tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60866069042602969652024-03-13T17:09:46.881+01:00Mary Okeke ReviewsMary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.comBlogger280125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-44613258462189293102023-10-12T17:37:00.013+02:002023-10-12T18:24:20.843+02:00Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi *****<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhiWSDNseYI2Ri3AKgo3B-QugQxiBOu94KbVEEyHxOc2MKbd2CYujoDIn-h2csHPmv8qelGorp7o5xmSamRWBYgImC6AYCTsV8baq12rwxkwAWxEczb5o9KIY3zDSY84vjrFebEqeZtxn-cWFpZTxyikbfINzuKolSoQeOs_lOx-x64QjpTOIL4VhAag/s2339/homegoing.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1524" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhiWSDNseYI2Ri3AKgo3B-QugQxiBOu94KbVEEyHxOc2MKbd2CYujoDIn-h2csHPmv8qelGorp7o5xmSamRWBYgImC6AYCTsV8baq12rwxkwAWxEczb5o9KIY3zDSY84vjrFebEqeZtxn-cWFpZTxyikbfINzuKolSoQeOs_lOx-x64QjpTOIL4VhAag/w260-h400/homegoing.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; text-align: start;">This book tells the story of two sisters who were both born on the coast of West Africa during the Transatlantic slave trade. Effia remains in Africa, while Esi is sold into slavery. Homegoing follows their lineage down to the 5th generation. Each chapter of the novel is focused on one of their descendants, with some sort of comparison to help you understand what life is like for the people who were sold into slavery and the ones who stayed behind.</span><br style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;" /><br style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; text-align: start;">In my opinion, <span><a name='more'></a></span>Esi's family story is heartbreaking. The transatlantic slave trade was brutal, even when it was supposedly "over", the Jim Crow Law kicked in, making life even more unbearable.</span><br style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;" /><br style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; text-align: start;">Yaa Gyasi is a beautiful storyteller. Her debut novel is compelling, a page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat, even the effect of the story lingered in my body and mind for days after reading.</span><br style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;" /><br style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; text-align: start;">I highly recommend Homegoing.</span></div><p></p>Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-42969451734927559262021-04-18T22:45:00.006+02:002021-04-18T22:51:13.131+02:00African Literature in translation: Libros de Baobab<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJ-WaWpRthHPfOrZd23O8c2nCzf6Yso0SFXbanqxz_-tV8GB_mg-V8_zkBRkurFgrBIbjYruY-uDRDaTBThBXaAyyNa7zUiTqgZLZKpI3Q_fTYkeDky3foIJZSHyp7O6f5f4_sRvPM7k/s1022/5f18c9_7d0f91145f174028a4d0ee626c20a7fe_mv2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1022" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeJ-WaWpRthHPfOrZd23O8c2nCzf6Yso0SFXbanqxz_-tV8GB_mg-V8_zkBRkurFgrBIbjYruY-uDRDaTBThBXaAyyNa7zUiTqgZLZKpI3Q_fTYkeDky3foIJZSHyp7O6f5f4_sRvPM7k/s320/5f18c9_7d0f91145f174028a4d0ee626c20a7fe_mv2.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was explaining my literature blog to a good friend of mine, and I was telling her that she could be updated by following my <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryOkekeReview" target="_blank">twitter account handle.</a> She followed immediately and asked that I should follow back and I realised that I had turned off my twitter notifications. However, as I logged into my account I noticed that there was an unread message sent to me some three weeks ago. I felt terrible and I proceeded to read it at once.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The message was from my dearest blogger friend, owner of <a href="https://literafricas.com/" target="_blank">Literafrica</a> it says the following:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Hoy quiero hacerte partícipe de una gran alegría para mi. Un sueño que he podido hacer realidad. Fuiste de las primeras personas que contactó conmigo en este mundo tan extraño como es la red. Siempre recordaré aquel primer contacto que tanto me alegró y me dio fuerzas para seguir. Espero que estés bien y tu pequeño también. Te dejo con mi pequeña aventura, estoy segura de que te alegrarás también. Un abrazo. S.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Today, I want you to be part of some thing that brings me great joy. My dream come true. You were one of the first people that got in touch with me in this strange networking world. I will always remember that first time you contacted me, it gave me<span><a name='more'></a></span> so much joy and strenght to continue moving forward. I hope you and your son are well. I am leaving you with my little adventure, I am sure that you too would be happy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://literafricas.com/2021/03/25/libros-del-baobab-la-nueva-coleccion-de-literaturas-africanas-que-te-esta-esperando/" target="_blank">Libros del Baobab, la nueva colección de literaturas africanas que te está esperando</a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She has worked so hard on opening an editorial house that translates African literature to Spanish. This is great news! A big adventure indeed. It is really amazing how we can motivate people to pursue their dreams, especially dreams like this that is so beneficial to the world. The world can never be complete without Africa. We need to tell our stories ourselves and the broader the audience the better, that is why this project is so important.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Please, click <a href="https://www.librosdelasmalascompanias.com/libros-del-baobab" target="_blank">here</a> to read more about Baobab books colection.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-59779117011541084502019-10-07T12:21:00.001+02:002019-10-07T12:21:02.098+02:00Better Never than Late, 2019, Chika Unigwe *****<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtfpLKKZNoVACe5B71_Zc1N1PnylMA06Kw_STLStR9tHBOnErXGmrjHg6Xe30EdAVeO39aKPcLxV8qL4DrslAB4a5msqABAMgrC5ll2ye2fzEkjrfH4SGCbqG5c5P_JxOoEHr7lXMZ1s/s1600/Better+Never+than+late.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtfpLKKZNoVACe5B71_Zc1N1PnylMA06Kw_STLStR9tHBOnErXGmrjHg6Xe30EdAVeO39aKPcLxV8qL4DrslAB4a5msqABAMgrC5ll2ye2fzEkjrfH4SGCbqG5c5P_JxOoEHr7lXMZ1s/s400/Better+Never+than+late.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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This is a collection of short stories that narrates on the lives of Nigerian immigrants in Belgium. it consists of ten short stories somehow interconnected.</div>
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<b>The Transfiguration of Rapu</b>: How do you cope when you have to pretend you aren't the real wife because your husband is married to another person in order to legalise his situation.</div>
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<b>Finding Faith</b>: My favourite of them all, though it is a sadly engaging story of loss. How do we deal with the loss of our loved ones when we are so far away from home and immersed in a different culture?</div>
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If <b>Finding Faith</b> is sadly engaging, the story of Agu and Prosperous is enraging. Their story occupied two chapters of the novel <b>"Becoming Prosperous</b> and <b>Every One Deserves Grace</b>". After the riot that put an end to Agu's business in Jos, he decides <br />
<a name='more'></a>to leave Nigeria with Prosperous. A decision that they regret but don't know how to deal with that feeling of sadness and disappointment that keeps on pestering their relationship.</div>
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<b>Better Never than Late</b> left me in distraught, I really do not understand how a child could be abused in the name of holy deliverance.</div>
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<b>Cunny Man Die, Cunny Man Bury Am</b> and <b>Love of a Fat Woman</b> are stories that narrate on sham marriage from the victim's point of view.</div>
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<b>Cleared for Takeoff</b> is also one of my favourites, as I think it is so important to change something if we don't like it.</div>
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<b>How to Survive a Heat Wave</b> is a troubling read.</div>
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<b>Heart Is Where The Home Is</b> is a real eyeopener, the memories we have of people and places do not really correspond to reality when we've been out of touch with them for years.</div>
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I really enjoyed this novel, it is a compelling page turner that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It somehow reminds me of <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2019/06/travellers-2019-helon-habila.html" target="_blank"><i>Traveller by Helon Habila</i></a>. I highly recommend.</div>
Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-86034090184389152442019-10-02T22:24:00.001+02:002019-10-02T22:24:32.492+02:00FRIDAS DE BARCELONA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjb815LlnXGnxUpunxvzQvBBGyIsEv7otHkElNCAX9K6RB8UdB1-NLc0CeY7X5rgkCXayi_IHancyDhKiOJHusbdtds9yaFuNXW9wViUn6NcWO_1goZBCHdILzhV3CFnW_DyN8w48-f48/s1600/CARTEL+SEDE+BARCELONA+TEMA+ACTUAL+MUJERES+29+08+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1090" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjb815LlnXGnxUpunxvzQvBBGyIsEv7otHkElNCAX9K6RB8UdB1-NLc0CeY7X5rgkCXayi_IHancyDhKiOJHusbdtds9yaFuNXW9wViUn6NcWO_1goZBCHdILzhV3CFnW_DyN8w48-f48/s640/CARTEL+SEDE+BARCELONA+TEMA+ACTUAL+MUJERES+29+08+2019.jpg" width="433" /></a></div>
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OBJETIVOS DEL 1ER. CÍRCULO INTERNACIONAL DE POESÍA Y ARTE MUJERES PUÑOS</div>
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VIOLETA “MI MUNDO SURREALISTA” DE FRIDAS DE BARCELONA Y EL MUNDO:</div>
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Crear difusión a las poetas que se inician en el ámbito poético.<br /><br />Promover la poesía activista y feminista.<br /><br />Empoderar a la mujer poeta.<br /><br />Crear redes entre poetas de todo el mundo.</div>
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En virtud de lo anterior, es nuestro deseo crear un círculo energético internacional donde la prioridad sea el empoderamiento de las mujeres alzando su puño violeta en el ámbito de la poesía y el arte activista-feminista, difundiendo a través de nuestros vínculos artísticos la solidaridad y empatía, donde no existan las jerarquías o estatus de poder por trayectoria o premios, que impidan a mujeres desconocidas acceder a divulgar su poesía y arte. Un círculo donde se puedan verbalizar las ideas, emociones o sentimientos a través de la poesía y el arte por el hecho de compartir y nutrirnos para crecer como personas y artistas y con el objetivo final de enviar un mensaje al mundo sobre los derechos humanos.</div>
Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-54872878574794761042019-06-02T21:23:00.002+02:002019-06-02T21:23:47.080+02:00Travellers, 2019, Helon Habila *****<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWen3ZVx8l3-qZ7E38ezZ02K5jPNgkh3RSZaQfGMBTNEaA9SQgLzkcX2Wh_cT4wCF_ZcnLKbi8PCSnAw_4uTisEl17DtDUYkzmBZR1aU5T3-NFfpVBu7_kGz0OER1HHcXcsYAYIVAP19Q/s1600/travellers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="297" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWen3ZVx8l3-qZ7E38ezZ02K5jPNgkh3RSZaQfGMBTNEaA9SQgLzkcX2Wh_cT4wCF_ZcnLKbi8PCSnAw_4uTisEl17DtDUYkzmBZR1aU5T3-NFfpVBu7_kGz0OER1HHcXcsYAYIVAP19Q/s400/travellers.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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The main character whose name is not mentioned, leaves Nigeria to complete a phD thesis in the U.S.A, he marries an American, not the way his parents would have expected. However, one thing leads to another and he drifts around. This novel narrates on the people he meets along the way while travelling.</div>
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In Berlin, he meets Mark, deep and mystical, a Malawian student with an expired visa dodging deportation. He comes across Manu and his daughter Rachida, Libyans who survive the<br />
<a name='more'></a> trip through the Mediterranean sea without his wife and son, every Sunday in Berlin he would go to Checkpoint Charlie waiting, hoping to meet her one day. The unnamed character comes face to face with Portia, from Zambia, whoose father, a writer, decides to live in exile. They both travel to Swiss in order to enquire about the death of her brother in the hands of a Swiss woman. While returning from Swiss to Berlin on the train, he bumps into Karim from Somalia, whose story I think is the most devastating of them all, fleeing from Syria through Bulgaria with his children. The last person he encounters this time is in London, Juma, who is ready to perish from his hunger strike rather than being deported to Nigeria.</div>
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These are stories that deserve to be told and Helon Habila tells them so meaningfully with elaborated characters. Travellers is a delight for literature lovers, it is so hard to put it down once you've started, it keeps on asking to be read.</div>
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I highly recommend, it will be published on the 20th of June, please grab your copy.</div>
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Click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0241394503/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0241394503&linkId=cd9287f6e1f4dc82bff7c689e6005e1f" target="_blank">here</a> to buy your copy</h2>
Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-85698740374103410692019-04-28T20:23:00.001+02:002019-04-28T20:23:01.856+02:00Memoirs of a Woman Doctor, 2019, Nawal El Saadawi ****<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-MOi4Se3yNohTOmtWN3L2cnXEU_VWlcrx3_JhrbIDTklRoqCzk1jkGDV3OH_2qvdWWuRMsvxcSIoiqcWdLC8V9bUNQDr0ZrEVcm1PmVVyPuVLsQ9iIUjTNLr-U8l23GXHD2HfjDu7rg/s1600/44323205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-MOi4Se3yNohTOmtWN3L2cnXEU_VWlcrx3_JhrbIDTklRoqCzk1jkGDV3OH_2qvdWWuRMsvxcSIoiqcWdLC8V9bUNQDr0ZrEVcm1PmVVyPuVLsQ9iIUjTNLr-U8l23GXHD2HfjDu7rg/s400/44323205.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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Nawal El Saadawi, I wonder why she has not yet won the Nobel Literature Prize. Memoirs of a Woman Doctor narrates the story of a girl who is forced to grow up in a society dominated by men. </div>
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"because from early childhood a girl is brought up to believe that she's a body and nothing more, so her body becomes her main concern for the rest of her life, and she doesn't realise that she's got a mind as well which must be looked after and encouraged to develop"</blockquote>
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"How can a woman live alone without a man? Why is she going out? Why is she coming in? Why is she smiling? Why is she breathing? Why is she taking gulps of fresh air? Why is she looking at the moon? Why does she hold her head up and open her eyes wide? Why does she tread with confidence and <a name='more'></a>pride? Isn't she embarrassed? Doesn't she want a man to protect her?"</blockquote>
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She managed to have a voice of her own against all odds.</div>
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"I like myself as I am, and I rely on myself being as I am so I can't pretend I'm different."</blockquote>
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"There aren't many men who understand the femininity of an intelligent woman with a strong personality"</blockquote>
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Even though this novel was originally written in the 50s in Egypt, it still emphasises on the many problems women face in societies today. Nawal El Saadawi never disappoints, quite an engaging read. I highly recommend.<br />
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Thank you very much to Elizabeth Briggs from Saqui Books for sending me a copy to read and to review. I highly recommend.<br />
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<h2>
Click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0872862232/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0872862232&linkId=ca10eb162d07075e16e9a46fc07f2318" target="_blank">here</a> to get your copy</h2>
Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-30075859213887857532019-04-21T20:59:00.000+02:002019-04-21T20:59:24.706+02:00Known and Strange Things: Essays, 2016, Teju Cole ***<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBXZ1bwi9ZzdTy7gWzXpH1dqkr1tqHJ-7dlNzsxJqhAtwmqDNyiAk_obCzpXURQchYp215e18kPy2aBfsuZlThSMdwQECQ_c2NgwIkTv8X-3xvusrnC9WY47vyX6A4O9YnEs53HYOMc4/s1600/20800188_1452049768213655_8088037261161448513_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBXZ1bwi9ZzdTy7gWzXpH1dqkr1tqHJ-7dlNzsxJqhAtwmqDNyiAk_obCzpXURQchYp215e18kPy2aBfsuZlThSMdwQECQ_c2NgwIkTv8X-3xvusrnC9WY47vyX6A4O9YnEs53HYOMc4/s400/20800188_1452049768213655_8088037261161448513_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Teju Cole writes so well, Known and Strange Things is a collection of essays neatly written, divided into four sections; <b>Reading Things</b>, <b>Seeing Things, Being There and Epilogue</b> (which consists of only one essay). In total, over 50 essays.</div>
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Here goes some of my favourites:</div>
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<b>Aciman's Alibi</b>: What we missed was not just Egypt. What we missed was dreaming Europe in Egypt" - what we missed was the Egypt where we'd dreamt of Europe"</blockquote>
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<b>Guergui Pimkhassov</b>: ...Behind this dispiriting stream of empty images is what Russians call poshlost: fake emotion, unearned nostalgia. According to Nabokov, poshlost "is not only the obviously trashy but mainly the falsely important, the falsely beautiful, the falsely clever, the falsely attractive."<br />
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<b>Finders Keepers</b>: He continues expounding on photography: "Take lots of pictures..... more instantaneous pleasure, more information, and a more cosmopolitan experience of life for huge numbers of people, but also constant exposure to illusion and intimate knowledge of fakery.</blockquote>
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<b>Death in the Browser Tab</b>. But when one sees death mediated in this way, pinned down with such dramatic flair, the star is likely to be death and not the human who dies.</blockquote>
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<b>Bad Laws</b>: The historical suffering of Jewish people is real - it is in fact one of the most uncontroversially horrific instances of persecution in human experience-but it does not in any way justify the present oppression of Palestinians by Israeli Jews</blockquote>
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Teju basically and elegantly wrote about the many things that he is interested in, places he's been to, people he's met, photography, politics, and a bit about his personal life.</div>
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I must also admit that there are quite a few topics he narrated on that are not of my interest, however, I'd recommend if you are looking for interesting well written collection of essays.</div>
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Click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812989783/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0812989783&linkId=3fe05c87931750aef3379b831ce05c92" target="_blank">here</a> to buy.</h2>
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Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-68663119463683166282019-04-14T20:58:00.001+02:002019-04-14T20:58:43.324+02:00Palace of Desire (The Cairo Trilogy #2), 1957 by Naguib Mahfouz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuhyphenhyphenTFnxUlpQPeTfM4xo3tED3V1on7G4O973BowCdTQFaLARYwBWMLSSiyw5jA5CULzAiy_x3tyA6HA4iAS_utNL68Syz4X1VaozD5hLAu2YXKk4fo47gO-_crvc4h2m96yEYANySnGs/s1600/palace+of+desire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="308" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuhyphenhyphenTFnxUlpQPeTfM4xo3tED3V1on7G4O973BowCdTQFaLARYwBWMLSSiyw5jA5CULzAiy_x3tyA6HA4iAS_utNL68Syz4X1VaozD5hLAu2YXKk4fo47gO-_crvc4h2m96yEYANySnGs/s400/palace+of+desire.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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At long last I am finally done with this novel. Last two years I read the first part of the trilogy which I thoroughly enjoyed, please click <a href="https://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/04/palace-walk-cairo-trilogy-1-1956-naguib.html" target="_blank">here</a>. In Palace of desire, the family saga continues. Al-Sayyid Ahmad is done mourning the death of one of his sons who died in the first sequel, he went back to his life of alcohol and women, though he realised he has aged. He decides to keep a young mistress. </div>
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Kamal his youngest son falls in love with a<br />
<a name='more'></a> girl who ended up marring someone else, an event that chatters his heart, he tries to find consolation in one of the brothels down town, he was surprised.</div>
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Yasin, the oldest son, who constantly gets married and ends up divorce, his father is totally against his last marriage, however, he couldn't care less. There is not much to tell about Al-Sayyid Ahmad's daughters, since they were married off. His wife is pretty much silent in this sequel.</div>
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Palace of Desire is a well written novel, rich in culture and colour, it won the Nobel Prize for literature. However, I must say it dragged me along. I am just one of those people who tries to finish what they have started. I think I will even end up reading the third sequel.<br />
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Click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307947114/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0307947114&linkId=59637074d999745c00395c2841b78a3d" target="_blank">here</a> to buy.</h2>
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Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-20965729986963754752018-04-15T15:28:00.000+02:002019-03-20T22:00:35.096+01:00The Mourned One, 1975, Stanlake Samkange ***<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIQR9QVQ6lneyiMh0yApAjzpLS3-C7sEUyWPrDzMVb4bezYNGOBD0dKBx1s75VEB5vsHTxAyjW364fBPV-mVDtwt8PvvFec0zC4rRXEsFqBtKIZhO_MouAqkCV9nysJM4qcjRJX3pyEc/s1600/the+mourned+one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="413" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIQR9QVQ6lneyiMh0yApAjzpLS3-C7sEUyWPrDzMVb4bezYNGOBD0dKBx1s75VEB5vsHTxAyjW364fBPV-mVDtwt8PvvFec0zC4rRXEsFqBtKIZhO_MouAqkCV9nysJM4qcjRJX3pyEc/s400/the+mourned+one.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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The Mourned one narrates the story of a young man who is condemned for allegedly raping a white woman in Rhodesia, today's Zimbabwe.</div>
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Ndatshana is born a twin, separated from his brother after birth, saved and raised by a white missionary. Life is good until he realises he does not really belong and starts to enquire about his background, which, does not sit well with the white missionaries.</div>
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The woman he allegedly raped is his<br />
<a name='more'></a>friend and co-teacher, who resents him since he shows no inferiority complex after getting acquainted with his blackness. The circumstances surrounding the incident isn't clear enough as Ndatshana do not recall having raped his colleague as he was drunk at that time, moreover it all seems like a set up anyway, as the young man isn't behaving as it is expected from a "native".</div>
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Stanlake Samkange (1922 - 1988) was an expressive and articulate writer, this novel is more of a historical fiction, a way to document one of the many atrocities and injustice committed by the white majority rule in Rhodesia. An educational read and an add up to my <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2014/03/reading-african-writers-series.html" target="_blank">African Writers Series Challenge</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Please click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A0BAMGA/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01A0BAMGA&linkId=e33ecaa54c66f9b5c9a3859eea6369c3" target="_blank">here</a> to purchase.</span></h2>
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Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-28981096387620153902018-03-11T19:25:00.000+01:002019-03-20T22:04:05.374+01:00Dance of the Jakaranda, 2018, Peter Kimani ***<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRS7Y1U6hqpVVkimkNVArXHbiU3U8nF26977YwbDXMgfLt9BGjiCECQmlJvsrsBtpwTrDuiSIKvoUyziZTHCUWsDpuxR98GREVP4qhBaeDLkvtNivKujdogfr1oeKM0TU2xQ6t8DeY5I/s1600/dance+of+the+jakaranda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRS7Y1U6hqpVVkimkNVArXHbiU3U8nF26977YwbDXMgfLt9BGjiCECQmlJvsrsBtpwTrDuiSIKvoUyziZTHCUWsDpuxR98GREVP4qhBaeDLkvtNivKujdogfr1oeKM0TU2xQ6t8DeY5I/s400/dance+of+the+jakaranda.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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Dance of the Jakaranda narrates the story of the intertwined destinies of a white reverend, a British soldier, an Indian railway worker and a Masai king in today's Kenya before its independence from the British. A novel that questions the true identity of a Kenyan. </div>
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The story has lots of potential, however, it does not meet my expectations, A lot is going on at a time, which keeps on moving back and fort in history. I was more interested in the lives of the characters, I wanted to get to know them better, however the historical events keep on popping up, kindling my interest, although,<br />
<a name='more'></a>distracting my attention too.</div>
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Peter Kimani's writing skill is splendid, there is no doubt whatsoever he is good at this craftsmanship. However, I have always emphasised that there is a huge difference between a strong storyline and and a good writing, I must also say that very few writers are excellent at both. </div>
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Thank you to Elizabeth Briggs who sent me this book for an honest review (recently released on the 5th of March 2018). She is the editor and marketing manager at Saqi Books, Telegram, The Westbourne Press.<br />
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Please, let me know your opinion if you've read this book.<br />
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<h2>
Please click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/161775496X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=161775496X&linkId=eaabfe29f927d29564f1446a3f3aff62" target="_blank">here</a> to buy.</h2>
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Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-54347059586108596192018-02-04T21:11:00.003+01:002019-03-21T17:56:28.591+01:00Horses of God, 2010, Mahi Binebine ****<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hHzawRmkuWxtndeCumL8WlqRIlfu3ndc6TqV1m8qfaQQ2z3assK0Y1Vo3Pmhfq1Jdzvx3GLpx69xi6e47EpB4xHCOWsgK6Shv72um4JPbOP_wwbLHNm3526rMD32itrp0EsRV8R5PK4/s1600/17593965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="296" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hHzawRmkuWxtndeCumL8WlqRIlfu3ndc6TqV1m8qfaQQ2z3assK0Y1Vo3Pmhfq1Jdzvx3GLpx69xi6e47EpB4xHCOWsgK6Shv72um4JPbOP_wwbLHNm3526rMD32itrp0EsRV8R5PK4/s400/17593965.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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Horses of God tells the story of a boy who lives in abject poverty and squalor in Morocco, falls into Islamic indoctrination and is convinced to carry out a jihad. This book actually is written in remembrance of the 2003 Casablanca bombing. One of the suicide bombers from his grave narrates the story of his life and what led him to become a suicide bomber.</div>
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It is not a novel I particularly enjoyed however, I must say it is brilliantly written. An interesting read as we live in an era where there has been more often than not suicide attacks, a situation that creates<br />
<a name='more'></a>mental discomfort. This books takes you right into the lives of the jihadists where they tell you their story before their death from the beginning.</div>
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In Horses of God, the boys are marginalised, their parents couldn't care less as they've got a lot to deal with themselves. These children are easily manipulated, their young minds get tapped into and in a blink of an eye they are being convinced that others are the reason their life is meaningless.</div>
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Originally written in French, with title "Les étoiles de Sidi Moumen" it won and was nominated for many literary awards: The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award Nominee for Shortlist (2015), BTBA Best Translated Book Award Nominee for Fiction (2014), Scott Moncrieff Prize Nominee for Lulu Norman (2014), Prix du Roman Arabe (2010), Prix Littéraire Mamounia (2010)</div>
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Mahi Binebine is the first Moroccan novelist whose book I have read, I look forward to reading more from the country. My first read of 2018. </div>
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The novel has been turned into a motion picture and I'd like to see it. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/k_rq6GBSdLU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k_rq6GBSdLU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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What is your first read of the year? Have you read this novel? What other novels by Moroccan writers would you recommend?</div>
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Please click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YTVQ0P0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00YTVQ0P0&linkId=707c129f92b5db918816576315b2b601" target="_blank">here</a> to buy.</h2>
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Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-6148045621001421232018-01-21T20:24:00.002+01:002019-03-21T18:06:48.936+01:00New Release 2018What books to watch out for in 2018<br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjieA-Fy1HMnhIfSB1akC0qN3yRFe8GFK7Qj2lg_-x3N-tJiQFYKEbX0p-pdzkIaSN9pIPys4n0KJU83POnkzD_xxlwbuCTaB5CubONiOLLZ6MXp_jOVuEDNNa2yr5s9BE6iDz_qzT51hU/s320/35959168.jpg" width="212" /> </div>
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The Secrets Between Us is a sequel to <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2012/05/space-between-us-2006-by-thrity-umrigar.html" target="_blank">The Space Between Us</a> published in 2006 by Thrity Umrigar, I'd like to read. It will be published in June 2018 by Harper.</div>
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Please click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062442201/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0062442201&linkId=1b66db6d4c6912299bb323be10544efc" target="_blank">here</a> to buy</h2>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jymllSXBpv8GVQXoVjGNbyv10zF6MtVY-LkfOhX_g2YGr5AFT-UaSq_ynLyWRPUKHGGV9RrIjCtNpDeM40fb_GgZFmDQXMjVnk8H4mbj0ARp8vL3nIj2OKIZveCVpphM2hCzDw8FAUA/s320/36479936.jpg" width="213" /></div>
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The author of Nervous Condition has published again. She won The Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book in Africa 1986 with her first novel. I'd like</div>
<a name='more'></a>to read, although, I'd like to read her 2 first published novels "Nervous Condition" and "The Book of Not". This Mournable Body will be published in August by Graywolf Press.<br />
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<br />Please click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1555978126/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1555978126&linkId=86844c84e4c943da8878b29e60d1eb7e" target="_blank">here</a> to buy</h2>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknKAUb-D10eoA5SOH12-523VOTna9_QfDXTEb6XlmbcD9DT_Zm1ALVedfYqz2rNOaE8CzhYlFZz73NCqWiUJYf8PE2DVfRpA0rUOmGuAqsbA4ri_Y2XnhyphenhyphenfTHkQ8qtWtDOkOTuXBXkD8/s320/37652125.jpg" width="202" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/07/cassava-republic-press.html" target="_blank">Cassava Republic</a> has come to stay. I have never read anything by Ayesha Harruna attah, although, I'd loved to. Cassava Republic will be publishing her third novel in May 2018. It's a novel set in pre-colonial Ghana that narrates on the slave trade.<br />
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Please click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1911115510/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1911115510&linkId=17f54027aa94fd17e74bd029b481cca0" target="_blank">here</a> to buy.</h2>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSdTksXmwOnffprlQa6Pg_gQ20CI1aSFwunDfOTOyM0I1poa_ktyetZ4WMPUEs_lDmAgczYDcDIwbwvCLpBoZeYTKUYxxziHgSM1sjqy68keGEoEVuaBAX5BOZwEYvJjdDpkVCu5nYSU/s320/35458040.jpg" width="213" /> </div>
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Aminatta Forna's latest novel will be published in March 2018 by Atlantic Monthly Press. I am not sure I'll be reading. I read her novel "The Memory of Love" and it is not a novel I'd say I enjoyed.</div>
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Please click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/080212755X/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=080212755X&linkId=4a4abf3961471b678544aa289d8f3a0f" target="_blank">here</a> to buy.</h2>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPhXYTbZm2s3z4ivWZzhDlpqjLkJBxJQULzhgFaG3wHqnIkqa2Q1XLN1MHOUO3KjbulD-2nncjI2fjCQtGx00BZpp5JtW1eqWIl13DFIUpLLjwLvdcnDCarDTWGJ7Vj63kl2B8FO8y7g/s320/35180983.jpg" width="211" /> </div>
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"Speak No Evil" will be published in March 2018 by Harper. I have read Uzodinma's "<a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2016/07/beast-of-no-nation-2005-uzodinma-iweala.html" target="_blank">Beast of No Nation</a>" which I enjoyed. It seems the novel is about a boy (Nigerian) whose parents discover he is gay. I'd like to read.</div>
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Please click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061284920/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0061284920&linkId=1bc9f7583ac45d84b0ab55fd2b8e1ed8" target="_blank">here</a> to buy.</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UZnaSCirODhgIzbpUiqzVZsb8ADEXm1N7vt93k8CKVJfoWJL0BhMQLX_YRQM77_CD0btzGKsLBdQd0jnNT-9ICYNDLpQ1Ae_f3SVcgDGG1ellZeBW0JkpZfmpCvck9g8LEWzlDBgIeo/s1600/37661344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UZnaSCirODhgIzbpUiqzVZsb8ADEXm1N7vt93k8CKVJfoWJL0BhMQLX_YRQM77_CD0btzGKsLBdQd0jnNT-9ICYNDLpQ1Ae_f3SVcgDGG1ellZeBW0JkpZfmpCvck9g8LEWzlDBgIeo/s320/37661344.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's latest novel to be published by The New Press on March 2018 is Wrestling with the Devil. It's his prison Memoir. The only work by this author that I have read so far is <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/06/the-river-between-1965-ngugi-wa-thiongo.html" target="_blank">The River Between</a> published in 1965. I look forward to reading more of his works.</div>
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Please click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1620973332/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1620973332&linkId=a9e6b2337039abf0b96d88d53067b20e" target="_blank">here </a>to buy.</h2>
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Will you be reading any of the books mentioned above? What are your watch-out books in 2018?</div>
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<br />Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-82321328190291879252018-01-14T15:24:00.000+01:002019-03-21T18:08:38.430+01:002017 Book of the Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/07/dance-with-poor-mans-daughter-1997.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/07/dance-with-poor-mans-daughter-1997.html" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="305" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzmeIZeq49J4wSlS4HKXJieYtivKDkPeLgYh6Ecms8sRuKEvPfSO0PIa3L8ZrFrFVGLUZbrIYpAplgQ3QvtZQi6QSEAHKO_AUf7i6BU9NaLB5qr4L0pYACAO9Hkjhx2zv5eERanaHeg0/s400/dance+poor+man%2527s+daughter.jpg" width="256" /></a> </div>
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I read many interesting novels in 2017 however, Dance with a Poor Man's Daughter was outstanding in so many ways. A page turner, an easy read, a sad read and a hopeful story told through the eyes of a child. This book was published in 1997 and won the Commonwealth Writer's Prize for Best First Book in Africa 1998. This is a novel, I wholeheartedly recommend. </div>
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Pamela Jooste is a South African novelist. Dance with a Poor Man's Daughter is her first novel.</div>
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What was your most outstanding book read in the year 2017?</div>
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Please click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005M2A4O8/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B005M2A4O8&linkId=8cb502f72be91aabdcbc660330f32b76" target="_blank">here</a> to buy.</h2>
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<br />Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-13908484805649692012018-01-07T23:18:00.001+01:002018-01-07T23:18:58.235+01:002017 Reading Highlights<b>Read,</b> <b>Enjoyed</b> and <b>Highly Recommended</b> in <b>2017</b>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/09/the-fishermen-2015-chigozie-obioma.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/09/the-fishermen-2015-chigozie-obioma.html" border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nYVAY9H0aRm4WgWVuIRlPreFNjPFighZEv9zfi2dTUxo1MN31RauqXMRCBbRibY61LdkVFbDkehgawIRIEGj6f2ksyStSUWW8UrwCpGOiQcUNNM0K7Zu6DVxLIq7Lnp_eIj7sy2UzYQ/s200/19983682_10155377993082040_8875729068420180276_o.jpg" width="160" /></a> <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/07/dance-with-poor-mans-daughter-1997.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/07/dance-with-poor-mans-daughter-1997.html" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="305" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzmeIZeq49J4wSlS4HKXJieYtivKDkPeLgYh6Ecms8sRuKEvPfSO0PIa3L8ZrFrFVGLUZbrIYpAplgQ3QvtZQi6QSEAHKO_AUf7i6BU9NaLB5qr4L0pYACAO9Hkjhx2zv5eERanaHeg0/s200/dance+poor+man%2527s+daughter.jpg" width="128" /></a> <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/06/love-in-exile-1995-bahaa-taher.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/06/love-in-exile-1995-bahaa-taher.html" border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VysVhhlDq-Ej1VYk9MaFUKYCni_l4Nnioz1hi_B-1uDdNiT6uU_WubKsdPMQf-rkNHIPXzIM_zwPiOKugbUx2TYrXP1NpG3pyQLpd0h9HgLhfNEIyxNHeSW-eyYs92ss-EqYp6CacvU/s200/18451777_10155123852977040_2058017360892247468_o.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
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My 2017 book of the year will be announced next week.<br />
<br />Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-6433646137445774612018-01-01T14:59:00.000+01:002018-01-01T14:59:08.856+01:00Happy New Year 2018<br />
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<a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/10/when-we-speak-of-nothing-2017-olumide.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/10/when-we-speak-of-nothing-2017-olumide.html" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="285" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSRF0fVuNg_PgzLJdUIUvUtQOzRfJU6rZ1FDoJUV2Pnj-_STgl5qIbH6b2bPk1H5CogOJpoHJPfuJOW-D3amOwaMgx_fxS3r0G6uPuWshQx6jLhfAnN541JisTSntvexsZSWSm1IagY0/s200/34614389.jpg" width="120" /></a> <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/09/hausfrau-2015-jill-alexander-essbaum.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/09/hausfrau-2015-jill-alexander-essbaum.html" border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlbfVDL_WFRj9_TwH_AyCm-H2DJbz2EAEGAUei9T8yWsQAweSVNnTfCpyM9VMlP_6PXXGMdb-abfqqpWGWpTF1a6LwUiSi2AdFMnxcSU0HER-78KkN0shfnUIZMxS1xai71blDKvIR0Q/s200/hausfrau.jpg" width="130" /></a> <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/10/the-underground-railroad-2016-colson.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/10/the-underground-railroad-2016-colson.html" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB4hk9T6qe22ZW7bhUjgqc62udyZFnVltAkLXnYSiwtidiZ_t-fVi44wTLB4jhRH4kju_b35qsopSDv6VeTC-I5XVAUc6GXC3uDrs2IUWuw6ebBlt0mYOJ1V4o4IHZy-OzevNMXt2nvv8/s200/the+underground+railroad.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/11/how-to-read-air-2010-dinaw-mengestu.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/11/how-to-read-air-2010-dinaw-mengestu.html" border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRF2swKQnSJ8IbAOy_UddNMmabiK-qs6fvKMES3ktI42Ut7LQdbbUjyCaYwe5z-kS_wNs1y_Bc5dC5BNiJ4bmmqycyz55WP4XxIu0ucyAtK_TYWE6vXrnQfHZSUQiVuqZeAdp4u5aPWYU/s200/13325603.jpg" width="129" /></a> <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/12/the-boy-who-spat-in-sargrentis-eye-2014.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/12/the-boy-who-spat-in-sargrentis-eye-2014.html" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj963SIGZc8xMHGQ-EQBRHzkZ-2yFNoyF2mN647_nmx-KE3LqMU25QAihFsA9M6BE76dsFWCrCyQDkB40FUp771gGhkHPmdJ4DeGCpJXCBml3qf3BXrvIyDLqfEIdgw7okTX1Lr4PbPoKY/s200/the+boy+who+spat.jpg" width="141" /></a> <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/02/ghana-must-go-2013-taiye-selasi.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/02/ghana-must-go-2013-taiye-selasi.html" border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="260" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorRwgi4z7sqaoQjNGWxNShzfj7Iu6FMfUd8vHDkYXQ2gMm_LAAAEWb6nVXo-Scqxkor9_rz7MEzCcwyRmxUJbXz9AecmsPW3HCYT-d3lVjDkeqUMY3A0VybZOpE4lQcmkxYMhgaf-_2w/s200/ghana+must+go.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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I read 21 books in 2017, I must admit that I did not read as much I would have loved to. My readings slowed down the last trimester of 2017 due to personal reasons. At least I was able to read as much as in 2016, not less.</div>
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What about you? Have you read any of the books mentioned above or any book by any of the writers mentioned above? Please let us know or post a link to your review.</div>
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I am wishing you a prosperous reading in 2018. </div>
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Please click on image to read review.</div>
Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-80718723825190735222017-12-17T14:09:00.001+01:002019-03-21T19:20:25.842+01:00The Boy Who Spat in Sargrenti's Eye, 2014, Manu Herbstein ****<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcO18yXO9GWgxpFGejiN7RHhd-21IjqfERturKhBVnCMLa5PmvmxfFEFq6jJVblJh0U_JM5FpE5wy_veD5rtCrADhQt9gjjE3y8qSM47OiuvIbOhiSWRsJBpjJ-jdYdFqoVMC1IuXiVSw/s1600/the+boy+who+spat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcO18yXO9GWgxpFGejiN7RHhd-21IjqfERturKhBVnCMLa5PmvmxfFEFq6jJVblJh0U_JM5FpE5wy_veD5rtCrADhQt9gjjE3y8qSM47OiuvIbOhiSWRsJBpjJ-jdYdFqoVMC1IuXiVSw/s400/the+boy+who+spat.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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Manu Herbstein is a historical novelist whose novels are so well researched, <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2016/09/ama-story-of-atlantic-slave-trade-2000.html" target="_blank">Ama: A Story Of The Atlantic Slave Trade </a>is a good example.<br />
The Boy who Spat in Sargrenti's eye is the story of the invasion of today's Ghanaian territory by the British army told through the eyes of a teenage boy Kofi Gyan, in the 1800s. Villages were ransacked, villagers were hanged, maimed or sent to exile. Tons of gold were stolen and auctioned at the invaders' heart desire.</div>
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An easy read, even a book I'd <br />
<a name='more'></a>recommend to young adults, it contains illustrations that depict life and style of that time. You'd be amazed to find out how rich and advanced many African kingdoms were, you'd again be sad and angry to find out how colonialism disorientated their progress.<br />
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Quite a knowledgeable read, if you love historical fiction, this is for you. Thank you Manu for sending me a copy of your novel for review. The waiting was worth it. I recommend.<br />
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The Boy who Spat in Sargrenti's Eye is winner of a Burt Award for African Literature, awarded by CODE Canada and the Ghana Book Trust, 2013. It is also winner of the African Literature Association 2016 Book of the Year Award for Creative Writing.<br />
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Click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9988233043/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=9988233043&linkId=637d4d857269da93702fdece61663067" target="_blank">here</a> to buy.</h2>
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Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-48657298872566673272017-11-19T13:36:00.001+01:002019-03-21T20:37:38.543+01:00How to Read the Air, 2010, Dinaw Mengestu ****<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeA9gdHAsMoNXbKExtHRqPtt2UvDiLJH1tgTT4YNYJSMB_ZttWWEEQmyAAjp430EU8pYAQVz2CwsWZl4KHOhcigXAzSXnoCu-dxYI_Kb-bjPoygpCmC0YQmdXkAKSZm7dBnbrE_-K2Tq0/s1600/13325603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeA9gdHAsMoNXbKExtHRqPtt2UvDiLJH1tgTT4YNYJSMB_ZttWWEEQmyAAjp430EU8pYAQVz2CwsWZl4KHOhcigXAzSXnoCu-dxYI_Kb-bjPoygpCmC0YQmdXkAKSZm7dBnbrE_-K2Tq0/s400/13325603.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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"Like most of the men he was thirsty all the time, and he was convinced that there was something irreparably cruel about a place that put water that could not be drunk in front of you"</blockquote>
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"The ships that you see at the far end of the port are all government controlled,... They carry one of two things: food or weapons. We don't make either of them in Sudan"</blockquote>
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"I know what you want, he would shout. You want me to go back and have me dead." In the way he phrased it, death always sounded less like a condition and more like an item from a grocery list. You want me to go back and get the fish. Or You want me to go back and get more bread."</blockquote>
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Jonas trying to make sense of his existence, the broken relationship with his parents and the failed marriage to his wife Angela, has to invent a story for<br />
<a name='more'></a>himself. His father leaves his war thorn country, moves to Sudan where he lived in abject poverty. From Sudan he miraculously survives the trip to Europe, from where he finally moves to the U.S.A. His wife later joins him, by then, they have both become complete strangers. Which is to say that Jonas, the narrator, is conceived, born and brought up in an abusive family environment which affects his relationship with himself and others.</div>
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I fell in love with Dinaw Mengestu's "<a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/02/the-beautiful-things-that-heaven-bears.html" target="_blank">The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears</a>", I must say that his novels are depressingly interesting. This is a novel I recommend, however, read with patient as the narrator would drag you back and forth for a while.<br />
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Click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594485399/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1594485399&linkId=bbc5e1a780c191caa476f0452879b48e" target="_blank">here</a> to buy.</h2>
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Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-40915302280982335832017-10-22T21:27:00.001+02:002017-10-22T21:27:52.628+02:00George Braziller Inc<div style="text-align: justify;">
George Braziller Inc. is an American independent publishing house since 1955, mainly known for their publication of works by foreign authors. George Braziller was the founder, he was born on the 12th of February 1916 and passed <br />
<a name='more'></a>away on the 16th of March 2017 at the age of 101. Please click <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/business/media/george-braziller-dead-publisher.html" target="_blank">here</a> to read more about him on the New York Times and please click <a href="http://www.georgebraziller.com/home" target="_blank">here</a> to read more about his publishing house.</div>
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Books that I have read published by Goerge Braziller Inc are the ones written by Buchi Emecheta.</div>
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<a href="https://maryokekereviews.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/joys-of-motherhood-1979-by-buchi.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4z3eTOaecd4Wnz96y6lwHJLqZbG8bn_V7-AM4uTCyDYXebnzx-hBkLxrqPsxixvUQQcu6fh7_H64si2VYgFGBQRX8iaFpfXlBX_oX8q_29QP-LFW1QxUnz0LTZoNADSpsoONxiglx6qw/s320/joysofmotherhood.gif" width="208" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://maryokekereviews.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/second-class-citizen-1974-buchi.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjArZnS7HzGoH7opiPvb2GmSwgBpehwJ1QDKtAbwxZ7mcmR2cguZEm5PoZom2grhS_fh6jzll_62GALjCD43sTn9lEESOawb0Pshd1ntlLMkazrJpZnXXk-upcE9Th2bNQJ0LHWECKQOWs/s320/second+class+citizen.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://maryokekereviews.blogspot.com.es/2012/09/the-bride-price-1976-by-buchi-emecheta.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="257" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCx3JM7sN_nEETmDb7XfBBZKooaF07NJhHtp2NQlqY5Iwzi6ziuYLSnQLBrBRhypx55jK6vVZNY51sq8UhQwRuOcGfbmTtKIW35grZDHvuUnizodXEkX5jG8T4eo3xnwx_kTpMD2cN3LI/s320/TheBridePrice.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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Please click<a href="https://maryokekereviews.blogspot.com.es/search/label/George%20Braziller%20Inc" target="_blank"> here </a>to see more books I have read published by George Braziller Inc</div>
Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-83805935404764255612017-10-15T11:00:00.002+02:002019-03-21T20:39:28.803+01:00The Underground Railroad, 2016, Colson Whitehead ****<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SkbJD3OzA_XS8HX3HrgAe8MbLcZ-Gc3f608kxOsPSmdpFfUSuFTt3XyWJRgulrvtb6zhddijTNxIdw5XAEkqZqiPQ67NQh48VVCb-4yo_2jg-MNnuQxdHUr3aDK2oscJfc2pAjOewh4/s1600/the+underground+railroad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SkbJD3OzA_XS8HX3HrgAe8MbLcZ-Gc3f608kxOsPSmdpFfUSuFTt3XyWJRgulrvtb6zhddijTNxIdw5XAEkqZqiPQ67NQh48VVCb-4yo_2jg-MNnuQxdHUr3aDK2oscJfc2pAjOewh4/s400/the+underground+railroad.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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The Underground Railroad is the plightful journey to freedom of a young woman named Cora, from a plantation in Georgia, United States of America. Her grand mother, Ajarry was kidnapped from Africa and enslaved in America. Her mother Mabel was born into slavery, she supposedly abandoned Cora in search of her own freedom.</div>
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This book basically narrates the life of Cora in Randall's plantation, how she escaped, the people that helped, betrayed and hunted her. It is a novel that helps you understand the history of Africans in America.</div>
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"For we are Africans in America. Something new in the history of the world, without models for what we will become"</blockquote>
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The book is painfully interesting because I know it is a historical novel even<br />
<a name='more'></a>though the story is fictitious. However, it makes you realise and understand the fight of the African Americans, the unimaginable injustice they have experienced at the hands of their government, their being kidnapped, tortured and enslaved from the 16th till the 19th century, that is for over 400 hundred years just 200 hundred years ago. I think their story has not yet been told fully. </div>
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I enjoyed reading this novel despite the sad feelings. Even though I have read quite a few novels about Atlantic slave trade, they are each unique in their own different ways. For instance; <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2016/09/the-book-of-negroes-2007-lawrence-hill.html">The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill</a> published in 2007 would tell you how a young woman was kidnapped in West Africa and sold into slavery, however, it narrates on her life in Africa, in The Underground Railroad we know nothing about the life of Ajarry at her home town in Africa. Another novel I'd recommend is <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2016/09/ama-story-of-atlantic-slave-trade-2000.html">Ama by Manu Herbstein</a> it gives you a different perspective, how the Africans were kidnapped, enslaved and shipped to Brazil (instead of the USA). The last novel I'd recommend on this theme is <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2013/11/cry-whisper-1993-lucy-safo.html">Cry a Whisper by Lucy Safo</a>, a man is kidnapped from Africa, enslaved in America and luckily fought his way back to Africa to find out his kidnapping and enslavement was planned by someone in his household. </div>
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It goes without saying that I recommend.<br />
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<h2>
Click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345804325/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0345804325&linkId=835f5eac9c98ec8150b7d863aa82981b" target="_blank">here</a> to buy.</h2>
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Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-61253336436383385992017-10-08T12:11:00.001+02:002017-10-08T12:11:24.278+02:002017 Summer Read<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/07/you-cant-get-lost-in-cape-town-1987-zoe.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcibMCuMN5q-9k0V-Pizb4awwPIzZLYgLZprm_09jHG3QjS2H68RzYR3oMSbzrzhJt8D8aY4WMZ3ZyDad-L9osoE8ee29z34tqhb4DxH3QDT1YM6CcK_YIYLVbR5-gZ61yHoOjVqKbgAU/s320/3664674.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/10/when-we-speak-of-nothing-2017-olumide.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="285" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSRF0fVuNg_PgzLJdUIUvUtQOzRfJU6rZ1FDoJUV2Pnj-_STgl5qIbH6b2bPk1H5CogOJpoHJPfuJOW-D3amOwaMgx_fxS3r0G6uPuWshQx6jLhfAnN541JisTSntvexsZSWSm1IagY0/s320/34614389.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/09/the-fishermen-2015-chigozie-obioma.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nYVAY9H0aRm4WgWVuIRlPreFNjPFighZEv9zfi2dTUxo1MN31RauqXMRCBbRibY61LdkVFbDkehgawIRIEGj6f2ksyStSUWW8UrwCpGOiQcUNNM0K7Zu6DVxLIq7Lnp_eIj7sy2UzYQ/s320/19983682_10155377993082040_8875729068420180276_o.jpg" width="256" /></a><a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/09/cocktail-hour-under-tree-of.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOBEJZX_AHG5n2qhJIenODo1QU-UuZh8vMFQVMyBF4VavVG5lS_rVBkpsfRIYVSpw1Ffm3rj1008XLhdWi9R7tzGNop7gIq2igHEViQtMlHGypsCGBFhJG6pKEHg_a_Ucp471M3ItabA/s320/20506993_10155398853372040_548456027646416560_o.jpg" width="256" /></a><a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/09/hausfrau-2015-jill-alexander-essbaum.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Se2abRXTA9gsC89ghuo5PxyAt4lKs4o7fWt6qcZk5oZ1Lftn7ro3WJztCGeAvpNCVzniNkiF0C8jbFVYihRe_9kOHfdVTpzprVipheoa2tWZMyLZ9qjd1BMpPUa8juLr4cShB3jyw1g/s400/20645262_10155424619787040_179209378982786930_o.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="400" /></a></div>
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2017 Summer was awesome, we did<br />
<a name='more'></a> Greek Island (again). Donoussa-Astipalea-Amorgos-Santorini. If you'd like to see more pics related to my summer trip and more, please follow me on instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mary_de_queen/" target="_blank">mary_de_queen</a><br />
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I visited <a href="http://atlantisbooks.org/" target="_blank">Atlantis Books</a> in Oia Santorini and purchased:<br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCCq9awa_p5NIZuJ7Tq8LbwaT9kU2NKu-DYMpycCayN-VZXcyEhbaEZLsNtkTLocuovBJ8K8uP1fYmXK6U0sJh5Oo5ZKakhNIMfRU6yWq8l-IFvETdtNMHoUGgvP5t9Q0lt8D6xdWFKOo/s320/20800188_1452049768213655_8088037261161448513_n.jpg" width="256" /><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSplTcaycm_axVJBydrE5XBECJE-7l5M7lIAEaOEldGXfEdvT4_ETiikx-x2HtFSZRQE_PTfU54HNnWSq1zVunMFXHJHS_oDc6xn1G1A9sH8INe8LDN_8PGzMANgXliOSIP6mgECn31mY/s320/20882660_1452049648213667_8596548066770044340_n.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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Atlantis Books is a must visit in Santorini. A beautiful book shop where you can find books by different writers.<br />
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How was your 2017 Summer Read?Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-6940859394899206182017-10-01T18:59:00.001+02:002019-03-21T20:40:47.125+01:00When We Speak of Nothing, 2017, Olumide Popoola ***<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSRF0fVuNg_PgzLJdUIUvUtQOzRfJU6rZ1FDoJUV2Pnj-_STgl5qIbH6b2bPk1H5CogOJpoHJPfuJOW-D3amOwaMgx_fxS3r0G6uPuWshQx6jLhfAnN541JisTSntvexsZSWSm1IagY0/s1600/34614389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="285" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmSRF0fVuNg_PgzLJdUIUvUtQOzRfJU6rZ1FDoJUV2Pnj-_STgl5qIbH6b2bPk1H5CogOJpoHJPfuJOW-D3amOwaMgx_fxS3r0G6uPuWshQx6jLhfAnN541JisTSntvexsZSWSm1IagY0/s400/34614389.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I am not really into the "new release fever", I basically read what I can set my hands on. However, I bought "When We Speak of Nothing" by Olumide Popoola when I visited <a href="http://atlantisbooks.org/" target="_blank">Atlantis Books </a> in Santorini. I had no idea who the writer was, however, I know the publishing house <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2017/07/cassava-republic-press.html" target="_blank">Cassava Republic </a> based in Nigeria and I've been longing to read more books published by them, so, coming across this novel was an opportunity.</div>
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This book is about many things and nothing in particular. Nevertheless, it emphasizes on the life of Karl, born Carla, by a Nigerian father and British mother in England. He lives with his mother and never met his father before. After some ups and downs in his relationship with his mother, he decides to travel to Portharourt in search of his father. What arouse my interest is first and foremost, the gender identity in a Nigerian (African) literature, a topic that Olumide addresses so<br />
<a name='more'></a>well in her novel. "When We Speak of Nothing" is also about friendship, the relations between Karl and Abu, about injustice: the ecological disaster in the Niger-Delta area perpetrated by multinational oil companies in Nigeria, for more books that expound on this topic please click <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/search/label/Niger-Delta" target="_blank">here</a>. Even, more engagingly, it is a love story of when Karl meets Janoma.</div>
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Furthermore, I'd like to add that I did not enjoy this novel as much as I thought I would, I guess the reason is because of the prose, which isn't clear and concise enough, sometimes it feels like poetry, which slowed down my reading. Regardless, I find the topic narrated on thought-provoking: <i>gender identity, friendship, injustice, racism and love</i>. I'd like to read more by Olumide, this is her debut novel.<br />
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Have you read this "When We Speak of Nothing?" <br />
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Click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1911115456/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1911115456&linkId=91748323d48161a80a4df8f4c1245e55" target="_blank">here</a> to buy.</h2>
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Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-17484819586416410342017-09-24T15:55:00.002+02:002017-09-24T15:55:57.498+02:002017 Children’s Africana Book Awards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://africaaccessreview.org/childrens-africana-book-awards/childrens-africana-book-awards-25th-anniversary-dinner-2017/"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="550" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eoTIkm2cO-FpZQ3XdWVN0KZYR3wdfzAEH2NmGf8xHAn07Zk7yzMNoveiqOxMJ213vqN6qjQdCFkwab0ce4jsF0uxTFwSEh8sx3SZwkw-nB_-2iJhyM89O_haR_j02qC4SI8Un-195tY/s400/caba.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Children’s Africana Book Awards (CABA) program is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. CABA awards are presented annually to the authors and illustrators of the best children’s and young adult books on Africa available in the U.S. The awards were created by Africa Access and the Outreach Council of the African Studies Association (ASA) to encourage the publication and use of accurate, balanced children’s materials about Africa. Over the past 25 years, CABA has recognized 90 books for children and older readers.</div>
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Reviewers read 30 to 40 books a year, nominated by publishers and copyrighted in the year preceding each awards ceremony. Books must be available in English in the United States. The number of awards varies each year depending on the quality of what has been published.</div>
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In addition to honoring a total of 90 books set in 24 countries, the Africa Access’ website (<a href="http://africaaccessreview.org/">africaaccessreview.org</a>) provides scholarly reviews and criteria for evaluating books.</div>
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The 2017 CABA Winners are:<br />
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<li>Gizo-Gizo! A tale from the Zongo Lagoon (Ghana) by Emily Williamson with the students and teachers of the Hassaniyya Quranic School in Cape Coast Ghana/Sub-Saharan Publishers / available via African Books Collective</li>
<li>The Storyteller (Morocco) by Evan Turk/Atheneum</li>
<li>Amagama Enkululeko! Words for Freedom: Writing Life Under Apartheid (South Africa) Anthology/Cover2Cover/ available via African Books Collective</li>
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2017 CABA Honor Books<br />
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<li>Aluta (Ghana) by Adwoa Badoe/Groundwood Books</li>
<li>The Bitter Side of Sweet (Ivory Coast) by Tara Sullivan/Putnam</li>
<li>The Boy Who Spat in Sargrenti’s Eye (Ghana) by Manu Herbstein / self-published for international distribution via Ingram Publishing Services /Techmate in Ghana</li>
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2017 CABA Notable Book<br />
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<li>The World Beneath (South Africa) by Janice Warman/Candlewick</li>
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The authors of all seven books will receive their awards at a 25th anniversary dinner November 3, 2017, from 6:00 – 9:00 pm, at St Francis Hall, 1340 Quincy Street NE, Washington, DC. Ten previous winners are also attending the dinner, including Kathleen Wilson winner of the first CABA, five-time CABA winner E.B. Lewis and two-time winners Liz Zunon, Baba Wague Diakité and Ifeoma Onyefulu coming from the U.K. Ntshadi Mofokeng, representing the NGO Equal Education will be coming from South Africa, author Manu Herbstein will be traveling to the celebration from Ghana, Adwoa Badoe from Canada and Janice Warman from the U.K. Tickets and more information about the CABA Awards may be obtained at <a href="http://africaaccessreview.org/childrens-africana-book-awards/childrens-africana-book-awards-25th-anniversary-dinner-2017/">africaaccessreview.org</a></div>
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SAVE THE DATE, SAVE YOUR SEAT</div>
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Children’s Africana Book Awards Dinner</div>
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Friday Nov 3, 2017</div>
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St. Francis Hall 1340 Quincy St., N.E.</div>
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Washington, DC 20017 </div>
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6:00 - 9:00 p.m.</div>
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<a href="http://africaaccessreview.org/childrens-africana-book-awards/childrens-africana-book-awards-25th-anniversary-dinner-2017/"><b>Tickets Now on Sale</b></a></div>
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On Saturday, a free CABA family festival will be held at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/950+Independence+Ave+SW,+Washington,+DC+20560/@38.8879709,-77.0276899,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x89b7b79c44d0ad35:0xcbc2cb136cdc8461!8m2!3d38.8879709!4d-77.0255012">950 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC.</a> From 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. children can learn to spin a yarn and weave a story, based on tales from Ghana, Morocco and Ivory Coast. A panel of CABA authors/illustrators is featured from 11:30 – 12:30. Current and past CABA winners will be signing their books after the panel discussion. The museum is also opening its newest exhibit, Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa’s Arts. The event is free and open to the public. <a href="http://www.123contactform.com/form-2666341/123-Copy-CABA-Event-Registration-Form-2017">Registration</a> is requested.</div>
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Saturday November 4 for the CABA Festival. Free and open to the public.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Fe-RULeX7bo9dIYOtYcQckoVlniUnzpIidacGf1Ky_JYEVGRoxMdMEqk3ApQKcFhwr5z9V5oOjofAWsWSA8Oc41LddehD2lurbrAiE6e9wx87KDOqOJyUa9i-RSt4V7ofS_7uIajGsc/s1600/CABA-Festival-2017-Flyer-PRINT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="927" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Fe-RULeX7bo9dIYOtYcQckoVlniUnzpIidacGf1Ky_JYEVGRoxMdMEqk3ApQKcFhwr5z9V5oOjofAWsWSA8Oc41LddehD2lurbrAiE6e9wx87KDOqOJyUa9i-RSt4V7ofS_7uIajGsc/s640/CABA-Festival-2017-Flyer-PRINT.jpg" width="494" /></a></div>
