology in the story, since I was freshly 18 and my interest in politics had yet to kindle.
This book requires patience to read. The start of the book gets on quite well, very good use of description. I got hooked from the beginning wondering who the mysterious man was and where was he heading to but immediately after my questions got answered the book quickly became boring, i feel like the writer got lost in description land, like i knew where he was going but he used too many detours to get there! Overall it's an okay read although it did take me forever to finish and bare in mind th...more
Feb 06, 2009
Kaleb
added it
I understood that it was and is only the exploiters and some how the mode of exploitation that have changed, otherwise the exploitation is still ongoing.
I am impressed that a book written some 40 years ago about Ghana is capable of explaining what is going on here in Ethiopia today.
I am impressed that a book written some 40 years ago about Ghana is capable of explaining what is going on here in Ethiopia today.
A great, universal story about corruption, greed and post-colonialism. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a good gateway to modern West African literature, though a fair amount of historical knowledge will make it an even more satisfying read.
Wow, that was an amazing book that I plan to read again and again! Brilliantly written and, although short, not something to be consumed too quickly. Again, I have to say it, this man can really write!!
This was such a depressing read. It was impossible not to be affected by the gloom and decay reported so strongly by Armah. It was crazy how much of this I could relate to, and I loved that
I picked this book up on a fluke in Jamaica after I finished reading a John Feinstein book. I'm glad that I did because this book is incredible. It's about the breaking of one man's soul in post-Nkrumah Ghana. It's simple, it's sparse, it's striking. The decay of the character and the people surrounding him are similar to that of Nausea by Sartre. But, whatever I say, it's not going to do this book justice. Stop reading this right now. Go get this book and read it from cover to cover in one sitt...more
Jul 11, 2012
Beth78
added it
Interesting book on the dilemmas of the post-colonial period in Africa. Most of the dilemmas that Armah talks of puts the Afrcan man at the cross-roads!
I Was forced to read it because it was my literature copy. the first 10 pages were the boring ever. the progress was slow but at the end i liked the story.
Aug 25, 2012
Kangume Kate.K.Elizabeth
added it
Recommends it for:
Saava Sowed Kiziri; Wego Edgar; Kisiki Ben
Recommended to Kangume by:
Florence Bamweriinde-Literature Teacher
The author of the book decries the society's moral failings and moral indignation!! He tries to show how society has become morally degenerated!!
i read this not long after i returned from a few months spent traveling in central america. although, i've never been to africa, there is a resonance here for anyone who has lived in a developing nation. it's the similarities you see in the housing structures in xian, china, and lucea, jamaica. or the smell of coal burning. or the exhaust from diesel-fueled buses. this book, albeit heavy and frustrating, is beautiful and somehow hopeful. i hope to travel to ghana one day...
a friend's father pass...more
a friend's father pass...more
Set in Ghana in the 1960s, just before Nkrumah's overthrow. Attention to detail incredible but sometimes makes it difficult to read.
Written in 1969 one can still see a lot of similarities in modern Africa today. Not uplifting but interesting.
After 4 years I could still remember the scatology at the end of Chapter one...of course "the wood would always win"
Jan 25, 2009
Valerie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Valerie by:
Professor Jordan
Shelves:
africa
I read this for a class at UCSC. It is actually dedicated to a woman I ended up working with later.
Mostly good and in a couple places a great book. It made me break out laughing a few times. Overall its sad in a resigned and cynical way. Despite that, its clearly written by someone who still finds tremendous good and beauty in the world. Lots of existentialism going on, too. The pacing and style are kind of inconsistent, sometimes the detailed writing makes for slow going. There are interesting perspectives, it sounds like it was (maybe still is?) rough times in post-colonial, revolutionary G...more
Read this in Dr. Hutchinson's class in high school. I'd like to reread it because I remember enjoying it!
A fantastically written novel about Ghana and its regime.
Apr 18, 2012
Emmy
added it
this is really wonderful n ot about the literal beauty
perfect dipction of the current post colonial problems
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Born to Fante-speaking parents, with his father's side Armah descending from a royal family in the Ga tribe in the port city of Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, [1] Armah, having attended the renowned Achimota School, left Ghana in 1959 to attend Groton School in Groton, MA. After graduating, he entered Harvard University, receiving a degree in sociology. Armah then moved to Algeria and worked as a transl...more
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“Alone, i am nothing. i have nothing.we have power.but we will never know it,we will never see it work.unless we come together to make it work.”
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9 people liked it
“The sand looked so beautiful then, so many little individual grains in the light of the night, giving the watcher the childhood feeling of infinite things finally understood, the humiliating feeling of the watcher's nothingness.”
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5 people liked it
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Feb 17, 2013 07:53am