Popular African Adult Books
Find adult books written by authors from Africa for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (67)
41.
Radiance of Tomorrow by Ishmael Beah EN
Country: Africa / 
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Description:
A haunting, beautiful first novel by the bestselling author of A Long Way Gone. "Every story begins and ends with a woman, a mother, a grandmother, a girl, a child. Every story is a birth..." So begins Radiance of Tomorrow, Ishmael Beah's first novel, one dogged by memories of horror but glimmering with an improbable hope. When Beah ' s memoir, A Long Way Gone, was published in 2007, it soared to the top of bestseller lists, becoming an instant classic: a harrowing account of Sierra Leone ' s civil war and the fate of child soldiers that " everyone in the world should read " (Carolyn See, The ... continue
42.
Second-class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta EN
NigeriaDescription:
When Adah's dream of moving to England becomes a reality, she soon discovers that life for a young Nigerian woman living in London in the 1960s is far from what she had imagined. The cold weather and cramped, crumbling accommodation might become bearable, were it not for her tyrannical husband who abuses the power conferred on him by traditional Igbo culture and provides precious little support of any kind. As Adah finds herself providing for her rapidly growing family - rescuing her children from the hands of a slovenly childminder, learning the unspoken rules of society and negotiating every... continue
43.
Shut Up You're Pretty by Ta Mutonji, Tea Mutonji EN
Country: Africa / 
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Democratic Republic of
Description:
A high-wire collection of darkly humorous stories about a young woman floating in and out of her skin, trying on identities imposed on her by others.
44.
Song for Night by Chris Abani EN
Description:
Even with the knowledge that there are some sins too big for even God to forgive, every night my sky is still full of stars; a wonderful song for night. Trained as a human mine detector, a boy soldier in West Africa witnesses and takes part in unspeakable brutality. At 12 his vocal cords are cut to prevent him from screaming and giving away his platoon's presence, should he be blown up. Awaking after an explosion to find that he's lost his platoon, he traces his steps back through abandoned villages and rotting corpses - and through his own memories - in search of his comrades. The horror of p... continue
45.
Song of Lawino & Song of Ocol by Okot p'Bitek EN
UgandaDescription:
Two African literary works by Okot P'Bitek available together in the African Writers Series.
46.
The book of Memory by Petina Gappah EN
ZimbabweDescription:
In The Book of Memory, an albino woman named Memory is languishing in a maximum security prison in Harare, Zimbabwe, where she has been tried and convicted of murder. As part of her appeal, her lawyer insists that she write down what happened; that is, the events that led to the killing of her adoptive father, Lloyd Hendricks. But who was Lloyd Hendricks? Why does Memory feel no remorse for his death? And did everything happen exactly as she remembers? Moving between the townships of the poor and the suburbs of the rich, and between past and present, the 2009 Guardian First Book Award–winning ... continue
47.
The Day the Leader Was Killed by Naguib Mahfouz EN
EgyptDescription:
From the Nobel Prize laureate and author of the acclaimed Cairo Trilogy, a beguiling and artfully compact novel set in Sadat's Egypt. The time is 1981, Anwar al-Sadat is president, and Egypt is lurching into the modern world. Set against this backdrop, The Day the Leader Was Killed relates the tale of a middle-class Cairene family. Rich with irony and infused with political undertones, the story is narrated alternately by the pious and mischievous family patriarch Muhtashimi Zayed, his hapless grandson Elwan, and Elwan's headstrong and beautiful fiancee Randa. The novel reaches its climax with... continue
48.
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi EN
Description:
"A tender, potent, and compulsively readable novel of a Nigerian-Indian family and the deeply held secret that tests their traditions and bonds"--
49.
The Girl on the Train : A Novel by Paula Hawkins EN
Description:
The #1 New York Times Bestseller, USA Today Book of the Year, now a major motion picture starring Emily Blunt. The debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people's lives, from the author of Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning. “Nothing is more addicting than The Girl on the Train.”—Vanity Fair “The Girl on the Train has more fun with unreliable narration than any chiller since Gone Girl. . . . [It] is liable to draw a large, bedazzled readership.”—The New York Times “Marries movie noir with novelistic trickery. . . hang on tight. You'll be surprised b... continue
50.
The Girl with the Louding Voice : A Novel by Abi Daré EN
Description:
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