Nataka Book Reviews

Reviewing contemporary African literature for independent publishers and promoting classics.

Dzikamayi Chando

Cremation of the Scarecrow

The engaging theme that comes through Dzikamayi Chando's poetry is his fearless exploration of any character, belief system and society. The human condition, the self, is at the heart of this stunning debut anthology.

From physics to archaeology, from music to history, Chando explores a variety of themes. His motivation is perfectly summed up in the poem 'Child':

'No tailor can make the right measurements

The nakedness can only be covered

By those who pour out words from their souls.'

Chando's poetry is inviting, uncompromising and brings hope. -- Nataka Books

DD Armstrong

Ugly Dogs Don't Cry

DD Armstrong has produced a gripping book. The strained relationship between best friends Kyle and Sideeq is captured in the acronym of the title, U.G.L.Y.D.O.G.S., You Gotta Love Yourself, Den Others Gonna See. Kyle feels Sideeq has betrayed this and himself but Kyle never gives up on his friend.

We could quote multiple passages of insight, wisdom and wit in this book. And for that reason, this book falls into the category #My100AfricanBooks list.

-- Review by Nataka Books

Graham Green

A Sort of Life

Most autobiographies meander into the predictable main events that the writer deems to be worth inclusion, with good reason for the reader must surely have been chasing the very same stories. A writer like Graham Greene follows no such pattern through two principal approaches.

The darker side of Graham Greene's character is never far from the scene even in uplitfing moments. The russian roullete experience which helped to form his world view is now well known by readers of Green. Describing personal events in the past without wallowing in nostalgia is the true achievement of this giften raconteur and extraordinary writer !

-- Review by Nataka Books

Amitav Ghosh

The Hungry Tide

Students of history would be far better off by beginning the study of South East Asian history, specifically, Bengali, by reading this account by Amitav Ghosh which captures the mangroves landscape and fishing villages in the Sundarbarns, and potrays the competition for resources between man and nature. The folklore and heartbeat of life is told through Piya, Kanai and Fokir. This historical fiction book is far more interesting as it leaves behind a trail of real histories, myths and the stories of the local people than are sometimes collected in a book called a history !

Tembeka Ngcukaitobi

The Land is Ours

The title suggests a book about land. In telling the history of South Africa's earliest lawyers, Ngcukaitobi brilliantly weaves in the history of South Africa before the landmarks of 1912 and 1947 which created the divisive landscape one sees.

The history of "the land" and other social issues unfold through the biographies of Msimang, Plaatje, Ka Seme or Jabavu. This book is not really about land. A fitting historical record by Ngcukaitobi.

-Nataka Books Reviews

Lucy Christopher and Nia Tudor

The Queen on Our Corner

Who is the queen on our corner? Why is she always there? The little girl notice her all the time but how long before everybody else does too? This sombre and reflective story by Lucy and Nia teaches engagement with surroundings to young listeners up to 5 years old.

As life unfolds around the neighbourhood we learn of how communities come together and fully acknowledge the presence of each other. Superb and should be on every child's shelf.

-- Nataka Books Review

Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

When We Were Birds [2]

"A love story that's thorny and messy is more like what happens in real life. That the two people get to save each other, a premise I totally endorse."

-- Review by @iwanderandread

"The author’s vast knowledge of Trinidad & Tobago is evident in the way she writes about the setting and the characters, reading this book turned out to be a great window into Trinidadian culture and that’s what I really liked about it."

-- Review by @farida_bookworm

"In the most interesting way, Darwin and Yejide's paths are intertwined, as they each try to come to terms with who they are and what kind of future they are able to live with."

-- Review by @julieambanireads

Ama Asantewa Diaka

Woman, Eat Me Whole

Ama Asantewa Diaka presents a vivid, piercing, evocative and provocative exploration of 'the woman' in all its representations: dreams, body, being, purpose and desires. Diaka's possesses the probing skills and selects the right tone to approach the same subject from a variety of angles and observations, reliant on careful crafting of phrases to draw out meaning, lay a path and invite the reader to revel not only in the physical but the metaphorical imagination. Brutal confrontation does the job in some poems. The result is that meaning lingers long after one has read a poem in this stunning debut anthology. A book to keep forever and dip into in a variety of a moments and occasions. Medaase Ama Asantewa. --Nataka Books Review

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? [2]

Yinka is under pressure from family and friends to find her match and settle down. That is what you would believe from the title of this book. The real story is about so much more. Yinka's views and beliefs constantly work against her closest relatives and norms of a society that does not afford her the freedom. An entertaining book !

The main character Yinka Oladeji is a principled, industrious and likeable 31-year old who is successful in her career but no so much in her private life, at least according to society's and her family's standards.

We learn a lot from Yinka who is the narrator. Every perspective is examined, questioned, joked about and at times Yinka herself bends to society's norms. Yinka refuses casual relationships, wigs and anything not up to her standards. But for how long? Thought I knew it all but it turns out , everyone checks overyone out it seems among Yinka's friends! I nearly dropped my coffee laughing about how they describe each other's ...shall we call it ...derriere.

'Yinka, where is your huzband?' is an enjoyable novel firmly anchored in the narrator's voice, life and views. You will have to find out whether Yinka gets what she wants, but before that, you will have to laugh as I did.

Samantha Rumbidzai Vazhure

Zvadzugwa Musango

A collection of poetry originally written in Shona by Samantha Rumbidzai Vazhure. "Zvadzugwa Musango" directly translates to "Uprooted from their natural habitat" and explores issues and celebrations of displaced immigrants and refugees living in the diaspora.

Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing

Just a rant: Can you believe this book had been on my bookshelf for a year before I opened after having spent a whole 3 months lost somewhere between Johannesburg and Harare. I deserve a slap because wow this book was nothing like I expected. Ever wondered what a crawdad is? Apparently according to dictionary.com. Crawdad is American slang for a crayfish. Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher : G.P. Putnam's Sons Anci's book summary: Where the crawdad sings tells the story of the "Marsh Girl" a brilliant, caring, passionate, brave woman Kya Clark whose life is shaken up in late 1969 when Chase Andrews the popular quarterback is found dead and she is the suspect. Kya Clark left in isolation having been abandoned by her mother at the tender age of six *sob*. At merely ten , Kyla is left to fend for herself as she is left behind by her family (her brother and her dad ). The book weaves between the past and the present. I would be lying if I said the characters will be long forgotten. I will be thinking of Kya, Jumpin', Mabel and Tate for days to come. Character most like me : The jury is still out on that one Character I didn't like: Chase Andrews (man was a bitter glass of smoothie) and Kya's parents Character I liked: Kya for her strength and intelligence and Tate for being a man that anyone could count on -- Review by @heyanci who blogs at https://heyanci.wordpress.com/

Samantha Rumbidzai Vazhure

Turquoise Dreams: Anthology of short stories by Zimbabwean women

Designed to amplify the authentic voices of emerging writers, Turquoise Dreams is a short story collection depicting life experiences through the eyes of women in modern day Southern Africa. With contributing writers from Matebeleland, Midlands, Masvingo, Mashonaland and Manicaland, the stories portray post-colonial struggles amidst societal degeneration within a declining economic environment in Zimbabwe and beyond its borders.

There are 29 short stories in total, each ranging between 1500 and 7000 words, by the following 10 writers:

- Tinatswe Mhaka

- Mantate Queeneth Mlotshwa

- Nyasha Chiyanike

- Nadia Mutisi

- Chipo Mawarire

- Sibonginkosi Netha

- Nkosilesisa Kwanele Ncube

- Gwadamirai Majange

- Edith Moreblessings Virima

- Panashe Mawoneke

Atinuke

Too Small Tola

Three delightful stories about Too Small Tola, a young girl who, though small, is very determined. Tola lives in a flat in Lagos with her sister, Moji, who is very clever; her brother, Dapo, who is very fast; and Grandmummy, who is very bossy. Tola proves to be stronger than she seems when she goes to market with Grandmummy and manages to carry home a basket full of yams and vegetables, chilli peppers and fish. When the taps in the flat don't work, it's Tola who brings water from the well, and it's Tola who saves the day when Mr Abdul, the tailor, needs his goods to be delivered quickly. Too Small Tola is a wonderful new character in the world of children's books by multi-award-winning children's writer and storyteller Atinuke.

Panashe Chigumadzi

These Bones Will Rise Again

Panashe takes us on a journey through her memories of her grandmother, the modern history of Zimbabwe as experienced through a young girl and the family lens without getting into the military and psychological damage but focusing instead on the impact of displacement, travelling, migration and futures built elsewhere while homes remains that home where it is hoped that 'These Bones Will Rise Again'. Narrated through the first person, this work cannot be boxed into memoir, biography or poetry. Let the power of stories, as they are, captivate you. You do not need a category.

Cynthia Abdallah

The Musunzu Tree and Other Stories

The Musunzu Tree and Other Stories is a collection of short stories that shows different facets of personhood, shades of happiness, and despair. Rich in imagery, mothers, machetes, a singing contest, a small blue room and the shade of a Musunzu tree all find a place in this slim volume. The characters are anchored by a sense of community yet probe the limitations of their existence. Woven underneath these complex playful yet contorted tales is a bold exploration of African consciousness and culture.

Kenyan writer Cynthia Abdallah currently lives and works in Venezuela, South America, where she teaches language and literature. Her written works are becoming more and more popular featuring in numerous online magazines and in print. These include The Tokyo Poetry Journal (Japan), Kwani? Uchaguzi Edition (Kenya), Ake Review (Nigeria), Quailbell Magazine (USA), Kalahari Review (Kenya), Nalubaale Review (Uganda), Active Muse (India), and the Bodies and Scars anthology by Ghana Literary Journal.

Tinatswe Mhaka

The Men I've Hated

Just a rant: I don't really read a lot of memoirs so this book was my first memoir of 2021 by a Zimbabwean woman. I call it a memoir because it's the author's story in her own words

HerStory Genre: African Contemporary

Publisher : Carnelian Heart Publishing

Anci's book summary: A huge thanks to Samantha Vazhure from Carnelian Heart Publishing for providing this book in exchange for an honest review. The Men I've Hated is as scandalously and seductively good as the title. My advice is to go into this book blind because then you won't know what hit you. In the book the reader is transported to the genesis of this author's journey and her relations with men. We watch her as she find herself, her role in society and what makes her a full fledged woman.

-- Review by @heyanci blogging at https://heyanci.wordpress.com/

Tim O'Brien

The Things They Carried

The emotional rawness throughout the book hits you to the core, helps you understand - just a smidgen - combat veterans. I see why this book is read in schools across America, it is an important book that everyone should read at least once. This book gets all the stars!

--review by @Hillsreads blogging at https://hillysreads.wordpress.com/

Kaia Alderson

Sisters in Arms

I was craving good historical fiction and this book definitely hit the spot! I love World War II novels but there are not a lot of black WWII novels so I was so excited to read it! I really enjoyed reading Sisters In Arms.

These women were passionate and determined to prove their superiors, the government, and even their families wrong and that black women could indeed serve.

--review by @Hillsreads blogging at https://hillysreads.wordpress.com/

Priscilla Mante

The Dream Team: Jaz Santos vs. the World

Ola! I'm Jasmina Santos-Campbell (but you can call me Jaz). You've probably heard of me and my football team the Bramrock Stars before. No? Well, you will soon because we're almost famous! Forming the Stars was my genius idea - you see I need to prove to Me (that's my mum!) that I'm a football star so she'll want to come back home. The idea was the easy part, though. Now I've got a team of seven very different girls and we need to work together, to be taken seriously as footballers. We are the DREAM TEAM and we're going to show the world that girls CAN play football!

Ayesha Harruna Attah

The Deep Blue Between

Twin sisters Hassana and Husseina's home is in ruins after a brutal raid. But this is not the end but the beginning of their story, one that will take them to unfamiliar cities and cultures, where they will forge new families, ward off dangers and truly begin to know themselves.

As the twins pursue separate paths in Brazil and the Gold Coast of West Africa, they remain connected through shared dreams of water. But will their fates ever draw them back together?

A sweeping adventure with richly evocative historical settings, The Deep Blue Between is a moving story of the bonds that can endure even the most dramatic change.