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Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-60970029135869681952017-09-17T17:53:00.001+02:002019-03-21T20:42:11.813+01:00Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness, 2011, Alexandra Fuller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2wJkwMcp40HghDipxLPuyv9jpr9VMBEB1venvf15awu2YoqnVAHbZAd85GB7HosfD9_1ACDKkRgm854XX-QrOetQFIV6BuQXgfQjMUooM1f1oFPh-MdBYn53DkD02Ha3IhWal0OyrEE/s1600/20506993_10155398853372040_548456027646416560_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2wJkwMcp40HghDipxLPuyv9jpr9VMBEB1venvf15awu2YoqnVAHbZAd85GB7HosfD9_1ACDKkRgm854XX-QrOetQFIV6BuQXgfQjMUooM1f1oFPh-MdBYn53DkD02Ha3IhWal0OyrEE/s400/20506993_10155398853372040_548456027646416560_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I read Alexandra Fuller's "<a href="https://maryokekereviews.blogspot.com.es/2015/04/dont-lets-go-to-dogs-tonight-2001.html" target="_blank">Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight</a>" and fell in love with her writing, therefore, I decided to read Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness. A non-fiction dedicated to her mother. Her birth, how she met her husband, how she came to settle in Africa. The children she gave birth to, the ones she buried, the friends she lost and the ones she gained. Her continuous moving. How she strove to remain in the African<br />
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Alexandra Fuller is an incredible non-fiction writer, however, I must say that I did not enjoy this novel as much as I enjoyed <a href="http://www.maryokekereviews.com/2015/04/dont-lets-go-to-dogs-tonight-2001.html" target="_blank">Don't Let's Go to the Dog's Tonight. </a></div>
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I recommend Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness, however, if you haven't read anything yet from her, I'd advise you start with <i>Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight.</i></div>
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The picture above was taken by me in Astypalaia, Greek Island.<br />
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Click<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143121340/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0143121340&linkId=ca0192f698e5841f699c3128c9b8ba0a" target="_blank"> here</a> to buy.</h2>
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Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-49255772538699170262017-09-11T20:48:00.001+02:002019-03-21T20:43:27.785+01:00Hausfrau, 2015, Jill Alexander Essbaum ****<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlXfsSsmu2XRDjG-LbUSK39V3Fi_HM7nSq6nIRRZd3GQGKYn3w6R_PPlOa8zUaq_f2xc-AKWnso6kEklA6fKnNudRZlvBqmOpOf7AuZbX60fwzCCBO_AG9AsDulA6pXsBPtSWlbJcTpQ/s1600/hausfrau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGlXfsSsmu2XRDjG-LbUSK39V3Fi_HM7nSq6nIRRZd3GQGKYn3w6R_PPlOa8zUaq_f2xc-AKWnso6kEklA6fKnNudRZlvBqmOpOf7AuZbX60fwzCCBO_AG9AsDulA6pXsBPtSWlbJcTpQ/s400/hausfrau.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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I am not sure why the low ratings of this novel on Goodreads and Amazon. Is it because of the writing, which I think is not bad at all or is it because of the main character who is simply annoying?</div>
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I read this book because in one of Chimamanda's interviews on The New Yorker, <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/fiction-this-week-chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-2015-04-13" target="_blank">This Week in Fiction: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie By Willing Davidson April 6, 2015</a> When asked:</div>
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<i>The undercurrent of attraction in the story is elegant and subtle, and yet we sense by the end the interest that Okenwa has in Raphael, and it snaps the beginning of the story into place. How do you go about constructing a story such that the ending reveals something about the beginning? Are there stories or novels you particularly like that you think do this well?</i></div>
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She replied:<br />
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<i>I am drawn as a reader to stories of childhood told in an adult voice, stories full of the melancholy beauty of retrospect. I am interested in the regrets we carry from our childhoods, in the idea of “what if” and “if only.” A novel I love, “The Go-Between,” by L. P. Hartley, does this very well. </i><i>I’m also drawn to brave endings that <u>stun you and make you reconsider the beginning,</u> and I’ve just read the recent novel <b>“Hausfrau,”</b> which does that very well. I think of Okenwa’s attraction to Raphael as a certain kind of first love, childhood first love, that early confusing emotional pull, that thing filled with an exquisite uncertainty because it does not know itself and cannot even name itself.</i></div>
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I decided to read Hausfrau after reading her interview, the truth is that the ending of this novel is neither brave nor stunning nor does it make me reconsider the beginning. Anna is annoying from the very beginning, so I am not amazed the way she ends up. I do not understand why Adichie says that the ending of this novel is brave, there is absolutely nothing brave about it. One of the reasons why I enjoyed this novel is because I am a psychology student and I somewhat find it interesting being in the head of an emotional depressed person and present during their psychoanalysis sessions which I think Essbaum captures so well.</div>
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Hausfrau is the German word for "Housewife", Anna is an American woman who moves to Switzerland with her Swiss husband, refuses to integrate in their culture. She does not even have a bank account, she simply lives on the margins of society. She losses her sense of being and only finds comfort in sexual encounters with strangers.</div>
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It's a novel I enjoyed. Adults only.<br />
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Click<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K14YABY/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01K14YABY&linkId=916ae3dde506819e156e41a282373de1" target="_blank"> here </a>to buy.</h2>
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Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6086606904260296965.post-6969396520319727722017-09-03T12:54:00.001+02:002019-03-21T20:45:19.262+01:00The Fishermen, 2015, Chigozie Obioma ****<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1M0qIMs5GBbrgiCB-2Va6mQuvaBNPiRiPbxUGfvw9PJCVpF2rn6GHX-EKqkeW5KBjolQ-ZCEOEYHfaGpI0_VbdYeQE5CVlC6UbWIG5h53A5levDn9NhHyEqLX-fp7c7et0cEIMiR1jmA/s1600/19983682_10155377993082040_8875729068420180276_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1M0qIMs5GBbrgiCB-2Va6mQuvaBNPiRiPbxUGfvw9PJCVpF2rn6GHX-EKqkeW5KBjolQ-ZCEOEYHfaGpI0_VbdYeQE5CVlC6UbWIG5h53A5levDn9NhHyEqLX-fp7c7et0cEIMiR1jmA/s400/19983682_10155377993082040_8875729068420180276_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I met Chigozie Obioma in person when he was invited to Barcelona for his book promotion in Spanish and Catalan. I haven't read his book then, we took a picture together and I found his speech, questions and answers interesting. Click <a href="https://maryokekereviews.blogspot.com.es/2016/07/spring-read-2016.html#more" target="_blank">here</a> for more info regarding his visit to my city.<br />
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Chigozie is a stellar storyteller and writer, another talented novelist full of promises from Nigeria,"The Fishermen" is only his debut novel, in spite of its accolades, I<br />
<a name='more'></a>think he's got more in store for us. The novel is a tragic and a hopeful read, a kind of allegory of family structures in Nigeria, in my opinion.<br />
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A man who is the bread winner of his family, left his wife alone with their six children and moves to a different city for work. As it is expected, things fall apart. A child is already lots of work for one parent alone, imagine six. Ikenna, the eldest, believes that one of his siblings would kill him because a mad man says so, an incident which unleashes a series of shocking events. If their father were present, he would have been able to instill some sensibility in his children.<br />
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I am not sure why I did not enjoy this novel as much as I expected. My expectation was so high, I guess it killed the joy. For instance, Chigozie's next book will be published in 2019 "An Orchestra of Minorities" and I am wondering why is it announced in 2017? Situation like this keeps one's expectations high. Nevertheless, "The Fishermen" is an interesting novel that I recommend, the author is one I'd like to follow closely.</div>
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The picture above was taken by me in Donousa, Greek Island.<br />
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I have two copies of this book, I will be giving one away from my blog. Those who visit often and leave their comments are more likely to win a copy. Remember to follow on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryOkekeReview" target="_blank">@MaryOkekeReview</a> and on Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MaryOkekeReviews" target="_blank">@MaryOkekeReviews</a> for updates.<br />
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Click <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316338354/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=maryokeke-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0316338354&linkId=0b53879f16721464538c3658b0494793" target="_blank">here</a> to buy.</h2>
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Mary Okeke Reviewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093194142479071407noreply@blogger.com2