Great African Reads discussion
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What are you reading? Or planning to read?
Mod
There Is a Country: New Fiction from the New Nation of South Sudan
The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta
The Promised Land by Grace Ogot
Ripples in the Pool by Rebeka Njau
David's Story by Zoë Wicomb
The Madonna of Excelsior by Zakes Mda
Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire
L'Insoumise de la Porte de Flandre by Fouad Laroui (in a Danish translation)
I forgot: Xala by Ousmane Sembène (it was in a different pile)
Mod
Hadn't heard of the last one by Fouad Laroui, added it to my tbr list.
Enjoy!
Mod
I started with the slim volumes, so I finished There Is a Country: New Fiction from the New Nation of South Sudan...
And:
Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire (slim volume of poetry - but great.
L'Insoumise de la Porte de Flandre by Fouad Laroui
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Interesting! I did a bit of Congo(s) reading - all rather depressing about the Belgian rule and atrocities, but Tram 83 suggested the outlook is still bleak. It sounds good - even it it does also sound rather depressing?
Great reading list there, I have only read two books on that list. Xala and Joys of Motherhood.
I've just finished reading A Girl Called Eel by Ali Zamir, a Comorian author. It has an interesting writing style and it really made me think. Has one else read it? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Mod
No, but now I want to :) Sounds interesting, and a haven't read anything Comorian yet.
Reading The Granta Book of the African Short Story and enjoying the mix of stories from various countries and the different prose styles. I’m already marking authors to explore...
Cheryl wrote: "Reading The Granta Book of the African Short Story and enjoying the mix of stories from various countries and the different prose styles. I’m already marking authors to explore..."Looking forward to your review of it
Sembene's "God's Bits of Wood" was one of the last books I read in 2019. Feel free to check out my review of it on my page.
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I just bought the paperback, hoping to catch up on my African reading as soon as the grading marathon that is my January is over :)
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Sounds good Cheryl! And some great authors in the collection - please say so, if you'd like to lead a joint effort to read short stories again?
I've finished my North African region book for this period, The Sirens of Baghdad by Yasmina Khadra. Now i've gone on to one from East Africa, Matigari by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. I don't think it's ever been a group selection though other books of his have. I'm just over half-way through. It has some magical realism elements and allegory, and I'm enjoying it.I was able to "borrow" it free from the Kindle lending library due to being an Amazon prime member. Check into that if you're a prime member. It has occasional "typo" errors like it was OCR scanned, but not excessive.
I don't have plans to read any other books by African writers this summer, will wait and see what the group picks. Mostly reading books by N. American, European and Russian writers otherwise. I can always read a couple short stories by African writers from the books I have.
Anetq wrote: "I'm taking part in Dewey's 24 hour Readathon today (even if I don't intend to read for 24 hours) I am hoping to make some kind of dent in my African reading pile - which (just the library books) co..."I wonder if you got a chance to read Xala yet? Sembene also made a movie from it; it got good critic reviews. I haven't seen it yet, or read the book, but have seen a couple of his other films, Camp De Thiaroye, and Black Girl, both were quite good.
I read Sembene's God's Bits of Wood and it was excellent.
I wonder if our group should have a discussion thread on African movies (by African filmmakers) ? Or maybe that would be too off-focus.
Mod
Hi George - Yes I read it as my January book for the TBR-challenge https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group... and really liked it. I had had the book on long term loan for-e-ver before reading it, for no good reason?!
Jeremy Gordin has written a warm and insightful review of an important book about a brave opponent of the apartheid government. In the current climate of world politics, it is important to remind ourselves of men and women who had the courage to speak out against iniquity. And people like Jock Isacowitz did so long before it became ''fashionable.''https://www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion...
book:TELLING PEOPLE WHAT THEY DON'T WANT TO HEAR: A Liberal Life Under Apartheid|54134319]
Roy Isacowitz
I've just completed What Sunny Saw in the Flames which I enjoyed as much lighter reading. I've handed it to my 11 year old for her thoughts.I've just started The GoldDiggers: A Novel which deals with Zimbabwean migrants in Johannesburg. I personally know many from countries like Zimbabwe, Malawi and DRC, so this is a book that I will read within that context.
