Popular African Historical Fiction Books
Find historical fiction books written by authors from Africa for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (119)
101.
The Republic of False Truths by Alaa Al Aswany EN
EgyptDescription:
General Alwany is a pious man who loves his family. He also tortures and kills enemies of the state.Under the regime of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt is gripped by cronyism, religious hypocrisy, and the oppressive military. Now, however, the regime faces its greatest crisis. The idealistic young from different backgrounds - engineers, teachers, medical students, and among them the general's daughter - have come together to challenge the status quo.Euphoria mounts as Mubarak is toppled and love blossoms across class divides, but can it last?'Rooted in first-hand experience, this searing accoun... continue
102.
The Scent of Burnt Flowers : A Novel by Blitz Bazawule EN
GhanaDescription:
Fleeing persecution in 1960s America, a Black couple seeks asylum in Ghana, but fresh dangers and old secrets threaten their newfound freedom in this hypnotic debut novel. “I am truly blown away by this novel.”—Jacqueline Woodson, New York Times bestselling author of Red at the Bone When the windshield of his Chevy Impala shatters in a dark diner parking lot in Alabama, Melvin moves without thinking. A split-second reaction marrows in his bones from the days of war, but this time it is the safety of his fiancé, Bernadette, at stake. Impulse keeps them alive, and yet they flee with blood on the... continue
103.
The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste EN
EthiopiaDescription:
A gripping novel set during Mussolini’s 1935 invasion of Ethiopia, The Shadow King takes us back to the first real conflict of World War II, casting light on the women soldiers who were left out of the historical record. With the threat of Mussolini’s army looming, recently orphaned Hirut struggles to adapt to her new life as a maid in Kidane and his wife Aster’s household. Kidane, an officer in Emperor Haile Selassie’s army, rushes to mobilize his strongest men before the Italians invade. His initial kindness to Hirut shifts into a flinty cruelty when she resists his advances, and Hirut finds... continue
104.
The Slave Yards : A Novel by Najwa Bin Shatwan EN
LibyaDescription:
Set in late nineteenth-century Benghazi, Najwa Bin Shatwan’s powerful novel tells the story of Atiqa, the daughter of a slave woman and her white master. We meet Atiqa as a grown woman, happily married with two children and working. When her cousin Ali unexpectedly enters her life, Atiqa learns the true identity of her parents, both long deceased, and slowly builds a friendship with Ali as they share stories of their past. We learn of Atiqa’s childhood, growing up in the “slave yards,” a makeshift encampment on the outskirts of Benghazi for Black Africans who were brought to Libya as slaves. A... continue
105.
The Smell of Apples : A Novel by Mark Behr EN
TanzaniaDescription:
The story of an affluent white South African family during apartheid. Its narrator is the son of an Afrikaner general and he describes his growing disillusion with the cruelty and arrogance of the whites. Set in the 1970s, the novel follows him from boyhood to soldiering in Angola, fighting the blacks.
106.
The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra EN
AlgeriaDescription:
Set in Kabul under the rule of the Taliban, this extraordinary novel takes readers into the lives of two couples to offer an unflinching but compassionate insight into a society that violence and hypocrisy have brought to the edge of despair.
107.
Guinea-Bissau108.
The Word Tree by Teolinda Gersão EN
Country: Africa / 
Mozambique
Mozambique
Description:
Gita loves Mozambique, while her mother - who came from Portugal in search of a better life - longs to be part of the wealthy Portuguese elite. Teolinda Gersao paints an evocative picture of childhood in Africa and the stark constrast between lush, ebullient Mozambique and the bleak and poor outlook of Salazar in Portugal."
109.
Un océan, deux mers, trois continents by Wilfried N'Sondé FR
CongoDescription:
Au tout début du XVIIe siècle, Nsaku Ne Vunda, ordonné prêtre et baptisé Dom Antonio Manuel, est chargé par le roi des Bakongos de devenir son ambassadeur auprès du pape. En faisant ses adieux à son Kongo natal, il ignore que le long voyage censé le mener à Rome va passer par le Nouveau Monde, et que le bateau sur lequel il s'apprête à embarquer est un navire négrier. De quoi mettre à mal sa foi en Dieu et en l'homme... Wilfried N'Sondé s'empare avec ardeur d'un personnage méconnu de l'Histoire pour dénoncer les horreurs d'une époque d'obscurantisme et exalter la beauté de l'espérance.... continue
110.
Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta EN
NigeriaDescription:
Inspired by her mother's stories of war and Nigeria's folktale traditions, Under the Udala Trees is Chinelo Okparanta's deeply searching, powerful debut about the dangers of living and loving openly