Say You're One of Them
by Uwem Akpan
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Book Reviews of Say You're One of Them
Book Review: Brilliant
Summary: 5 Stars
The cover photo of Uwem Akpan's brilliant collection of stories is of an African girl running down a dirt road, ostensibly from any number of the evils African children confront within the book's covers. Her dress looks remarkably like what an orphaned girl was wearing in a rural Kenyan village I visited several months ago, so perhaps the characters in these exceptional portraits are all the more real to me as a result. Whatever the reason, through his child's view narration of poverty, trafficking, genocide, and other horrors of modern Africa, the characters in these stories haunt me for days, especially the two Nigerian children in "Fattening for Gabon."
All of these stories have political and moral implications, but Akpan leaves those to the reader, focusing instead on the interaction of the characters with their circumstances. Read this book to understand, in some small part, the resilience of people throughout the African continent in the face of unspeakable tragedy and personal suffering. These are, quite simply, the most extraordinary stories I have ever read.
Book Review: This book commands you to think....
Summary: 5 Stars
Say You're One of Them, by Uwem Akpan, forced me to think... outside of my country's borders; outside of what political propaganda trickles down through the media; outside of my own reality. It wasn't unusual for me to dread turning a page to see what lay ahead, yet I was compelled to turn the pages... to see what lay ahead. This book left me wanting to know more about the children of Africa; wanting to know more about how political strife and brutal violence break these children without discretion or mercy; wanting to know more about the struggle to survive amidst differing religions, from the threat of religious fanatics, to native religious practices, to religious intolerance and it's affect on families of mixed faith, all living in the same neighborhood. I'm not much of a fiction reader, but I can honestly say I didn't want this book to end. Author Uwem Akpan has given a voice to the neglected children of Africa. May God's favor continue to light his path.Book Review: Dark tales, from the Dark Continent
Summary: 4 Stars
These stories of central Africa took me to places I didn't know existed, and didn't want to think could exist.In these stories, children endure the brunt of the worst kinds of human misery. With their hungry bellies and their quiet dignity, they also bear witness, as though they are standing in for us, the unknowing and naive, taking inventory of the horrors of ethnic wars and their relentless, unassailable poverty.The adults in the story who haven't gone mad with hatred, drugs, greed and fear, are simply gone. There is a kind of authenticity to these stories, and a moral tone that nudges the reader toward compassion, and beyond that, the kind of outrage that makes it feel imperative to do something, large or small, to change these children's lives. Its an unflinching, brave collection, and it will rightly disturb.Book Review: Beyond Genius...Tales of Stolen Childhoods
Summary: 5 Stars
wow. this book is AMAZING. it's a masterpiece: the plot, the style, the words are simply genius. the way akpan describes these stories is incredible! yes, the book makes you think, yes it's eye-opening, but even more than that, it touches you as a fellow human being. as a reader, i felt connected to the characters. as an african, i understood their hardships. as a nigerian, i praise this author! this book is wonderful on SOO many levels. akpan delicately portrays childhood innocence and how that innocence is artfully stolen. an EXCELLENT read. the stories are splattered with words from the various vernacular dialects, so if you're not african are aren't familiar with african dialects, you'll have to work to understand it. but, it's worth the effort!!! i'm looking forward to reading from this author again.Book Review: Get out of your comfort zone
Summary: 5 Stars
The book was a gift to me because I work in third world countries and the giver felt I would like it. For me the stories were similar to what we have seen and been around so they are not something new to me. But I still appreciate the book and feel each of the short stories are stories people should read. Especially Americans.
Did appreciate the fact it's an international style book. Are some of the words, names etc hard to pronounce for the 'average' American who hasn't traveled much and are more used to American reality tv shows and other junk media, yes. So what?
For the 'average' American who needs to know more about the world around them, its a must read!!! Alas if you prefer junk books like you enjoy junk food, you probably wont care for the book.