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Sons of the East
Jasper Okonkwo's seven-year apprenticeship has finally ended. He sets up a shop in the bustling city aimingoto ages the social circles and be reckoned with. But he has not reckoned with his older brother, the envious, greedy, and malicious Zona, who is hellbent on being the lone star in the Okonkwo household. The agitation of the Indig enous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) for independence erupts. The Nigerian government begins to clamp down mercilessly on the dissidents. It is the opportunity that Zona is waiting for.
396 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2023
49 people want to read
About the author
Ifeoma Chinwuba
4 books6 followers- من مواليد بلدة "ننوي" في شرق نيجيريا عام 1960
- في طفولتها قامت الحرب الأهلية وطلبت أسرتها اللجوء إلى ليبرافيل ومن هناك انتقلت إلى أيرلندا.
- في عام 1970 عادت الأسرة من جديد إلى نيجيريا وأكملت "إفيوما" تعليمها حتى التحقت بجامعة "بنين" عام 1976 لدراسة اللغة الفرنسية.
- في عام 1980 حصلت على منحة دراسية من فرنسا للدراسة في جامعة "جرينبل" وتخرجت منها عام 1981.
- التحقت بجامعة "لاجوس" حيث أكملت دراساتها العُليا في العلوم السياسية.
- التحقت بوزارة الخارجية النيجيرية عام 1983، وعملت في السفارة النيجيرية في كل من غانا، وفرنسا، وإيطاليا.
- لها ثلاث روايات هي "تجار اللحم البشري" عام 2003، و"بلا خوف" عام 2004، و"في انتظار ماريا" عام 2011.
- في طفولتها قامت الحرب الأهلية وطلبت أسرتها اللجوء إلى ليبرافيل ومن هناك انتقلت إلى أيرلندا.
- في عام 1970 عادت الأسرة من جديد إلى نيجيريا وأكملت "إفيوما" تعليمها حتى التحقت بجامعة "بنين" عام 1976 لدراسة اللغة الفرنسية.
- في عام 1980 حصلت على منحة دراسية من فرنسا للدراسة في جامعة "جرينبل" وتخرجت منها عام 1981.
- التحقت بجامعة "لاجوس" حيث أكملت دراساتها العُليا في العلوم السياسية.
- التحقت بوزارة الخارجية النيجيرية عام 1983، وعملت في السفارة النيجيرية في كل من غانا، وفرنسا، وإيطاليا.
- لها ثلاث روايات هي "تجار اللحم البشري" عام 2003، و"بلا خوف" عام 2004، و"في انتظار ماريا" عام 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 21, 2024
|| SONS OF THE EAST ||
#gifted @griotslounge
✍🏻
"The widow gave in. As a widow, you become a child again. People told you what to do; you could no longer think for yourself. Her ankle length lace gown made her look like a bride. In her mind's eye, she saw the cairn which hit her beloved. She sighed, jiggled her thighs, and fondled the chaplet in her hands. The other, Widow Mary jane, sat beside her, bright eyed and eager."
•
A quote from the prologue. This pulled me in immediately! This was a rich, complex and interesting story about an Igbo family. Wonderfully written, I learned much about Igbo culture, business and society. With themes of love, family drama, dreams, jealousy, greed, chauvinism and sibling rivalry, I really enjoyed this book.
•
Book Description ~
The seven-year apprenticeship of Jasper Okonkwo has finally ended. He sets up a shop in the bustling city of Lagos, aiming to climb the social circles and be reckoned with. But he has not reckoned with his older brother, the envious, greedy, and malicious Zona, who is hellbent on being the lone star in the Okonkwo household. The agitation of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) for independence erupts. The Nigerian government begins to clamp down mercilessly on the dissidents. It is the opportunity that Zona is waiting for.
•
Griots Lounge @griotslounge is a Canadian publisher focused on amplifying minority voices. I absolutely love this and looks forward to reading more of their books!
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
#gifted @griotslounge
✍🏻
"The widow gave in. As a widow, you become a child again. People told you what to do; you could no longer think for yourself. Her ankle length lace gown made her look like a bride. In her mind's eye, she saw the cairn which hit her beloved. She sighed, jiggled her thighs, and fondled the chaplet in her hands. The other, Widow Mary jane, sat beside her, bright eyed and eager."
•
A quote from the prologue. This pulled me in immediately! This was a rich, complex and interesting story about an Igbo family. Wonderfully written, I learned much about Igbo culture, business and society. With themes of love, family drama, dreams, jealousy, greed, chauvinism and sibling rivalry, I really enjoyed this book.
