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Say You're One of Them

by Uwem Akpan

3.35 · rating details · 5,070 ratings · 1,414 reviews

Each story in this jubilantly acclaimed collection pays testament to the wisdom and resilience of children, even in the face of the most agonizing circumstances.
A family living in a makeshift shanty in urban Kenya scurries to find gifts of any kind for the impending Christmas holiday. A Rwandan girl relates her family's struggles to maintain a facade of normalcy amid uns...more

Paperback, 360 pages

Published by Back Bay Books (first published February 29th 2000)

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May 29, 2011

Petra X rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, fiction, travel-adventure

Its difficult to justify giving this book five stars as there are so many problems with it.

Firstly, two of the stories are novellas of considerable length and extremely difficult to read. This is because, in an effort to give local flavour to the dialogue, letters are transposed, French words, local words and words that seem to have no meaning but are used for emphasis pepper the text. It does actually add to book, but it means its a slow read and there is no natural rhythm to the ...moreIts difficult to justify giving this book five stars as there are so many problems with it.

Firstly, two of the stories are novellas of considerable length and extremely difficult to read. This is because, in an effort to give local flavour to the dialogue, letters are transposed, French words, local words and words that seem to have no meaning but are used for emphasis pepper the text. It does actually add to book, but it means its a slow read and there is no natural rhythm to the speech.

Secondly, the stories in the novellas unfold very slowly indeed. Almost like a big wave coming that you expect to crest and collapse in a spume of foaming water but instead just rolls over itself smoothly. Not exactly an anti-climax, just not what you expected.

Thirdly, there is a lack of emotional involvement in events so horrific they demand a reaction, you want to feel the horror of the author but no, he is detached.

So why five-stars? Because it is part of the uniqueness of the book that it is written in such a different way. A more conventional rendering of the stories that are all aspects of children's experience of tribal and religious wars in the '90s, would not have given us the same involved and emotional experience: its for us to be part of it and to feel it, not just to read it.

I often read in people's reviews that they cried at the end of the book, well I usually take that with a pinch of salt, perhaps I am hard-hearted, but with this book, it would be difficult not to feel that sting behind your eyes with the ending of the last story. Its also well worth reading the very short interview with the author included at the end.

It is, in short, a brilliant book that will give you something of the reality of children in those circumstances that all the documentaries in the world won't. Those are stories filmed and reported from a Western, foreign point of view whereas the book is the African experience of those events best told as stories by an author who lived through those devastating and murderous times.(less)

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Sep 22, 2009

Chuck rated it

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Uwem Akpan graphically portrays horrendous conditions in several African countries -- child trafficking; prostitution; rape; murder, religious conflict; Sharia-mandated amputations; starvation; etc. These stories are no doubt grounded in fact, but two defects in the collection detract from its potential power. First, the various narrators describe terrible circumstances in such a detached reportorial, matter-of-fact way that the lack of emotional engagement has the unfortunate effect of disenga...more

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Jul 05, 2008

Dave rated it

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Stories of abused and battered children in Africa are legion, but few cut as close to the bone as this collection by Uwem Akpan. His five tales, two of which are novella length, are told with the uninhibited, truth-filled voices of the children involved. Each one takes place in a different country but the theme is universal: the biggest challenge faced by children in Africa is staying alive.

Akpan, a Jesuit priest with an MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan, pile...moreStories of abused and battered children in Africa are legion, but few cut as close to the bone as this collection by Uwem Akpan. His five tales, two of which are novella length, are told with the uninhibited, truth-filled voices of the children involved. Each one takes place in a different country but the theme is universal: the biggest challenge faced by children in Africa is staying alive.

Akpan, a Jesuit priest with an MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan, piles on details available only to one intimately familiar with the lives described. Be forewarned: some of those details are gruesome to the point of causing distress, which I am sure was his intent. The imagery can range from the droll, like the description of the motorbike loaded with five people, various fruits and vegetables, a rooster and five rolls of toilet paper in “Fattening for Gabon,” to the most horrific sight a child can see, a parental bloodbath, in “My Parents’ Bedroom.” This story ends the book and is the source of the title “Say you’re one of them,” the command given by a desperate Rwandan Tutsi mother to her Hutu-fathered child as machete-wielding killers approach.