I wanted to share a list I compiled on List Challenges:https://www.listchallenges.com/litera...
My goal was to include at least one book by an author from every country, although there were a few I was bot able to find, at least not translated to English.
I recently listened to Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire and highly recommend it the audiobook especially! =) I read Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz last month, enjoyed it much more than I’d expected, and plan to read the rest of the Cairo Street trilogy this year.
Erin wrote: "I wanted to share a list I compiled on List Challenges:https://www.listchallenges.com/litera...
My goal was to include at least one book by an author from every c..."
This is such an interesting list, Erin. Good luck with this challenge.
I often go to this source if I cannot find something in our group - https://ayearofreadingtheworld.com/th...
Erin wrote: "I wanted to share a list I compiled on List Challenges:https://www.listchallenges.com/litera...
My goal was to include at least one book by an author from every c..."
I really like this list!
Am I mistaken or does it only feature books by African writers that are really set in Africa, i.e. voluntarily not covering stories that also focus on migration to e.g. the US or the UK?
Carolien wrote: "Erin wrote: "I wanted to share a list I compiled on List Challenges:https://www.listchallenges.com/litera...
My goal was to include at least one book by an author..."
Thanks Carolien for reminding me of this list!
The author of this website had her book (The World between two Covers) out when the Olympic Games took place in London. This non-fictional book is also interesting in itself as it deals with different angles of making a book (situation of authors, publishing conditions, readership etc) and what this means in different parts of the world.
I've just finished The Orchard of Lost Souls which is beautiful. Is anybody interested in a challenge to read the Africa39 authors? I've just realised I am reading four of them this year and have enjoyed each one so far.
Mod
Good idea Carolien, this could be a great challenge!
Mod
Carolien wrote: "I've just finished The Orchard of Lost Souls which is beautiful. Is anybody interested in a challenge to read the Africa39 authors? I've just realised I am reading four of them this..."Sounds intriguing! Is there a link available for more information? And is this a challenge for this year or a long-term project?
This will be a long-term project - 39 authors involved. So something like the 50 women challenge.Here's a summary of the project: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa39
And here's the book that was done by the authors:
Africa39: New Writing from Africa South of the Sahara
I've finished Borderline which was such an interesting read. It looks at the Angola/South Africa border war of the 1970s from the perspective of both a South African and Cuban soldier. Theresa finds a letter written in 1975 by a Cuban soldier to his baby daughter in her former husband's personal effects after his death. She decides to go to modern Cuba and deliver the letter to his daughter. In the process she reconsiders her South African perspective and meets Cubans who provide their version of events. I was a child during the war and it is a very sensitive South African issue as we managed to find ourselves both on the winning and losing side of this war depending on your perspective. The names of the Cuban soldiers who died are included in a memorial in South Africa, but the names of the South African Defense Force members are excluded as a result. If you are looking for a translated work for the Bingo challenge, highly recommend this one.
I finished The Grass Is Singing by Doris Lessing. A compelling novel that shows the damaging impact of South African apartheid.My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Have you checked out Upturned Earth?
Set in Namaqualand during the winter of 1886, it’s a gripping story of a mining community.‘A remarkable and moving book. Evocative of an era of raw possibility; unflinching as it traces the veins of violence that run through South Africa’s bedrock to this day.’ – Henrietta Rose-Innes
You can read an excerpt, William Hull arrives in Port Nolloth, on this page https://www.hollandparkpress.co.uk/bo...
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Bernadette this looks like a promotional entry? If so, we ask that that all promotion and advertisement go in this folder: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
Thank you!
I'm not sure if I should post this here but I am looking for an fiction book based on African mythology/ spirituality or even African paranormal. If anyone finds any recommendations please let me know. I don't have a specific country in Africa, tribe, or culture in mind so I'm game to read across the continent.
Hi Calla.Take a look at the following ...
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
The Kishi: An Esowon Story by Antoine Bandele
The Blood of Titans by C. Michael Forsyth
The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
The Truth About Awiti by C.P. Patrick
Griots: Sisters of the Spear by Milton J. Davis
Imaro by Charles R. Saunders
Dossouye by Charles R. Saunders
Griots: A Sword and Soul Anthology by Milton J. Davis
Timbuktu Chronicles: Aida and the Chosen Soldier by Anthony Nana Kwamu
Shades Of Memnon: Book One by Gregory Walker
Thanks
Andrew
Thank you so much!!! added a couple to TBR list.
