Category: Book Reviews
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Review Wednesday: A review of Billy Kahora’s “The Cape Cod Bicycle War And Other Stories.”
Book: The Cape Cod Bicycle War And Other Stories Author: Billy Kahora Publisher: Huza Press Genre: Fiction/Short stories Number of pages: 303 Publication year: 2019 Billy Kahora’s The Cape Cod Bicycle War And Other Stories is a collection of eleven short stories written over the last decade and a half set across Kenya, South Africa and…
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A review of Yaa Gyasi’s novel Homegoing
Book: Homegoing Author: Yaa Gyasi Publishers: Penguin Books/Knopf Year of publication: 2016 Number of pages: 320 pages Genre: Fiction Buy your own copy of Homegoing It never made sense to me this obsession South Africans had with race in their country. Many conversations I have with nationals from the South African country were peppered with…
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Shakara Baby-chicks and Locomotive Tales: Fiston Mwanza Mujila’s Tram 83 By Ato Quayson
Fiston Mwanza Mujila was the winner of the most recent Etisalat Prize for Literature in a ceremony in Lagos on 19th March 2016. The chief judge of the prize Ato Quayson who is a professor at the University of Toronto had very positive words to say about the book when he made the presentation…
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A Review of Abubakar Adam Ibrahim’s Season of Crimson Blossoms
Book: Season of Crimson Blossoms Author: Abubakar Adam Ibrahim Publisher: Parresia Books Year of publication: 2015 Number of pages: 345 Genre: Fiction Abubakar Adam Ibrahim is not an unknown name in the world of African literature. Some of his many accolades include being shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African writing, a BBC African performance…
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A Review of Panashe Chigumadzi’s Sweet Medicine
Book: Sweet Medicine Author: Panashe Chigumadzi Publisher: Blackbird Books Publication Date: 2015 Number of pages: 201 Genre: Fiction Sweet Medicine, debut novel of Zimbabwean-born South Africa resident Panashe Chigumadzi, is the story of Tsitsi. Tsitsi was raised in Harare but went to a rural school do her O and A Levels. She ends up back…
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A review of Fiona Snyckers’ Now Following you.
Book: Now Following You Author: Fiona Snyckers Publisher: Modjaji Books Year of publication: 215 Number of pages: 306 Genre: Fiction, thriller In Now Following You, Jamie Burchell is a hotel trained woman in her late twenties who lives in a Johannesburg suburb and co-owns a popular café/eatery called Delucia with former schoolmate Pumla Maseko. By…
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A video review of Jeremiah Kiereini biography A Daunting Journey
I have been reviewing books for a while on this blog. I am not trying to do something new; video reviews. Please check out my video review of Jeremiah Kiereini biography A Daunting Journey.
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A review of Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s Weep Not Child
Book: Weep Not Child Author: Ngugi Wa Thiong’o (James Ngugi) Publisher: East African Educational Publishers Year of publication: 1964 Number of pages: 136 Weep Not Child is the debut novel of Kenyan writer Ngugi Wa Thiong’o. When the book was published it was the first by an African writer in East Africa by the writer…
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A review of Hannah Pool’s My Fathers Daughter
Book: My Father’s Daughter Author: Hannah Pool Publisher: Penguin Year of publication: 2005 Number of pages: 244 Genre: Non-fiction, memoir So how do you do that big thirty-year-old transition? It’s a pretty big year for any individual and usually, people want to celebrate this period of their lives with something new or unique. British-raised Hannah…
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A Review of Alain Mabanckou’s Broken Glass
Book: Broken Glass Author: Alain Mabanckou Translator: Helen Stevenson Publisher: Serpents Tail Year of publication: 2005 (French), 2009 ( English) Number of pages: 165 Broken Glass is a book by Alain Mabanckou an author from the Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville) who has written a raft of books including African Psycho (2003 French, 2009 English),…
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A review of Archbishop David Gitari’s Troubled but not destroyed
Book: Troubled but not destroyed (The autobiography of Archbishop David Gitari) Author: David Gitari Publisher: Isaac Publishing Year of publication: 2014 Number of pages: 327 Genre: Biography, autobiography David Gitari was the leader of the Anglican Church in Kenya from 1997 to 2002. He was also at the centre of the movement to ensure that…
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A review of Eghosa Imasuen’s Fine Boys
Book: Fine Boys Author: Eghosa Imasuen Publisher: Farafina Year of publication: 2011 Number of pages: 350 Fine Boys, published by Farafina, is the second book from Nigerian writer Eghosa Imasuen. His first book was called To Saint Patrick. His new offering tells the tale of Ewaen a medical student at the University of Benin. He…
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A review of Ciku Kimeria’s Of Goats and Poisoned Oranges
Book: Of Goats and Poisoned OrangesAuthor: Ciku KimeriaPublisher: SelfYear of publication: 2013Number of pages: 127Genre: Drama Of Goats and Poisoned Oranges is the debut novel of Kenyan writer Ciku Kimeria. The book tells the tale of a married couple Njogu, his wife Wambui, and Nyambura the mistress/side dish/mpango wa kando/small house/add your term of mistress…
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A review of Jo Alkemade’s Belonging in Africa
Book: Belonging in Africa Author: Jo Alkemade Publisher: Lesleigh Inc Publication date: 2014 Number of pages: 256 Belonging in Africa is the debut novel by Kenyan-born, USA-based Jo Alkemade and it follows the exploits of Sara a young girl of Dutch parentage who is born in Kenya in the early 1960s. Based on real-life events…
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A review of Tendai Huchu’s The Hairdresser of Harare
Book: The Hairdresser of Harare Author: Tendai Huchu Publisher: Freight Books/Weavers Press Zimbabwe Year of publication: 2013/2010 Number of pages: 236 Genre: Fiction Tendai Huchu’s debut novel The Hairdresser of Harare is the story of two main characters; Vimbai and Dumisani. Vimbai is the star hairdresser at the Khumalo Hair and Beauty Treatment Salon in…