•
Book Description ~
The seven-year apprenticeship of Jasper Okonkwo has finally ended. He sets up a shop in the bustling city of Lagos, aiming to climb the social circles and be reckoned with. But he has not reckoned with his older brother, the envious, greedy, and malicious Zona, who is hellbent on being the lone star in the Okonkwo household. The agitation of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) for independence erupts. The Nigerian government begins to clamp down mercilessly on the dissidents. It is the opportunity that Zona is waiting for.
•
Griots Lounge @griotslounge is a Canadian publisher focused on amplifying minority voices. I absolutely love this and looks forward to reading more of their books!
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
February 1, 2024
I LOVED THIS BOOK SOO MUCH!!!
As excited as I was upon getting my own copy of this book was how excited I remained with reading it. The book tells the story of Jasper Okonkwo, a young entrepreneur and his beautiful wife, Amata. Marrying Amata made him the envy of his two brothers especially his older brother, Echezona (Zona) Okonkwo who would go to any lengths to frustrate his younger brother's efforts. It didn't help that Zona wanted to be the only successful son of the Okonkwo family and he became so desperate to have a male child as he had succeeded in birthing only daughters with his wife.
A time comes when Amata is to oblige with the Nkwuchi/Ikwuchi custom which dictates that she chooses one of her husband's kinsmen to protect and provide for her and her children and we see how much her husband's brothers coveted what belonged to her husband.
The Igbo apprenticeship system forms an integral part of this book as we see how it forms the roots of majority of the characters mentioned in this book.
We also see the stirrings of IPOB and the terror the SARS Operatives leave the people residing in the East with.
Finally, this is a very rich book, one that is rich in culture, provides adequate knowledge and a very interesting book. I rated it 5 stars so yeah, it was worth every word I read. Click on the link to watch my review on Youtube
https://youtu.be/qxBrDlWV6ys
As excited as I was upon getting my own copy of this book was how excited I remained with reading it. The book tells the story of Jasper Okonkwo, a young entrepreneur and his beautiful wife, Amata. Marrying Amata made him the envy of his two brothers especially his older brother, Echezona (Zona) Okonkwo who would go to any lengths to frustrate his younger brother's efforts. It didn't help that Zona wanted to be the only successful son of the Okonkwo family and he became so desperate to have a male child as he had succeeded in birthing only daughters with his wife.
A time comes when Amata is to oblige with the Nkwuchi/Ikwuchi custom which dictates that she chooses one of her husband's kinsmen to protect and provide for her and her children and we see how much her husband's brothers coveted what belonged to her husband.
The Igbo apprenticeship system forms an integral part of this book as we see how it forms the roots of majority of the characters mentioned in this book.
We also see the stirrings of IPOB and the terror the SARS Operatives leave the people residing in the East with.
Finally, this is a very rich book, one that is rich in culture, provides adequate knowledge and a very interesting book. I rated it 5 stars so yeah, it was worth every word I read. Click on the link to watch my review on Youtube
https://youtu.be/qxBrDlWV6ys
June 23, 2024
I can’t stop thinking about this book! It has been a long time since a novel triggered me to have such intense emotions towards the characters. I loved the dynamic between Jasper and Amata. Through these characters Chinwuba highlights what a healthy marriage can look like. They have disagreements and misunderstandings but they also seek to work through those tensions and care for each other well. Zona…is the scum of the earth and Rapu, the youngest of the Okonkwo brothers is not too far behind. Each time their jealousy towards Jasper increased, I became so anxious. It is one thing to hate your brother because he is boastful or greedy, but to have so much animosity towards him simply because life has been kind to him and he has done his best to manage his affairs well…beyond me!
The novel is a deep dive into Igbo culture. The writing is fantastic and chalked full of proverbs and the doctorial level grammar and vocabulary of the best Nigerian literature. I felt truly immersed in the story and was deeply moved by their suffering. This is in the running for the beat book of my year!
The novel is a deep dive into Igbo culture. The writing is fantastic and chalked full of proverbs and the doctorial level grammar and vocabulary of the best Nigerian literature. I felt truly immersed in the story and was deeply moved by their suffering. This is in the running for the beat book of my year!
February 9, 2024
Not for me. Might have to reread it again.
March 18, 2024
It's just on the border of soap opera territory without being too melodramatic. Really wonderful writing!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews