Read Around Africa Challenge
Read at least one book by an author from each country in Africa.
Best books from Africa (806)
501.
Glittering City by Cyprian Ekwensi EN
NigeriaDescription:
'"Forget all your fears now. Have a fling this night"' Untrustworthy, charming Fussy Joe spins stories and breaks hearts in this rollicking story set in the 'sensational city' of 1960s Lagos. Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fa... continue
502.
Baby Goes to Market by Atinuke EN
Description:
Join Baby and his doting mama at a bustling southwest Nigerian marketplace for a bright, bouncy read-aloud offering a gentle introduction to numbers. Market is very crowded. Mama is very busy. Baby is very curious. When Baby and Mama go to the market, Baby is so adorable that the banana seller gives him six bananas. Baby eats one and puts five in the basket, but Mama doesn't notice. As Mama and Baby wend their way through the stalls, cheeky Baby collects five oranges, four biscuits, three ears of sweet corn, two pieces of coconut . . . until Mama notices that her basket is getting very heavy! ... continue
503.
An Image of Africa by Chinua Achebe EN
Description:
Beautifully written yet highly controversial, An Image of Africa asserts Achebe's belief in Joseph Conrad as a 'bloody racist' and his conviction that Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness only serves to perpetuate damaging stereotypes of black people. Also included is The Trouble with Nigeria, Achebe's searing outpouring of his frustrations with his country. GREAT IDEAS. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforte... continue
504.
Dear Ijeawele, Or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie EN
Description:
From the best-selling author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists comes a powerful new statement about feminism today - written as a letter to a friend.
505.
The Village Witch Doctor and Other Stories by Amos Tutuola EN
Description:
Yoruba legend and culture were the source of much of Amos Tutuola's writing and the stories collected here are no exception. They feature characters from folklore, archetypal figures from Yoruba society, supernatural or magical happenings, acute human observation and often a moral point. Their very titles are evocative of a unique blend of tradition and imagination, which belongs to the same universal culture as Aesop and the Brothers Grimm.
506.
Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka EN
Description:
Based on real events that took place in Oyo, the ancient Yoruba city of Nigeria, in 1946. Simon Pilkings, a well-meaning District Officer, intervenes to prevent a ritual suicide of the Yoruba chief, Elesin - a sacrificial suicide demanded by the death of the king.
507.
My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by Amos Tutuola EN
Description:
The adventures of an African boy who strays into the world of the dead where his is lost for twenty-four years. Incorporates many unrecorded African myths.
508.
Africa Is Not a Country : Notes on a Bright Continent by Dipo Faloyin EN
Description:
A Literary Hub Most Anticipated Book of 2022 An exuberant, opinionated, stereotype-busting portrait of contemporary Africa in all its splendid diversity, by one of its leading new writers. So often, Africa has been depicted simplistically as a uniform land of famines and safaris, poverty and strife, stripped of all nuance. In this bold and insightful book, Dipo Faloyin offers a much-needed corrective, weaving a vibrant tapestry of stories that bring to life Africa’s rich diversity, communities, and histories. Starting with an immersive description of the lively and complex urban life of Lagos,... continue
509.
Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani EN
Description:
Based on interviews with young women who were kidnapped by Boko Haram, this poignant novel by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani tells the timely story of one girl who was taken from her home in Nigeria and her harrowing fight for survival. Includes an afterword by award-winning journalist Viviana Mazza. A new pair of shoes, a university degree, a husband--these are the things that a girl dreams of in a Nigerian village. And with a government scholarship right around the corner, everyone can see that these dreams aren't too far out of reach. But the girl's dreams turn to nightmares when her village is att... continue
510.
Lightseekers by Femi Kayode EN
Description:
Selected as a Best Crime Novel of the Month by The Times, Sunday Times, Independent, Guardian, Observer, Financial Times and Irish Times. Waterstones Thriller of the Month 'Lightseekers is the type of detective crime thriller that should be on everyone's shelves' Dorothy Koomson, author of My Other Husband 'A fast-paced thriller that offers insight into the ever present tensions in a poverty stricken community. An action-packed and spirited debut' Oyinkan Braithwaite, author of My Sister, the Serial Killer Winner of the 2019 UEA Crime Writing Prize, Lightseekers is the start of a major new cri... continue