If you liked His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie, I have a #bookrecommendation for you: Xala by SembeĢne Ousmane (Senegal, 1974). This is the story of a prominent businessman with two wives and 11 kids, who in his 60s decides to marry a 19 year old. On his wedding day to his young third wife, he is stricken with Xala (impotence). The ripple effects … Continue reading Book Pairings: Xala & His Only Wife
She Would Be King by Wateyu Moore is an amazing and touching story of three gifted teens: a girl named Gbessa exiled from her village in Liberia for fear that her red hair and dark skin is evidence of witchcraft; and two young boys who end up in Liberia after escaping slavery in the Americas. Together they set out to protect the indigenous population of … Continue reading Book Pairings: She Would be King
The world is crazy. The news are crazy. More and more it feels like we are headed to a 1984 world. If you loved Orwell’s classic “1984” as much as me, you’d love Nihad Sirees’ “The Silence and The Roar”. This is the story of Fathi Sheen, a famous writer in an unnamed Arab country (that sounds a lot like Syria but could really be … Continue reading Book Pairings: 1984
If you loved the movie “Black Panther” (seriously, who didn’t?!) or Marlon James new release “Black Leopard, Red Wolf”, you’d love “Memoirs of a Porcupine” by Alain Mabanckou. Very much like “Black Leopard, Red Wolf”, in “Memoirs of a Porcupine” we see African mythology and folklore come to life; supernatural beings roaming the Earth and troubled narrators. “Memoirs of a Porcupine” a young boy in … Continue reading Book Pairings: Black Panther
We all love survival stories. Especially those of shipwrecks. Who can forget Cast Away, staring Tom Hanks and the Wilson ball? Or more recent, Life of Pi by Yan Martel. A beautiful movie and heart-breaking book. If you, like me, loved it.. you’ll love Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Story of a Shipwreck. It is the true story of a Colombian sailor who was lost at sea … Continue reading Book Pairings: Shipwrecks
Literary Infatuation 