English books from Africa
Recommended English books (652)
Travel the world without leaving your chair.
If you speak English here are some English books from Africa for the next part of the "Read Around The World Challenge".
261.
Maryam's Maze by Mansoura Ez-Eldin EN
EgyptDescription:
Maryam's Maze is an enigmatic novel by one of the most promising authors of a vibrant new generation of Egyptian writers. Set in the house of Yusuf el Tagi, Maryam's Maze relates the story of a woman struggling to find her way through the confusion of the world around her. Using the literary device of the 'double, ' Maryam's Maze narrates a story that on one level touches on universal human emotions. At the same time the inner maze of dreams and memories in which the young Maryam finds herself stirs greater resonance in issues of modern Egyptian life. Echoing themes found in her earlier short ... continue
262.
Mask Off : Masculinity Redefined by J. J. Bola EN
Country: Africa / 
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Description:
What is masculinity? Dominating the world around us, from Trump's twitter outbursts to deadly gun violence, from male suicide rates to incels on Reddit and 4chan, masculinity is perceived to be 'toxic', 'fragile' and 'in crisis'. In Mask Off, JJ Bola exposes masculinity as a performance that men are socially conditioned into. Using examples of non-Western cultural traditions, music and sport, he shines light on historical narratives around manhood, debunking popular myths along the way. He explores how LGBTQ men, men of colour, and male refugees experience masculinity in diverse ways, revealin... continue
263.
Master Harold...and the boys by Athol Fugard EN
Country: Africa / 
South Africa
South Africa
Description:
Drama set in South Africa during apartheid.
264.
Meb For Mortals : How to Run, Think, and Eat like a Champion Marathoner by Meb Keflezighi, Scott Douglas EN
EritreaDescription:
Train like Olympic marathoner and 2014 Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi With his historic win at the 2014 Boston Marathon, Meb Keflezighi cemented his legacy as one of the great champions of long-distance running. Runners everywhere wanted to know how someone two weeks away from his 39th birthday, who had only the 15th best time going into the race, could defeat the best field in Boston Marathon history and become the first American man to win the race in 31 years. Meb For Mortals describes in unprecedented detail how three-time Olympian Keflezighi prepares to take on the best runners in ... continue
265.
GabonDescription:
Mema engages the reader with its dramatic tale of a woman struggling against the constraints of her community, yet proves to be a multi-layered novel exploring a culture in transition.
266.
Memoirs of a Porcupine by Alain Mabanckou EN
CongoDescription:
After an ancient initiation, a young Congolese boy is given an animal double in the form of a porcupine and the pair begin an inexplicable streak of murders until the porcupine quits and decides to pen a literary confession. Original.
267.
Memoirs of a Woman Doctor by Nawal el Saadawi EN
Description:
A young Egyptian woman clashes with her traditional family when she chooses a career in medicine. Rather than submit to an arranged marriage and motherhood, she cuts her hair short and works fiercely to realise her dreams. At medical school, she begins to understand the mysteries of the human body. After years of denying her own desires, the doctor begins a series of love affairs that allow her to explore her sexuality – on her own terms.
268.
Memory of Departure by Abdulrazak Gurnah EN
TanzaniaDescription:
**By the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2021** Vehement, comic and shrewd, Abdulrazak Gurnah's first novel is an unwavering contemplation of East African coastal life Poverty and depravity wreak havoc on Hassan Omar's family. Amid great hardship he decides to escape. The arrival of Independence brings new upheavals as well as the betrayal of the promise of freedom. The new government, fearful of an exodus of its most able men, discourages young people from travelling abroad and refuses to release examination results. Deprived of a scholarship, Hassan travels to Nairobi to stay with a ... continue
269.
Metro: A Story of Cairo by Magdy El Shafee EN
Description:
Depicting the financial and social insecurity afflicting young people in modern Cairo, Metro was the first adult graphic novel published (and subsequently banned) in Egypt, just three years before the Arab Spring. In art as pulsing and immediate as Cairo itself, Magdy El Shafee delivers a prescient portrait of a crumbling society and Egypt's coming eruption. A powerful story of young men with nothing left to lose, Metro sounds the cry for a better, freer future. When Shehab, a young software designer, runs afoul of a loan shark, all avenues of escape in Mubarak's corrupt, chaotic Egypt seem to... continue
270.
Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz EN
Description:
Widely acclaimed as Naguib Mahfouz's best novel, Midaq Alley brings to life one of the hustling, teeming back alleys of Cairo in the 1940s. From Zaita the cripple-maker to Kirsha the hedonistic cafe owner, from Abbas the barber who mistakes greed for love to Hamida who sells her soul to escape the alley, from waiters and widows to politicians, pimps, and poets, the inhabitants of Midaq Alley vividly evoke Egypt's largest city as it teeters on the brink of change. Never has Nobel Prize-winner Mahfouz's talent for rich and luxurious storytelling been more evident than here, in his portrait of on... continue