Various dialects are used masterfully to both reveal characters and set scenes. The jargon, slang, and foreign phrases may be off-putting to some readers, but little meaning is lost when the dialogue is read in full context. Quite frankly, the only time many readers can bear to imagine events like those in the book is when they take place on foreign shores. We can be sickened and outraged by horrors on another continent; the same happenings across the street from where we live would paralyze us with fright. Fortunately, Akpan’s familiarity with African poetry infuses much of the writing, giving the book a lyrical tone that keeps the more violent passages from slipping into slasher-movie territory.

As a person who has photographed and written about Africa extensively, I must confess I was not shocked by Akpan’s stories. Unfortunately, tales like them are all too familiar to me. I was deeply moved by his dramatic intensity, however, and highly appreciative of his ability to put the reader inside the children’s lives.

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Feb 25, 2011

Renee rated it

· review of another edition

Nigerian author Akpan is a master of depicting gritty scenes of chaos and fear in this collection of five not so short stories set in war-torn Africa. Akpan deals with topics such as slavery, religious conflict, genocide and poverty, and if these topics weren't powerful enough, they are ten times more so as they are told through the eyes of children. In addition, I listened to this book on audio and the readers captured the authenticity of the various African languages and dialects. These sto...more

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Jan 03, 2009

Clare rated it

· review of another edition

What I learned from this book is that I need to know more about the history and political situation in Africa. Akpan has a gift for writing from the viewpoint of children who suffer due to poverty and violence. It is my fault, not his, that I didn't understand these stories better. I am somewhat familiar with the terrible violence that has occurred in Rwanda due to tribal conflict. Thus the story, "My Parent's Bedroom", was very clear to me. It was also terribly frightening.
...more

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Nov 29, 2009

Shannon rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, short-stories, 2009, novella

This cover has one of the most beautiful photos - I kept seeing it in the bookshop, picking it up and dithering but ultimately putting it down again. In the end, a few people on Goodreads got me interested in it - they were talking about how it was the latest book in Oprah's book club but that they'd read the sample story and it was so depressing and they didn't want to read something that upset them.

That actually made me want to read it. I want to be confronted, to be challenged, to...more

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Oct 27, 2008

Allison rated it

· review of another edition

I decided to read this book because of popular review. People loved it. Time loved it. Essence loved it. Entertainment Weekly loved it. Maybe I should have checked my sources--all owned by Time Inc. (duh)--but I figured that a book generating this much positive press would be worth reading.
I won't go back on this opinion--it was worth reading. It was as about worth reading as most other books I have read: nothing spectacular, but not a waste of my time, either. What seemed wasteful...moreI decided to read this book because of popular review. People loved it. Time loved it. Essence loved it. Entertainment Weekly loved it. Maybe I should have checked my sources--all owned by Time Inc. (duh)--but I figured that a book generating this much positive press would be worth reading.
I won't go back on this opinion--it was worth reading. It was as about worth reading as most other books I have read: nothing spectacular, but not a waste of my time, either. What seemed wasteful in Akpan's book was the way that the lengthiest stories were the least effective. Perhaps it was their length that diluted them; perhaps if they had been shortened to the size and style of the stories that impacted me the most, that left me what felt like a taste of experience or shock, they would have felt like less of a chore to read.
On the positive end, the longer stories gave me more of a sense of the character narrating them. "Fattening for Gabon" and "Luxurious Hearses" are both 136 pages, and I had the clearest pictures of Kotchikpa and Jubril respectively by the end of each of their stories. This is only logical, however, since at the end of a full-length novel, you fully expect to know the characters, or else you will have lost interest by page 150. I also felt I understood Jigana, the eldest son and narrator in "An Ex-mas Feast" quite well despite its shorter 34-page length. This is probably because the story did not attempt to accomplish much aside from depicting family dymanics, and told from a very distinctive point of view, this can create a story in and of itself.
My favorite story was the book's title story, "My Parents' Bedroom," in which Monique's mother tells her, "When they ask, say you're one of them." For someone like me who finds titling works of writing incredibly hard, I found this a stroke of brilliance. The title fits the story collection perfectly. Meanwhile, this story had the most impact on me, not just because of its violence--the other stories certainly contained violence--but because of the narrator's ability to withhold understanding of what was occurring around her so that I, the reader, also did not know until she had figured it out. And what she cannot understand, I cannot understand, as if I am her age, living inside of her. Usually I hate being confused at the actions of other characters in the story. But here, "not knowing" only makes sense, and it makes the story come alive.
Short stories are a tough genre, and Akpan does indeed deserve acolades for his endeavors. I just need to remember, in the future, not to read books on recommendation from the press. I am almost always, in some capacity or other, disappointed.(less)

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Aug 07, 2010

Michele Torrey rated it

· review of another edition

Even as one who has spent considerable time in Africa, "in the trenches," so to speak, one who has many African friends, I cannot say that I truly understand Africans. Their different ways of thinking, their cultures, their perceptions, often leave me, a white Western woman, bewildered and exasperated. Should I spend the remainder of my life among them, I believe I would always be aware of the vast gulf of understanding that stands between us and my own ingrained and presumptive Wester...more

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Dec 22, 2009

Alan rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: short-stories, read-in-2009

just picked up from the library.
Read the three short-ish ones and they, particularly 'My Parent's Bedroom' have knocked me down with their power...

later: still reeling from this one. He's not the greatest writer in the world - the three short pieces are superbly done, but the longer pieces - novellas really - are too long, repetitive, relying on exposition too much. But that doesn't seem to matter, you forget the difficulties of dealing with the odd dialects, French and 'Africa...morejust picked up from the library.
Read the three short-ish ones and they, particularly 'My Parent's Bedroom' have knocked me down with their power...

later: still reeling from this one. He's not the greatest writer in the world - the three short pieces are superbly done, but the longer pieces - novellas really - are too long, repetitive, relying on exposition too much. But that doesn't seem to matter, you forget the difficulties of dealing with the odd dialects, French and 'African' English because everybody in the stories is alive and you could meet them, you know their fears, humour, hopes. Of course the outrageousness of their fates throw their fragile lives, mostly children, into such relief it becomes almost unbearable, but Akpan copes admirably with that, there is no sentimentality, just a clear eye. Akpan knows that these fates, murder, violence, slavery, prostitution, hunger, AIDS, are ordinary events there. These things, particularly mob violence with machetes, poverty relieved by glue sniffing, the shame/fear of revealing who you are because of the consequences are rendered with the acuteness and skill that maybe does mark him out as a future great writer.

I could quote loads but maybe this passage that just came open will help:

The Wizard is Papa's father's brother. He is a pagan and he is vey powerful. If he doesn't like you, he can put a spell on you, until you become useless - unless you're a strong Catholic. The colour of his skin is milk with a little coffee. He never married because he says he hates his skin and doesn't want to pass it on. Sometimes he paints himself with charcoal, until the rain comes to wash away his blackness. I don't know where he got his colour from. My parents say it's a complicated story about intermarriage. He's so old he walks with a stick. His lips are long and droopy, becasue he uses them to blow bad luck and disease into people. He likes to frighten the children with his ugly face. Whenever I see the Wizard I run away. Papa, his own nephew, doesn't want him in the house, but Maman tolerates the Wizard. 'No matter, he's our relative,' she says. Tonton Andre, Papa's only brother, hates him even more. They don't even greet each other on the road.

You find out later why Papa doesn't like the Wizard.

There is a deep humanity in this book, a reaching out to people, and a mind that is open and trying to understand (even though the writer is a Jesuit priest there is no bias in the book, importantly dealing with Muslim-Christian antagonism). Worth a hundred stars.
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Jan 29, 2009

Maggie rated it

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Say You’re One of Them is a heartbreaking collection of short stories (or, rather, two novellas and three short stories), each set in a different country in Africa. A champion of children, Uwem's collection shines a clear light on the harsh realities of life for many African kids.

In each of these stories, innocence collides with corruption. Set in Benin, “Fattening for Gabon” depicts an uncle who, as the guardian of two AIDS orphans, plans to sell his young charges into slavery. In “...moreSay You’re One of Them is a heartbreaking collection of short stories (or, rather, two novellas and three short stories), each set in a different country in Africa. A champion of children, Uwem's collection shines a clear light on the harsh realities of life for many African kids.

In each of these stories, innocence collides with corruption. Set in Benin, “Fattening for Gabon” depicts an uncle who, as the guardian of two AIDS orphans, plans to sell his young charges into slavery. In “An Ex-Mas Feast,” a twelve-year-old girl takes to the Nairobi streets, prostituting herself so that she can feed her family and raise money for her younger brother’s school fees, as he's the sole hope of the destitute family. And in the horrifying “My Parents’ Bedroom,” two Rwandan children bear witness to the unspeakable as their Hutu friends and family members form a violent, mindless mob set on ridding their community of its Tutsi residents. It isn't pretty to think about the things that these children are forced to witness and endure, however these fictitious stories are the reality of many kids, and it's a truth that far too many of us would rather ignore.

Since author Uwem Akpan is also a Jesuit priest, it is hardly surprising that religion permeates these stories, but never in a way that is dogmatic. Rather than choose sides, Akpan instead highlights the innocent victims of religiously-fueled hatred. In the elegantly simple “In What Language Is That?,” a little Ethiopian girl is no longer allowed to see or speak to "Best Friend" because she is Christian and her little friend is Muslim. Although violence is implied rather than illustrated in this piece, the reader just the same feels the dismay of these two little ones who fail to see the difference between them. Following that is the novella “Luxurious Hearses,” which depicts a sixteen-year-old orthodox Muslim boy who, born Catholic, becomes a target of resentment and fear in his own Islamic community, and then again amongst the Christian refugees he tries to flee south with after a violent Islamic uprising in his native Nigeria. And while I felt that this piece was the weakest of the bunch, its ending remains seared in my memory.

Although I generally found the novellas to be less affecting than the short stories - which were somehow more powerful for their conciseness - all five of these pieces are piercing and powerful, and Akpan's prose is positively beautiful despite the ugly subject matter. In short, Say You're One of Them is a startling collection by an important author. Whatever Akpan writes next, I will read.(less)

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Jun 26, 2008

Jeffrey rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: classics-above-others, fiction, required-reading

Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan

Tragic, frustrating, majestic, bewildering are all words I would use to describe this short story collection. I have never read so many sad tales that did not come out of Russian literature. This collection is breathtaking in so many ways that mere words do no justice. Akpan is a true artist that paints with words a world so tragically wrong that it bothers you to your core. To know that such a world exists shames us all. Yet the writing is so bea...more

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Feb 12, 2009

Julie added it · review of another edition

Shelves: africa-theme-setting, read-2009, contemporary-fiction

This isn't a work to which I can assign stars- it would be like ranking tourist visits to concentration camps- this one was more interesting, that one was more intact, the other had the best museum shop, when in fact they are all horrific and unforgettable.

To further the analogy, reading Uwem Akpan was like reading Elie Wiesel- devastating and heartbreaking, with details as vivid and palpable as yesterday. The difference is that decades of history and a Western world romance with WW...more

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Feb 04, 2010

Laurel rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction

I have always been drawn to Africa and thus to stories about Africa. As such, this book seemed right up my alley. In the end, though, it was a bit of a disappointment for me. While the stories overall were well-told, the characters seemed detached and somehow lacking in depth. For whatever reason, I just couldn't get fully absorbed. This is one of those books I'd like to revisit when I am able to read the print version. I feel like I missed something with the audio... it was too easy for me to ...more

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Feb 05, 2009

Bookmarks Magazine added it · review of another edition

Hailed as "a major literary debut" (San Diego Union-Tribune) and "brilliant" (USA Today), Uwem Akpan's collection Say You're One of Them fulfills the promise of his 2005 short story, "An Ex-Mas Feast," in the New Yorker. Without flinching or lecturing, Akpan shares the almost unimaginable horrors that threaten Africa's most vulnerable children. A Jesuit priest, he also evokes the love, grace, and other spiritual values that can emerge from the fight for survival. Cr