Cynthia Abdallah

The Author's Feet

Resoketshwe Manhenzhe

Scatterlings

I have not read anything as refreshing as the writing of Manhenzhe. The title, Scaterllings suggests where we can expect to end up in this brilliant debut by one of the most gifted storytellers to emerge from Mzansi.

The story of a family broen apart and having to migrate is told not only from a historical fiction view point but Resoketswe easily incorporates analysis of the conditions of the time in South Africa when the Basotho, the San and other groups were being pushed to the dry and arid west and south from the fertile interior they had inhabited without claiming for millenia. The story begin at the end and builds up to how we got there in the first place. The writing is more poetry than prose and highly imaginative. A star has annouced her arrival with this stunning debut.

Samantha Rumbidzai Vazhure

Painting a Mirage

The Mire is a series of fiction novels set between post-colonial Zimbabwe and the UK, exploring an intergenerational legacy of trauma, narrated in first person through the eyes of Ruva, a 1st generation immigrant living in the UK. In this series, Vazhure relentlessly explores the complexities of culture, religion and society within a dysfunctional family set up.

Painting a Mirage (Part 1 of The Mire) is a story about the coming of age of UK-born Ruva, who is raised in a privileged dysfunctional Zimbabwean family and returns to live in the UK at the age of 18. Ruva yearns to escape her toxic childhood, but relocation to the UK invokes a bitter confrontation with her illusionary upbringing; and she realises that she does not need to continue conforming to the dictates of her past. As Ruva navigates life in the UK as a first-generation immigrant, she begins to understand what it means to be a black minority living in a meritocracy. During her journey of learning to live independently, Ruva stumbles into marriage. Will the grass that seemed greener live up to her expectations?

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Notes on Grief

Just a rant: There is nothing sadder and harder than losing a loved one. How do you even say goodbye to someone that you love? Are words enough? and selfish it may seem sometimes we never want them to leave. Grief takes many forms and at one point in our lives we all have gone through it

Genre: African Nonfiction

Publisher : Knopf Themes: Grief/ Family Trigger Warning: Death of a parent

Anci's book summary: This is one of those books that tugs at heartstrings and makes you remember a loved one past gone. In Notes on Grief Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie b captures her intense grief about her father's death and also pays homage to the father she immensely loved.

--Review by @heyanci blogging at https://heyanci.wordpress.com/

Chinua Achebe

No Longer at Ease

Just a rant :I absolutely love Chinua Achebe and I wish I had met the man because Things Fall Apart was one of my favorite books . So I went into this book with great anticipation because it's Chinua.

Genre : African Fiction

Themes: Corruption/Morals/ Ancestry

Anci's summary : No Longer At Ease is book 2 of a trilogy with the first book being Things Fall Apart. In No Longer At Ease we follow Obi Okonkwo the grandson of Okonkwo who we met in Things Fall Apart. Obi has just returned from studying abroad (the UK ) after having gotten a prestigious scholarship from his village. As part of his scholarship he returns to Nigeria to work as a civil servant to repay his part of his scholarship. We follow him as he grapples with his new position as a civil servant while navigating family dynamics.

-- Review by @heyanci blogging at https://heyanci.wordpress.com/

Cynthia Abdallah

My Six Little Fears

My Six Little Fears is a collection of 32 poems that addresses various themes. With its settings ranging from the villages of Eldoret, Kenya, to the little town of Providence, Rhode Island, the poems delve into secrets, mystery and passion taking its readers on a nostalgic journey

Lemn Sissay

My Name Is Why

A moving memoir by Lemn Sissay who was adopted at a young age, was settled with his parents who had his name changed (to Norman) before reconnecting with his Ethiopian background (and changing his name back to Lemn which means 'Why') and eventually meeting his birth family. Most people will know Lemn through his lyrical, witty and observational poetry. In this book, we get a sense of a lifetime of asking questions and how Lemn puts this energy into creativity, purpose and determination to both find out his background, embrace it and move on with his dual British and Ethiopian heritage.

Jason Reynolds, Ibrahim X. Kendi

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

“Segregationist are haters. Like, real haters. People who hate you for not being like them. Assimilationists are people who like you, but only with quotation marks. Like...”like” you. Meaning, they “like” you because you’re like them. And then there are antiracists. They love you because you’re like you.” ...readmore

--review by @Hillsreads blogging at https://hillysreads.wordpress.com/

Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu

Mixed Blessings From A Cambridge Union

One of the funniest biographies read recently was Mixed Blessings from a Cambridge Union by Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu. Some people had trouble pronouncing her name and she recounts: "I have had (has been called) Anio...Ania...what?..Onion?" Some people struggled to say Anionwu, now Dame Anionwu of course.

This is a moving and inspriting biography, a reminder of what the genre should be: it is only worth writing a biography if you have actually achieved something and made a clear difference, produced an new invention, produced new knowledge or created a new movement and society for example. Dame Anionwu had a difficult beginning with the separation from her mother (in the days when mixed race couples and the resulting children were unwanted by some societies), then eventually meeting with her Nigerian diplomat father and the extended family. Her mother never abandoned her and fought hard to get around society's restrictions of the day !

On a personal note, Dame Anionwu had always been hands on, learning by doing through her training as a nurse. When she need to provid added care, that is what launched her reearch interest in sickle cell aneamia ending up with a PhD. Not the other way round where one begins with with post graduate studies then fitting an interest or a practical application later. Hers was always driven by the need to improve other people's lives, and when answers were not readily available, she duly conducted the research and wrote the results up.

It is also the first time we read about Mary Seacole, more prominent in the media these days, but before that, only known by a few compared to Nightingale. Dame Aniounwu campaigned for the statue of Mary Seacole which has resulted in more books about her being published recently. What an achievement as a nurse, a scholar and a campaigner.

The book is thorougly fascinating and the humour Elizabeth Nnkeka employs helps the reader along. You will read this book in a few days because it is impossible to put down after the first few pages. Reminded of two occasions described in the book, one when Nnkena travelled to Paris on a scooter with her suitcase on the side. Such determination ! And naivety of the young. And the other involves the passing of her father and will settlement. Her voice is generous even to those who stand in her way. Not surprised Dame Anionwu has achieved such success. Humble, determined, single minded with a goal ! This book is a gift to all and had it not been written, it would have been a loss not dissimialr to how we forgot Mary Seacole.

