English books from Africa
Recommended English books (455)
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".
321.
The Girl Who Smiled Beads : A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya, Elizabeth Weil EN
RwandaDescription:
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “The plot provided by the universe was filled with starvation, war and rape. I would not—could not—live in that tale.” Clemantine Wamariya was six years old when her mother and father began to speak in whispers, when neighbors began to disappear, and when she heard the loud, ugly sounds her brother said were thunder. In 1994, she and her fifteen-year-old sister, Claire, fled the Rwandan massacre and spent the next six years migrating through seven African countries, searching for safety—perpetually hungry, imprisoned and abused, enduring and escaping refugee camps, ... continue
322.
The Girl with the Louding Voice : A Novel by Abi Daré EN
NigeriaDescription:
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A READ WITH JENNA TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK! “Brave, fresh . . . unforgettable.”—The New York Times Book Review “A celebration of girls who dare to dream.”—Imbolo Mbue, author of Behold the Dreamers (Oprah’s Book Club pick) Shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and recommended by The New York Times, Marie Claire, Vogue, Essence, PopSugar, Daily Mail, Electric Literature, Red, Stylist, Daily Kos, Library Journal, The Everygirl, and Read It Forward! The unforgettable, inspiring story of a teenage girl growing up in a rural Nigerian village who longs to ge... continue
323.
The Graveyard Cannot Pray : One Man's Battle to Save His Daughter from Female Circumcision by Baba Galleh Jallow EN
GambiaDescription:
This book is an autobiographical account of one man's struggle to save his daughter from being taken to the bush; a struggle that defies a harmful traditional practice and defective constructions of normality. Perhaps the first to articulate the battle against Female Genital Mutilation from an African male perspective, The Grave Yard Cannot Pray throws into sharp relief three interconnected phenomena: the communal nature of conflict and conflict resolution among the Futa Fulani, the Fulani notion of son-hood, and the potential complications that arise when the sanctity of tradition is stood in... continue
324.
The Greedy Barbarian : A Novel by Kakwenza Rukirabashaija EN
UgandaDescription:
When Bekunda and her toddler son, Kayibanda, cross an international border, they are in dire straits and desperately need sanctuary, human kindness and divine favor. The new country gives them sanctuary, the natives show them kindness and the local spirits do the miraculous on their behalf. But can Kayibanda be as gracious to his new country as it has been to him? Can he overcome his profoundly flawed nature, which appears to be hereditary?
325.
The Gurugu Pledge by Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel EN
Country: Africa / 
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Description:
Informed by first-hand accounts, this strangely funny yet chilling refugees' tale offers a distinctly African perspective on a global crisis.
326.
The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu EN
ZimbabweDescription:
Vimbai is the star hairdresser of her salon, the smartest in Harare, Zimbabwe, until the enigmatic Dumisani appears. Losing customers to this good-looking, smooth-talking young man, Vimbai fears for her job, vital if she's to provide for her young child. But in a remarkable reversal the two becomes allies, Dumi renting a room from Vimbai, then inviting her to a family wedding, where to her surprise, he introduces her to his rich parents as his 'girlfriend'. Soon they are running their own Harare salon, attracting the wealthiest and most powerful clients in the city. But disaster is near, as Vi... continue
327.
The Happy Marriage by Tahar Ben Jelloun EN
MoroccoDescription:
The story of one couple - first from the husband's point of view, then from the wife's. The husband, a painter in Casablanca, has been paralyzed by a stroke at the very height of his career and becomes convinced that his marriage is the reason for his decline. Walled up within his illness and desperate to break free of a deeply destructive relationship, he finds escape in writing a secret book about his hellish marriage. When his wife finds it, she responds point by point with her own version of the facts, offering her own striking and incisive reinterpretation of their story.
328.
The Hidden Face of Eve : Women in the Arab World by Nawal El Saadawi EN
EgyptDescription:
This powerful account of the oppression of women in the Muslim world remains as shocking today as when it was first published, more than a quarter of a century ago. Nawal El Saadawi writes out of a powerful sense of the violence and injustice which permeated her society. Her experiences working as a doctor in villages around Egypt, witnessing prostitution, honour killings and sexual abuse, including female circumcision, drove her to give voice to this suffering. She goes on explore the causes of the situation through a discussion of the historical role of Arab women in religion and literature.... continue
329.
The History of a Difficult Child by Mihret Sibhat EN
EthiopiaDescription:
"A tragicomic family saga set in a small Ethiopian town following the 1974 socialist revolution, told from the perspective of the youngest daughter of a large, formerly land-owning family, who contends with bullies, poverty, and a dictatorship with humor and a refusal to be silenced"--
330.
The Hobbit, Or, There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien EN
Country: Africa / 
South Africa
South Africa
Description:
The stirring adventure that begins The Lord of the Rings, the greatest fantasy epic of all time When Thorin Oakenshield and his band of dwarves embark upon a dangerous quest to reclaim the hoard of gold stolen from them by the evil dragon Smaug, Gandalf the wizard suggests an unlikely accomplice: Bilbo Baggins, an unassuming Hobbit dwelling in peaceful Hobbiton. Along the way, the company faces trolls, goblins, giant spiders, and worse. But as they journey from the wonders of Rivendell to the terrors of Mirkwood and beyond, Bilbo will find that there is more to him than anyone—himself included... continue