...more

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Jan 19, 2012

LS rated it

· review of another edition

Although this edition only contains three (viz Say You're One of Them, An Ex-Mas Feast, and My Parents' Bedroom) of the five stories from the book of the same title, it is enough to give those who are faint of heart the general gist of Akpan's subject matter and style. "Say You're One of Them" is chillingly intense. It's basically one of those living nightmare scenarios that makes me realize two things
1. I'm glad I don't live there.
and
2. I don't really have any p...more

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Nov 30, 2011

David rated it

· review of another edition

Despite the Oprah Book Club 2009 sticker, I was recommended to read this book. The five stories are all told from the point of view of children in different parts of Africa. Readrer beware - all of these stories deal with child-sex trade, the Rwanda massacre and the exploitation of resources that affect peoples ways of living. The author is a Jesuit priest who has a wonderful way with words while writing about such provocative subjects. He does not pick any religion as being better than the othe...more

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Jul 07, 2011

Kelley rated it

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A really powerful collection of short stories about contemporary horrors in Africa seen from the perspective of children. The first story: An Ex-mas feast was about street children and the older sibling’s choice to become a full-time prostitute. The second story Fatting for Gabon was the most heart-wrenching for me as it was about two children and their uncle’s choice (then reversal) to sell them into slavery. The third What Language is That was about cultural differences a young girl’s choice t...more

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Apr 06, 2011

Allison rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, fiction

I usually read literary short stories with an attitude of detached admiration - of the narrative technique, of the shaping of the story arc, that kind of thing. Very rarely do I feel the kind of tension I did reading these -- I think it's the closest I've come to a genuine experience of Aristotle's catharsis involving pity and fear. In 'Fattening for Gabon' I was riveted, anticipating not just the actual taking of the children, but the realization that the adoptive godparents of whom they were...more

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Apr 06, 2011

Zakiya rated it

· review of another edition

Okay, I was really excited about this book. I started reading this book, but about half way through it I had to put it down for a while. I love his writing style. This book is filled with beautiful prose, and vivid descriptions. It is very well-written. The only thing that is making this book difficult for me to read is the heavy use of dialect and foreign language. On one hand, it is necessary, as the short stories in this book take place in various countries of Africa; each with it's own ...more

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Dec 10, 2010

Ali rated it

· review of another edition

This collection of stories are mere results. They are not creations. The author of this book wasn't visited unannounced by some greek muses or a forgotten ancient goddess of Africa. It wasn't concieved by the human mind and it is not a folklore to be told around camp fires burning bright near some eavesdropping hollow trees. These stories are the harsh reality of life in the land of Third World, where the poverty had spread like plaque, and the only thing that people can cling on is their faith,...more

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Dec 05, 2010

Meneesha Govender rated it

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Say You're One of Them is a collection of short stories about the children of several African countries.

It is an interesting take on life in Africa - through the eyes of children.

"I want the voice of children to be heard - not filtered through the voices of adults and not lost through the perceptions of adults," says Uwen Akpan.

"I want the reader to sit with these kids and make sense of the chaos they are going through.

"Many s...more

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Oct 19, 2010

DubaiReader rated it

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Shelves: ew-pm-bk-grp, 2010

Five harrowing stories about Africa's children.

We read this book for a book group and although I would normally avoid short stories for such discussions, these were sufficiently similarly themed to make for an enlightening evening. The universal subject of horrors witnessed or experienced by Africa's children was a harrowing topic, however, and some readers did not manage to complete all the stories.

Personally, I thought some were better than others and had a big problem with...more

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Sep 28, 2010

Jen rated it

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Shelves: books-i-have-read-in-2010

I am not sure where I first came across this short story collection (or more accurately, 3 short stories and 2 novellas) but I recently came across it in a pile of my "to read" books.

