by Uwem Akpan
First published 2008
Eight-year-old narrator dreams of attending school in Nairobi, but his family cannot afford books and fees. His twelve-year-old sister takes to the streets trying to raise the small amount needed, yet even these modest funds remain out of reach. Food takes priority over education in their street shanty. The family loves and exploits each other in ways that feel both specifically African and universally human. In Rwanda, a young girl watches tribal conflict tear her family apart as parents face impossible choices to protect their children. Other stories move through Nigeria, Benin, and Ethiopia, following children navigating poverty and violence. Each tale reveals how deprivation and terror shape young lives across the continent. Akpan writes with clarity about circumstances that push families to unthinkable acts, finding moments of connection amid brutality.
Genres: fiction, family-life, african-literature, poverty
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, slice-of-life
Setting: Benin, Ethiopia, Nairobi, Nigeria, Rwanda
Period: 21st-century
398 pages · Library Binding · Center Point Pub
Content warnings: child-abuse