-- Nataka Books Review

Christopher Portway

Journey Along the Andes: From Bolivia, Through Peru and Ecuador

I enjoyed the clarity and simplicity of the narrative. Portway is adept as describing the landscape, weaving in bits of Inca history, and the expected human story of triumph under difficult circumstances when they either run short of money, or meet bad weather, or take longer than expected on a path of the long journey up the Andes mountain plains. Whilst the destination and targets along the way provide a focus, in the end, it is the human interaction with the landscape, with his walking partner, other locals who welcome them as guests and the quiet reflections chewed through on a long day's walk.

James Baldwin

The Fire Next Time

This book is perfect for those who need a reality check. James Baldwin’s, The Fire Next Time, is of two raw but passionate letters that are so deep, so meaningful, so real and true. America has lived in two separate realities for hundreds of years; a white and a black one...readmore

--review by @Hillsreads blogging at https://hillysreads.wordpress.com/

Trish Cooke

Hoorah For Mary Seacole

Aimed at Key Stage One readers, each book in the 'Hopscotch Histories' series features a story about a famous person or a great event. They provide excellent cross curricular links with the National Curriculum and QCA schemes of work.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Half of a Yellow Sun

A masterly, haunting new novel from a writer heralded by The Washington Post Book World as “the 21st-century daughter of Chinua Achebe,” Half of a Yellow Sun re-creates a seminal moment in modern African history: Biafra’s impassioned struggle to establish an independent republic in Nigeria in the 1960s, and the chilling violence that followed.

With astonishing empathy and the effortless grace of a natural storyteller, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie weaves together the lives of three characters swept up in the turbulence of the decade. Thirteen-year-old Ugwu is employed as a houseboy for a university professor full of revolutionary zeal. Olanna is the professor’s beautiful mistress, who has abandoned her life of privilege in Lagos for a dusty university town and the charisma of her new lover. And Richard is a shy young Englishman in thrall to Olanna’s twin sister, an enigmatic figure who refuses to belong to anyone. As Nigerian troops advance and the three must run for their lives, their ideals are severely tested, as are their loyalties to one another.

Epic, ambitious, and triumphantly realized, Half of a Yellow Sun is a remarkable novel about moral responsibility, about the end of colonialism, about ethnic allegiances, about class and race—and the ways in which love can complicate them all. Adichie brilliantly evokes the promise and the devastating disappointments that marked this time and place, bringing us one of the most powerful, dramatic, and intensely emotional pictures of modern Africa that we have ever had.

Sathnam Sanghera

Empireland

The parts of history that have been previously left out presented through characters who leave their mark on the resistance that took centuries. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan described this book as "I only wish this book had been around when I was at school."

Tom Holland

Dominion

An undertaking to cover the 2500 years of beliefs, the origins of beliefs, arrival of Christianity and what can be said to be known from the sources. Thoroughly entertaining.

Florence Olajide

Coconut : [2] A Black girl fostered by a white family in the 1960s and her search for belonging and identity

Just a rant: The first time someone called me a coconut I wasn't aware what that entailed. I thought oh no, people think I am hiding my sweetness *gasp* little did I know that I was deemed a coconut because of my mannerisms *sigh*

Genre: Nonfiction/Memoir Themes: Family /Race/ Sense of Belonging

Anci's book summary: A huge thanks to Nataka Books for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Coconut follows the main protagonist Florence whose parents left Nigeria for London in the 1960s. While in England Florence lived with a white family that called her Ann while her parents studied .At a tender age of six she moves to Nigeria where she has to find out who she is while trying to connect the two cultures that make up who she is. Coconut is a reflection and honest account of someone in between culture and whether or not one can immerse themselves in either.

-- Review by @heyanci by blogging at https://heyanci.wordpress.com/

Efua Traoré

Children of the Quicksands

City girl Simi is sent to stay with her long-lost grandmother in a remote Nigerian village.

There’s no TV, internet or phone. Not a single human-made sound can be heard at night, just the noise of birds and animals rustling in the dark forest outside.

Her witchlike grandmother dispenses advice and herbal medicine to the village, but she’s tight lipped about their family history. Something must have happened, but what? Determined to find out, Simi disobeys her grandmother and goes exploring. Caught in the sinking red quicksand of a forbidden lake, her fantastical journey begins.

Ellen Kuzwayo

Call Me Woman

Have always held a fascination for people whose careers began as teachers, their very first professional roles, and due to circumstances mostly directly related to the experience of the same students they teach, these teachers find themselves pulled to other areas without abandoning the role of 'teaching.'

Ellen Kuzwayo, born in June 1914 follows this path. The date of her birth instantly hints at what is to come for those who conscious about impending restrictions in their land and those who put everything on the line to change the status quo.

Samantha Rumbidzai Vazhure

Brilliance of Hope [1]

A timely collection of short stories, poems and esays from a variety of writers based in the diaspora and on the continent. The stories are written from the perspective of those who have travelled and settled elsewhere and experiences in Zimbabwe today. Whilst giving free voice to each writer's style and experience, Vazhure has carefully curated pieces which fit with the theme of 'Brilliance of Hope' from people of Zimbabwe globally.

-Nataka Books Reviews

Kel Mitchell

Blessed Mode : 90 Days to Level Up Your Faith

Just a rant: Anyone remember Good Burger? Oh man, I absolutely loved that movie (didn't you) and if you didn't do you at least love a good burger?

Genre: Devotional/Non-Fiction

Publisher : Thomas Nelson

Anci's book summary: Blessed Mode is a devotional of sorts by Kel Mitchell that touches on topics such as sharing the gifts/blessings you have and the levelling up power of faith. The book was a quick read and the way it was written was to ensure that you can get your daily work out on the go too. I loved the fact that each section starts with a bible verse. I was expecting this to be a day by day way given that the book title shares that it'll be a 90-day journey. However I loved it and I think it will make a perfect gift . A huge thanks to Thomas Nelson for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

--Review by @heyanci blogging at https://heyanci.wordpress.com/

David E. Talbert

Baggage Claim

It's not a secret that Rom-coms and romantic books is the unashamed guide for the hopeless romantic when it comes to anything love related (including the butterflies) ,or at their best they give us fantasies about the perfect man, relationship and the meet cute. But who better to turn to when your love life needs a jumpstart , oil change and third party cover than the classic Romcom.

So with Tonia's insistence and a love of self-care (romance books/movies are a form of self-care right ?) I watched Baggage Claim Baggage Claim follows Montana a woman willingly to file thirty thousand miles in 30 days to charm a guy into becoming her fiance in an effort to not be the only single woman in her familiar. Plot sounds familiar? You bet!

It is because at one point in our lives we have all wanted to bae up and we all may have done bae-watch of some sort. Enough blubbering here are the lessons I took from Baggage Claim: Your friends will always have your back even if your idea is crazy Never go back to an ex! They are an ex for a reason You probably have met him already but he doesn't look like your prayer point or a love thirst Run your own race and love yourself

--Review by @heyanci blogging at https://heyanci.wordpress.com/

WG Sebald

Austerlitz

Narrating the story of a boy moved to the British countryside during the Blitz will never find a better form than the long flowing sentences of WG Sebald.

"Whatever was going on within me, said Austerlitz, the panic I felt on facing the start on any sentence that must be written, not knowing how I could begin it, or indeed any other sentence, soon extended to what was in itself the simpler business of reading, until I attempted to read a whole page I inevitably fell into a state of the greatest confusion."

Atinuke

Anna Hibiscus' Song

Anna Hibiscus is so filled with happiness that she feels like she might float away. And the more she talks to her mother and father and grandfather and grandmother and aunties and cousins about it, the more her happiness grows! There's only one thing to do...Sing!

Yaa Gyasi

Homegoing

Homecoming will go down as one of my favorite books ever written. I rarely cry while reading books but I bawled like a baby reading this book. From beginning to end, every page, every character, every story was extraordinarily written. I honestly do not feel that I can do a review that would do this book justice so, this review is not going to be like the other reviews I write....readmore

--review by @Hillsreads blogging at https://hillysreads.wordpress.com/

Tayari Jones

An American Marriage [1]

Just a rant: What makes a marriage work? Surely every marriage is tested and refined through trials and temptations. If I am being honest an American marriage wrecked me Genre: Contemporary Themes: Family /Race /Justice /Rape /Marriage Anci's book summary: If I was to say that this book wrecked me I would not be lying because it ruined me An American Marriage follows Celestial and Ray a typical have to make it in this life couple. Their marriage comes tumbling down when Ray is arrested and sentenced to 12 years in prison for rape. We follow them as they try to make it work and the author does a beautiful job of allowing us to see what happened on the night in question , how they met and the multiple POV of the characters involved.

-- Review by @heyanci blogging at https://heyanci.wordpress.com/

Therese Ann Fowler

A Good Neighborhood

A Good Neighborhood is merely about a biracial boy, Xavier, and his momma, Valerie, living in an all white neighborhood in the south. He ends up falling for his neighbor, Juniper who is a white girl that has a purity vow and can’t date. Her stepdad is rich, overly obsessive and racist.

This is what this book is: a perspective of racism from a white author and she got it all wrong.

--review by @Hillsreads blogging at https://hillysreads.wordpress.com/

Lazarus Panashe Nyagwambo

A Hole In The Air

'A Hole In The Air' is another excellent collection of short stories from debut author Lazarus Panashe Nyagwambo who has published in numerous literary magazines including Afreada, Kalahari Review, but for the first time brings us this highly introspective, thought-provoking, cerebral and at times hilarious collection of short stories set mostly in modern day Zimbabwe.

In 'Secondhand Emotion' close friends are shown to become too close so that they can pull apart. This is an excellent exploration of this absurdity of life and ever changing relationships, competition and confusion between Kudzi, Rudo and Simba. Lazarus is a writer of conscience who engages, entertains but above all questions through storytelling !

-- Review by Nataka Books

Talia Hibbert

Act Your Age

I absolutely LOVED every single book in the Brown sister series; each one is unique, funny, cute, sexy, and phenomenally written! I don’t know how @talilahibbert does it, but each book that she writes gets better and better, or maybe I just love her work more and more with each book that I read of hers.

--review by @Hillsreads blogging at https://hillysreads.wordpress.com/

Shirley Hughes

Alfie's Feet

These books by Shirley Hughes are enjoyed by children everywhere. Shirley Hughes passed away this week and a tribute is fitting. As we tweeted in a tribute, the best books last a lifetime and beyond !

Alfie and his sister Annie Rose go through everyday activities that all children relate to: a trip to the supermarket, the park, playground or school. In this particular book, Alfie gets new shoes and wears them the wrong way round. That's it ! No preaching this or that, just a great story.

Tayari Jones

An American Marriage [2]

As I started to read this book, I was struggling to get through because this book is so real for every black family in America. So many black men are going through this exact same thing, families, relationships, being torn apart because of America's horrible justice system. This book was sort of frustrating to me, I can't seem to understand Celestial and some of the decisions she made...readmore

--review by @Hillsreads blogging at https://hillysreads.wordpress.com/

Taiye Selasi

Anansi and the Golden Pot

Anansi and the Golden Pot is beautifully illustrated by Tinuke Fagborun with not one detail out of place. The characters Kweku and Anansi are warm and real, the setting evoking the Ashanti region of Ghana...readmore

The story follows traditional African storytelling in a simple plot with no overbearing messages for young readers. As usual in a fable, there is a lesson. Cheeky Kweku is named Anansi after the story of the Spider. He makes a discovery but what will he do with it? The intrigue, sense of anticipation and sounds created by Taiye Selasi enchant as the story of the spider unfolds. One of the best children's books in the 5 year old category.

-- Nataka Books Review

Otieno Opondo

Beer Pressure

"Many readers find the title of my debut novel intriguing. Let me narrate to you the inspiration behind Beer Pressure. Well, it all started with a bottle of Serengeti Beer."

These are the first three sentences which intriduced us to the book ' Peer Pressure', or rather 'Beer Pressure' by Otienno Opondo. Read the full summary and review below.

Beer Pressure is a hilarious novel with jaw-dropping narration that highlights the harm peer (beer) pressure has done to the youth.

-- Book summary by Otieno Opondo @otienopondo_

JM Coetzee

Disgrace

Set in Cape Town and the Eastern Cape countryside, Coetzee manages to focus on the character of David Lurie but challenge a larger background story. Coetzee seems to be asking: who does the division serve and for how long can it be maintaned? Lucy's farm holding serves as the metaphor for many things.

The story involves around an old white university professor who is twice divorced and his desperation for women leads him to pray on his students. The potrayal of academia was interesting: Lurie is really interested in writing but has to teach for bread on the table. As he puts it, "the one who comes to teach learns the keenest of lessons, while those who come to learn learn nothing."

Lurie is eventually fired or resigns and he finds the distinction between these very important. When he moves in with his daughter Lucy on the farm, a thorough examination of their lives follows before a tragedy puts into question their life paths. A good novel that can be read in one sitting.

Barack Obama

Dreams from my Father

Obama the Community Organiser. Still struggle to believe it. If you approach the life of the Obamas, their rise to the stratosphere of politics, and this being America, their race, it will not be suprising if your conclusions sound like our first sentence.

This is an excellent autobiography, written before he became president which allows the reader to hear the voice before the now familiar one. Barry is considered, engaging, interested in all community issues but there is never a sense that he was working on running for the highest office. This was pobably perfect both for him and his enemies who never saw him coming until he had arrived. One of the best biographies we have read.

David McKee

Elmer

Elephants can look grey and dull but they are not once you get to know them. They are the most majestic, intelligent, caring and fun loving animals. Elmer is a different elephant from the others. But is she really different?

Let the little ones find out from this classic tale by David McKee which has all the hallmarks of great stories: unforgettable characters that jump off the page, easy to follow plot that keeps little listeners glued to every word, and a lesson in the tale to take away without preaching. Every child should know this story !

-- Nataka Books

Candice Carty-Williams

Empress and Aniya

This story is a short but effective YA novel. I enjoyed reading it and actually finished the book in only two sittings. I love how realistic it is, from both perspectives. Though Aniya has everything she could want, her life still has its struggles. She’s not a one dimensional character who exists solely to push the story along. I also loved how real Empress seemed. It was clear how much older she had to behave because of her circumstances.

As the author’s note says, this story is for those who have love and those who need it, because every story is worth being told.

-- Review by Kyara

Busisekile Khumalo

Fallen Candle

A young lady hardened by betrayal and loss turns her back on her home when she starts drowning in tradition. She finds herself in another country, but soon learns that love and loss are interchangeable.

The story starts in the patriarchal heartbeat of Tsholotsho and carries on in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and spills over to the heart of Johannesburg. It details the struggles of widows in the black community, the plight of immigrants, the exploitation of the fast-food industry and searches the lines imposed on Africans. A thoroughly informative and enjoyable book.

Busisekile Khumalo

Her Silent Screams

Fatima Farrah Omar has spent her whole life on the outskirts looking in and just when she has finally found her voice, it is brutally snatched away from her and she is thrust into a nightmarish existence in a hidden camp deep in the Nigerian jungle.

--Coming Soon 2022

Credo Vusamazulu Mutwa

Indaba My Children

Credo Mutwa's book are packed with folklore, tales, poems, sayings that have been long lost or forgotten and historical accounts for the origins of various customs, ceremonies and more importantly beliefs. It was after reading Credo Mutwa, that the literature on the Incas, the people of the old kingdoms of Kemet or the old kingdom at Great Zimbabwe began taking on a similarity shared by people everywhere: beliefs, customs and their own stories.

Abena Eyeson

Looking Up

Esi Asantewa reluctantly leaves her grandmother in Accra to join her mother in London. What follows are unexpected twists in this family drama as Esi learns more about her paternal family from her straight-talking grandmother, Asantewa.

What a brave girl Esi is ! From the moment Esi arrives, it becomes impossible to put this book down. I especially enjoyed the dialogue in the moments of high tension. I will be dissapointed if I do not see this in a cinema near me in future.

Sol Plaatje

Mhudi

Mhudi, the first full-length novel in English by a black South African, was written in the late 1910s. A romantic epic set in the first half of the nineteenth century, the main action is unleashed by King Mzilikazi's extermination campaign against the Barolong in 1832 at Kunana (nowadays Setlagole), and covers the resultant alliance of defeated peoples with Boer frontiersmen in a resistance movement leading to Battlehill (Vegkop, 1836) and the showdown at the Battle of Mosega (17 January 1839). Plaatje's eponymous heroine is an enduring symbol of the belief in a new day.

Nkem Nwankwo

My Mercedes is Bigger than Yours

"Once upon a time, a young man was savouring the pleasures of a new car!" goes the first line in Nkem Nkwakwo's classic. Raw, energetic and propulsively funny !

The plot is unpretentious: a young man with a good degree and a good job thinks it is time he got himself a status symbol to match his position, a Jaguar, or not? The writing by Nkem is succint and conveys a Lagos on the move, living and full of life ! One of our favourite books.

Tola Okogwu

Onyeka and The Academy of the Sun [1]

Onyeka has special powers that require harnessing and immediately bestow a responsibility on her from an early age. Onyeka, or Yeka, or to give her her full name, Onyekachi Adeyemi Aderinola, must therefore attend AOS, the Academy of the Sun to build on knowledge that her mother has given her.

Tola Okugwu weaves a beautiful tale of the superhero. The use of true voices by the characters adds context, depth and originality. YA readers will be led to learn about Ogbunike Caves, Fibonacci Numbers or Cowrie Shells which were currency. There are so many layers and stories within the story.

Lindzy Byamugisha

Out of Sight

‘Stories are powerful because they cross the boundaries of time, past, present and future. They live with us in our hearts for one reason or another. They allow us to juxtapose our experiences with those of others.’
~ Lindzy Byamugiisha, Out of Sight

The biggest question that one should ask themselves however after reading this book, is, what can I do now that I know that this is what happens behind most perimeter walls of boarding schools? We are all stake holders in the fate of the next generation. We shouldn’t sit back and let more children be churned out of such a system.