Calla wrote: "Thank you so much!!! added a couple to TBR list."My pleasure, Calla. This is just a small selection. You will find others by taking a look at the following Listopia lists:
- Best African Spiritual Books – Fiction and Non-fiction
- Speculative fiction anthologies & collections by writers of color
- Books by Black Authors That Don't Feature Slavery, Colonialism, Racism, or Poverty
- Diversity in Fantasy and Science Fiction
I hope this helps.
Calla wrote: "I'm not sure if I should post this here but I am looking for an fiction book based on African mythology/ spirituality or even African paranormal. If anyone finds any recommendations please let me k..."I can recommend Véronique Tadjo's Queen Pokou.
You can also look at Nnedi Okorafor and Helen Oyeyemi for some options. Dreams of Maryam Tair: Blue Boots and Orange Blossoms which was our group read would also fall into this category. For paranormal there is Vered Ehsani and Everfair is African steampunk.
Some great literature coming out of Zimbabwe these days. Just try We Need New Names/ Noviolet Bulawayo, Nervous Conditions / Tsitsi Dangarembga, The Hairdresser of Harare/ Tendai Huchu. Great storytelling with some universal truths to be found.
Carolien wrote: "I've finished Borderline which was such an interesting read. It looks at the Angola/South Africa border war of the 1970s from the perspective of both a South African and Cuban soldi..."Hello Carolien, Can you provide the author's name or publisher for Borderline. I have searched the net in vain! Thanks
Ian, the author's website is here: http://www.maritavandervyver.info/htm...But quite a bit of it is in Afrikaans.
It is on Amazon on Kindle.
RandomhouseZA is the publisher. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za/...
I plan on reading Dancing Fear and Desire: Race, Sexuality, and Imperial Politics in Middle Eastern Dance soon. If anyone would like to join.
Mod
This is my first year of focusing on African fiction. In February, I'll be reading Seasons in Hippoland as a group read in another GR group. At some point this year, I will be digging into Gurnah's work. I also have The House of Rust, A Land Like You, Shadow of Things to Come on my TBR for the year.
Hello community.I'm looking for book recommendations. I'm interested in South African fiction. Do you know any novels that highlight the issue of racism and that of women/feminism in South Africa, whether apartheid or post-apartheid?
Many thanks
I read The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between by Hisham Matar. A haunting memoir about Matar's search for the truth concerning his father's fate after his incarceration in Libya's notorious prison during the Ghaddafi regime. His language eloquently describes the trauma experienced by family members of the disappeared. It's very powerful.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Amira wrote: "Hello community.I'm looking for book recommendations. I'm interested in South African fiction. Do you know any novels that highlight the issue of racism and that of women/feminism in South Africa..."
Hi Amira, I'm South African so let me see what I can suggest.
A good start may be Coconut or other books by Kopano Matlwa
You can also look at Angela Makholwa. Maybe start with The Blessed Girl.
Another good option is Zukiswa Wanner. Try Men of the South or London Cape Town Joburg.
Also look for anything by Sindiwe Magona. And try Zakes Mda or Fred Khumalo.
For racism you can try the latest Book prize winner - The Promise. Another classic option would be works by Nadine Gordimer.
A good source for ideas is the Johannesburg Review of Books which you can find here:
https://johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/
Mod
I'm looking for book recommendations. I'm interested in South African fiction. Do you know any novels that highlight the issue of racism and that of women/feminism i..."
Nice suggestion list, thank you Carolien!
Great African Reads
Books mentioned in this topic
The Woman Next Door (other topics)The Shadow King (other topics)
Death and the King's Horseman (other topics)
The Lion and the Jewel (other topics)
Silence of the Chagos (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Yewande Omotoso (other topics)Maaza Mengiste (other topics)
Wole Soyinka (other topics)
Shenaz Patel (other topics)
Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida (other topics)
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Please share! Hopefully we can inspire each other, maybe find a reading buddy? Feel free to recommend your latest read or discuss what you are reading even if it is not a group read.
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