"Say You are One of Them" is a collection of short stories about the numerous political and religious conflicts on the continent of Africa told through the voice of a child. While I was moved by the horrific stories,(prostitution, human trafficking, religious persecution, and civil ...more

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Jul 28, 2010

Mitzi rated it

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This isn't a feel-good book. But it is a book that expands your world-view and changes you fundamentally. This book is a collection of short-stories told from the point of view of different children in different parts of Africa. Each of them have trials we can only begin to comprehend--poverty, ethnic cleansing, slavery. What Akpan does is put the problems of Africa into a form that at once intrigues and repulses, but one that you cannot ignore--the emotional resonance with which he writes m...more

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Jul 08, 2010

Kayla rated it

Recommends it for: middle-aged white americans

Shelves: international, africa, current-events, short-stories

This book was a bit of a disappointment for me.

Unlike many of the reviewers, it would seem, I was well aware of the atrocities of poverty and war in Africa. I've seen enough documentaries, watched enough news programs, and read enough biographies to know the full extent of the situation. Perhaps because I was not ignorant of what was going on that this book fell so flat for me.

As someone who has heard all these stories before, Akpan didn't bring much more to the table to ...more

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May 04, 2010

Linden rated it

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Say You're One of Them is a collection of stories about childhood or the condition of childhood in Africa. It was a difficult book to read, not because of language or accent or syntax, although many variations of these were present. Rather it was because the stories were so hard to bear: a teen daughter having to sell sex to help the family; the struggles of a brother and sister trying to avoid being sold into slavery; a danger-filled bus trip across Nigeria by a young Muslim.

Akpa...moreSay You're One of Them is a collection of stories about childhood or the condition of childhood in Africa. It was a difficult book to read, not because of language or accent or syntax, although many variations of these were present. Rather it was because the stories were so hard to bear: a teen daughter having to sell sex to help the family; the struggles of a brother and sister trying to avoid being sold into slavery; a danger-filled bus trip across Nigeria by a young Muslim.

Akpan's language is wonderful. His observation and understanding of people is sharp, insightful and true. He sees things freshly and idiosyncratically; some characters have recognizable thought patterns or expressions. Others have an individual style of speech, flaws or worries that show themselves in different ways. All as particular and real as a close-up photograph.

Giving the book only two stars is perhaps not fair; it is indeed a powerful and worthy book. I think the failing is mine, not to be able to handle the slow but certain inexorability of no exit from the circumstances into which life has delivered Akpan's people.

One of my favorite sections is in "Luxurious Hearses," the story about the bus trip. Jubril, the Muslim boy, has had his seat pre-empted by a man who claims to be a chief, even though Jubril had a ticket for it and the chief did not. He now stands beside his seat packed in among the standees. "He looked around the bus and even smiled at the chief, who did not smile back. He listened to the chatter around him as one might a fairy tale, both hopeful and afraid of the awesome possibilities. He was surprised that a bus company could insure its passengers against injury, or cost of burial, whereas the politicians who promised the people better health care never delivered. It was as if this bus and its company existed in a dream world."

Akpan is a Jesuit priest, born and raised in Nigeria, with an MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan. He says that he became "taken by the phenomenon of the street kids" in Nairobi. In speaking of why he was interested in the children of different countries in Africa, and how they were "faring in these endless conflicts," he said, "The world is not looking. I think fiction allows us to sit for a while with people we would rather not meet...I want their voices heard, their faces seen."

A 2009 selection for Oprah's Book Club.(less)

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Apr 24, 2010

Gloria rated it

· review of another edition

I guess I have to give this four stars because of the prose and the subject. But I found this really, really hard to read. The longest story - really a novella - "Luxurious Hearses" was the most compelling but just so awful. The last story, "My Parents' Bedroom" was also a page turner but the most horrifying, as if Akpan is trying to build up your tolerance for tragedy and stupefying violence and cruelty from story to story. I guess I just don't know what I'm supposed to ...more