-- Review by Khanani Daniella who blogs at 'Resolute Scribbles: Home of Book Reviews' https://khananidaniella.wordpress.com/

Octavia E. Butler

Parable of the Sower

Parable of the Sower was such an interesting and great read! The weird thing about it is that its set in 2025 which is 4 years from now. Octavia Butler creates this apocalyptic world where there is nothing but chaos, people are on drugs, disease is running rapid, the country is on fire. She creates this strong black female character that is determined to save the world ...readmore

Atinuke

Splash, Anna Hibiscus!

In the second Anna Hibiscus picture book from Atinuke and Lauren Tobia, Anna has left her mango tree - and she s at the beach! Phew, it is hot. But what better way to cool off than by playing in the jumpy, splashy waves?

"Come and splash in the waves with me!" shouts Anna Hibiscus. But everyone, including Grandmother and Grandfather, Chocolate, Benz, Wonderful, Joy, Clarity and Common Sense, is much too busy to wave-jump! So, it s just Anna Hibiscus and the white waves.

Kiley Read

Such A Fun Age

This book is about racism and white privilege. These are every day things that women of color deal with in this country; sad I know but REAL.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a bit slow after the first chapter but then it got real interesting in the middle and the ending was great. The book flips between Emira and Alix's perspective. Even though I had major issues with the characters, I loved the storyline and the author's writing style.

--review by @Hillsreads blogging at https://hillysreads.wordpress.com/

Nicole Hannah-Jones

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story

I’ve been sitting on reviewing this book for weeks because I didn’t (and still don’t) really know how to formulate the words to describe how incredible this book is. So I hope this review does it justice. The 1619 Project is such an important book to read - a required read.

The 1619 Project changed my perspective on many things, it made me look at things differently and have a deeper understanding of America. I cannot say enough how important this book is.

--review by @Hillsreads blogging at https://hillysreads.wordpress.com/

Sonali Shah

The Best Diwali Ever

Ariana plans to make this year's Diwali the best ever. Her three year old brother Rafi has opposite plans, with everything that Ariana creates being the most interesting and attractive toy for him to play with. Will Rafi scribble on Ariana's creations, ruin her rangoli and make a mess of Ariana's Diwali plans? Find out from this upbeat, exciting, informative and celebratory offering of the Diwali festival. A great book to discuss all events, festivals and different celebrations. Will Rafi finally listen to his older sister? Fireworks at the end !

-- Nataka Books

Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor

The Dragonfly Sea

On the island of Pate, off the coast of Kenya, lives solitary, stubborn Ayaana and her mother, Munira. When a sailor named Muhidin, also an outsider, enters their lives, Ayaana finds something she has never had before: a father. But as Ayaana grows into adulthood, forces of nature and history begin to reshape her life.

Lola Shoneyin

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives

Poet Lola Shoneyin makes her fiction debut with this funny, entertaining and theatrical novel about polygamy in Nigeria. Is it really about polygamy? Or a tragedy? or a comedy? Perhaps a tragic comedy?

Shoneyin is a gifted story teller, with a grip on our attention as the four women end in the Baba Segi household. Traditional beliefs, sorcery, both imagined and real, and religion all play a role. Thunder and lightning strike Bolanle. "Where hast thou been, sister?" Iya Femi could have easily replied, "Killing swine." The rivalry is enthralling.

Does Baba Segi get "his foot caught in the snare he had laid for the antelope?" ...readmore

-- Nataka Books Review

Omuteizi Kwasi

The Self and Meditation

To sit in the stillness of morning
Bathe in the luminance of the sun
Listen to the euphony of birds
Breathe the easiness of the air
Relax in the attention of the now
Is this what it means to live
To seek pleasure from nothingness
Freed from the excitations of expectation
Here where the morning renews
Here where suffering is lost to choice
~ The Self and Meditation, Omuteizi Kwasi, 2021

-- Review by @KhananiDaniella blogging at khananidaniella.wordpress.com

Gemma Koomen

The Tree Keepers

A simple and beautiful story about small people called the 'Tree Keepers' who spend their days working, playing and learning from each other. The book is about friendship and teaches children, especially those who are timid and play alone, how they can go about forming friendships.

We love books that quietly get on with the beautiful task of storytelling without screaming 'diversity'. The characters are naturally diverse characters as they come together to experience the world around them. It is a simple story with various characters, a simply lesson, classic show do not tell, and an enjoyable read for children.

-- Nataka Books Review

Ta Nehisi Coates

We Were Eights Years in Power

History books dealing only in dates, place names and the grand narrative that the author has "discovered" as being the cause of an event can be the most boring books to be printed.

History itself is infinitely interesting. Ta Nehisi Coates delivers a living, panoramic examination of multiple sources by combining his quest for information through first hand sources with modern day events unfolding in the Obama administration as he writes as a columnist for The Atlantic.

This book is a must read for everyone and should be a set text in schools. Segregation in schools or housing, the function of banks with different interest rates for different grops, sports representation, mainstream media and mass incarceration are all examined from a historical perspective without driving a singular theme.

-- Nataka Books

Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

When We Were Birds [1]

We meet the two protagonists Darwin, a gravedigger who does not appear to want to know much about his subjects, and Yejide, who deals with the same events that will bring her into Darwin's path at Fidelis Cemetery.

The brilliance of any novelist comes from shining light on any part of human existence, however precise the character, minute the detail or intense the glare, and produce a thrilling sense of observing a propulsively readable story whose development baffles and entralls as it moves between the mystical and earthly. This is a story on many levels pulled off skillfully by Banwo.

-- Review by Nataka Books

Florence Olajide

Coconut [1]

Florence Olajide delivers a heartfelt and moving memoir having moved from carer to foster carer in England before settling down with "Nan" where she was clearly at home despite cultural differences. Although Nan fostered other children, the warm attachment shines through, with Nan offering plenty of hugs, “ tight ones, cuddly ones and pick you off the ground and swirl you around ones.” Olajide’s Yoruba parents later take her back before moving back to Lagos, cure more events in a day that could fill a week’s storytelling.

Courteous and always mending bridges, Olajide is not to be pushed to extremes, as the bigoted Heathrow immigration officer found out. This book captures the challenges of navigating opposing cultural divides, which Olajide eventually settles with some doubts in her mind but with unflinching certainty in her actions, such as not taking in long distance Nigerian relatives in her London home. Olajide shows us how to unify a living based on two cultures. Some things however can never be unified, which I suspect is encapsulated in the title: “Coconut.” Olajide’s story is a triumph of quiet determination and focus which leads her to raise two confident daughters and a son whilst rising to the top of the teaching profession in England.

Angela Shante

When My Cousins Come to Town

A wonderfully cover which invites readers in. 'When My Cousins Come to Town' is a packed with fun, is a pleasure to read and will be enjoyed by the little ones all over the world !

The little girl at the centre of the story (we find out her name later) anticipates the summer when her cousins visit. As expected, their days are packed with fun: from karaoke singing to swimming to athletics, there is no activity the children will not attempt and no game they will not play together.

Bravo Angela Shante for the story and Keisha Morris's illustrations are both a work of art and wonderful for proving imagination for children ! -- Review by Nataka Books

Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? [1]

Just a rant: What is it with society that expects women over 25 to be married with two children and a dog? Like can't a woman get a break from societal expectations? Where is it written that a woman should marry by 25?

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Anci's book summary: Yinka, where is your huzband follows oxford graduate Yinka whose meddling aunts and mother want her to get married because she is 31 and her young sister is expecting . It was hilarious following Yinka's Post-It plan to get a date to one of her best friend's wedding cue the squat challenge. If that isn't enough she is reeling from a job loss and navigating bad dates, tinder dates, a weird sense of self whilst trying to conform to the wife title everyone wants for her. A huge thanks to Viking Books UK, Nataka Books for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own

What I liked about the book: The way the author brought out female friendships and did not idolize them as we saw them laugh and fight too, the themes of religion and therapy in the book as the characters seemed relatable

What I didn't like: How the author reminded us of all the Marcus we have encountered and I honestly believed that some chapters dragged on.

--Review by @heyanci who blogs at https://heyanci.wordpress.com

Samantha Rumbidzai Vazhure

Brilliance of Hope [2]

The collection creates a rich mosaic of short stories in brilliant prose and poetic form. Brilliance of Hope carves a significant niche for itself, more so, for pioneering a trailblazing collaborative approach through bringing together underrepresented voices whose stories are certainly lofty in charting the migrant experience. What should be lauded is how Samantha Vazhure (the anthology’s editor) has accorded an enabling platform to nascent voices whose sublime excellence shines throughout the myriad stories and is therefore a harbinger of greater things to come.

-- Review by Andrew Chatora, author of 'Diaspora Dreams' published on 1st April 2021

Chigozie Obioma

The Fishermen

In a small town in western Nigeria, four young brothers take advantage of their strict father's absence from home to go fishing in a local river. On the journey, they encounter a local wanderer who makes a devastating prediction. This prophecy unleashes a tragic chain of events of almost mythic proportions.

Written with folklore at the forefront of how the story develops, this book delivers with multiple stories and meanings running alongside. A definitive West African tragedy with some of the most evocative sentences since Ousmane Sembene.

--Nataka Book Review

Osman Yousefzada

The Go-Between : A Portrait of Growing Up Between Different Worlds

This book provides a moving and honest potrait of an ordinary Pashtun-heritage family in 1980s and 1990s Birmingham.

The drama is laid bare. The clash between family life at home and wider society on the streets immediately provides a constant pull and push. "We are here because they were there." Since time immemorial, the only constant in the world seems to be the movement of people, from one place, for one reason or another with new stories reborn. This book illustrates this perfectly.

This book is great tribute to immigrant peoples in the UK and the unique stories that are now being published. Osman did find his "own keys to the outside world" and gives us a moving and sharp memoir filled with humour and generosity.

-- Nataka Books

Saleh Addonia

The Feeling House

This book is not easily classified into one genre, meandering as it does from memoir to storytelling that feels like any novel in the search for 'Her.' A dose of philosophy is shared before parts of the book take the form of a critical essay and back to memoir again. The lack of rigid structure works well for the book with the focus being on the protagonist, who is also the narrator.

Saleh is half Eritrean, half Ethiopian based on his parents heritage. He has travelled from Ethiopia to Sudan and later finds himself in England. As a speaker of Tigrinya, Arabic and English, Saleh makes insightful observations of the hospitality, acceptance and treatment of newly arrived people. The difference between the 'newly' arrived and those 'earlier' arrived is purely timing. The only things that has not changed since time began is that people have always moved, for one reason or another, through pull or push.

The aspirations of the narrator come through the provided details which makes a reader experience the decision making themselves.

This is an excellent book which takes us through the actual story rather than headlines we all read and learn nothing from.

-- Review by Nataka Books

Kabir Kareem-Bello

The Street Hawker's Apprentice

When Temilola comes around, he finds himself in "a kaleidoscope of activities, people, colours, smell and sounds." This is an excellent opening for the novel which lays out what the reader is about to experience. The writing immediately puts the reader alongside Temilola in Lagos.

This is one of the best novels we have picked up this year with vivid characters, packed with underdog spirit the reader naturally roots for and has never-ending action which makes a hour seem like a month.

-- Review by Nataka Books

Sabine Adeyinka

Jummy at the River School: a joyful mystery

A classic boarding school story of how Jimmy fits in when he gets a place at one of the best schools in Nigeria. Loosely based on the author's experience of inequality, fitting in and being young in a new place. A highly awaited debut from Sabine Adeyinka published by Chicken House who are becoming the go to publishers of diverse YA books.

Tola Okogwu

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun [2]

Synopsis

Onyeka has a lot of hair—the kind that makes strangers stop in the street and her peers whisper behind her back. At least she has Cheyenne, her best friend, who couldn’t care less what other people think. Still, Onyeka has always felt uncomfortable with her vibrant curls…until the day Cheyenne almost drowns and Onyeka’s hair takes on a life of its own, inexplicably pulling Cheyenne from the water.

At home, Onyeka’s mother tells her the shocking truth: Onyeka’s psycho-kinetic powers make her a Solari, one of a secret group of people with super powers unique to Nigeria. Her mother quickly whisks her off to the Academy of the Sun, a school in Nigeria where Solari are trained. But Onyeka and her new friends at the academy soon have to put their powers to the test as they find themselves embroiled in a momentous battle between truth and lies.