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Mar 10, 2010

Rachel Levy-mcl rated it

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Uwem Akpan is a verbal magician in his debut novel, "Say You’re One of Them". He captures the essence of children living in Africa in a series of 5 short stories. Each story, told through the eyes of a child in crisis, is beautifully woven so we as the reader live with each character. His writing style is rhythmic and dynamic, each story told with a different voice. Though some of the dialogue is in broken English and often switches to their mother tongue, the stories are clear...more Uwem Akpan is a verbal magician in his debut novel, "Say You’re One of Them". He captures the essence of children living in Africa in a series of 5 short stories. Each story, told through the eyes of a child in crisis, is beautifully woven so we as the reader live with each character. His writing style is rhythmic and dynamic, each story told with a different voice. Though some of the dialogue is in broken English and often switches to their mother tongue, the stories are clear. If the dialogue had been in grammatically correct English, it would have been out of place. Being grammatically correct, in a place like Africa, suggests a status of wealth. Most of these characters do not fall under the wealthy category.
"An Ex-Mas Feast", Akpan’s first story in this horrifyingly realistic collection, is told through the eyes of a confused young boy. His family is falling apart due to the departure of his 12 year old prostitute sister, the only family member earning money. Jigana and his relatives sniff glue to subside their hunger, a scene where Akpan’s magic comes alive. The high felt by Jigana is depicted so meticulously that my lips actually went numb with his.
"Fattening for Gabon" was, for me, the best put together story out of the collection. In the perspective of an older brother, the two siblings are never apart. The whole story develops relationships that Kotchikpa (the narrator) realizes are all empty. His jolly, joke-cracking uncle has a dark side, which we see in nightmarish detail as he dances nude in front of them. The good humoured couple are aiding their uncle as he sells them into slavery. The end left me with my mouth open in shock as Akpan described the chaotic, desperate attempts at freedom.
"What Language Is That?" is, in terms of writing, very intriguing. It is written in second person, something I have never seen before. I have always been curious to see what would come of a second person narrative, and my curiosity was rewarded. It allows the reader to fully dissolve into the story, feeling that we are the one doing it. It is, evidently a very effective way of conveying a story of conflicting religions, something not all of us understand.
"Luxurious Hearses" is a cleverly constructed tale of a bus load of Christians fleeing a terror-stricken Nigeria and a young Muslim boy forced to pretend to be one of them. This story shows the inner workings of the young, conservative boy as he recalls the betrayal and violence that played out against him and as he tries to regain his seat from an arrogant Royal Father. The gripping writing style demonstrates why Akpan is so acclaimed. He leads us by the hands and shows us the realities of Africa through a bus of desperate refugees, refusing to let us put the book down.
"My Parent’s Bedroom" is a disturbingly graphic tale of a religiously shattered family and the little girl who must try to understand. Because this story is a first person narrative, we only know as much as the nine-year-old girl does. We listen to the conversation as her parents give up and one surrenders herself to the other. The scenes are terrifyingly brutal and the nauseating images imprint themselves inside my skull, refusing to dissipate.
The last story is, in my opinion, the most powerful story out of the entire collection. When a writer can make you feel, in revolting detail, exactly what the narrator is feeling, they have serious skill. I do not think it is an insult to say that this story made me sick to my stomach and tears welled in my eyes. I believe it to be the contrary, actually. I believe it is a compliment to the writer. A good writer can make you cry, make you sick and make you laugh. I did all of the above in this unforgettable novel.
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Feb 01, 2010

Ch_jank-caporale rated it

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Shelves: realistic-fiction

"Say You're One of Them" is a collection of stories by Uwem Akpan. Each is a fictional narrative told through the voice of a child. The title story reflects the immediate experience of children- born of a Hutu father and a Tutsi mother- during the Rwandan genocide. They don't understand why their parents whisper and cry during the nights, or why they're confined to their small home all day and must hide in the rafters if anyone comes, even from their uncle who suddenly says frighful th...more

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Dec 21, 2009

Mary rated it

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I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t like reading short stories. There always seems to be something missing. But I gave this a shot, especially because of all the praise it received on Oprah and CNN. I also enjoy learning about other cultures/countries and typically do not shy away from disturbing or graphic details. That said, I found “My Parent’s Bedroom” the only captivating story in this book. It is very powerfully written, and is the most haunting of the stories, in terms of both theme a...more

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Uwem Akpan was born in Ikot Akpan Eda in southern Nigeria. After studying philosophy and English at Creighton and Gonzaga universities, he studied theology for three years at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. He was ordained as a Jesuit priest in 2003 and received his MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan in 2006. "My Parents' Bedroom," a story from his short s...more

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