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Fiction. Literature. HTML:Uwem Akpan's stunning stories humanize the perils of poverty and violence so piercingly that few readers will feel they've ever encountered Africa so immediately. The eight-year-old narrator of "An Ex-Mas Feast" needs only enough money to buy books and pay fees in order to attend school. Even when his twelve-year-old sister takes to the streets to raise these meager funds, his dream can't be granted. Food comes first. His family lives in a street shanty in Nairobi , Kenya , but their way of both loving and taking advantage of each other strikes a universal chord. In the second of his stories published in a New Yorker special fiction issue, Akpan takes us far beyond what we thought we knew about the tribal conflict in Rwanda . The story is told by a young girl, who, with her little brother, witnesses the worst possible scenario between parents. They are asked to do the previously unimaginable in order to protect their children. This singular collection will also take the reader inside Nigeria, Benin, and Ethiopia , revealing in beautiful prose the harsh consequences for children of life in Africa. Akpan's voice is a literary miracle, rendering lives of almost unimaginable deprivation and terror into stories that are nothing short of transcendent.… (more)
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For me, the most powerful story is the last. I will forever hold the powerful images of a toddler playing in his slain mothers blood. Each story is a work of fiction, but is based on real situations that have transpired. In the Afterword, written by a pastor who knows the author, Uwem Akpan, the writer offers his belief that the publication of these stories is a bold attempt to enlighten readers about children of Africa, which in turn may create a passionate desire to create a safer place for children all over the world. After laying down this book, I know I am one of those affected people, and I thank Pastor Akpan for this powerful lesson.
Uwem Akpan was born in Ikot Akpan Eda in southern Nigeria. He was ordained as a Jesuit priest in 2003, and received his MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan in 2006. "My Parents' Bedroom", a story included in this, his first book, was one of five short stories by African writers chosen as finalists for The Caine Prize for African Writing.
In An Ex-mas Feast Jigana is waiting in a leaky shanty in Kenya for his twelve-year-old sister, Maisha, to return. She is a prostitute and the only reliable income for the family. Sniffing glue to stave off the pangs of hunger, Jigana argues with his parents that he would rather give up going to school than have Maisha move to a brothel to earn the school fees.
Fattening for Gabon is the story of ten-year-old Kotchikpa and his five-year-old sister Yewa. They are being raised by their uncle because their parents have aids. In an attempt to increase his fortunes, Uncle Fofo trades his wards for a motorcycle that he can use to illegally ferry more people across the Benin-Nigeria border. He is instructed to teach the children certain things in preparation for their journey to Gabon.
In What Language is That? a younger sibling talks about the relationship between two little girls who live across the street from one another in Ethiopia. They are best friends until sectarian violence breaks out, and their parents forbid them to speak to one another.
In Luxurious Hearses sixteen-year-old Jubril boards a bus of refugees bound for southern Nigeria. Ethnic cleansing has swept through the north, and despite considering himself a conservative Muslim, one who has willingly submitted to Sharia law, he is targeted by his friends for having Christian relatives. The bus is a microcosm of society as a whole and conflict between religions, genders roles, politics, civilian/military, and age consumes the passengers.
The last story, My Parents' Bedroom is the shortest but most devastating. Nine-year-old Monique is from a blended family. Her mother is Tutsi and her father is Hutu. One night she is told to watch her younger brother and to not open the door for anyone.
Despite their horrific nature, each story contains a moment of grace: an act of kindness that, although unable to mitigate the present, offers a glimmer of hope for the future. Sometimes a child can be saved, sometimes a person of one religion will protect a person of another religion, sometimes an adult is a safe person. But not often. And there are always consequences.
These stories are well-written and, with the exception of Luxurious Hearses which drags a bit, page-turners. I can't say I enjoyed reading this collection, but I am glad I read it.
It consists of five short stories that take place in different countries in Africa. The are all focused on children and the effect that the dire circumstances of their life affect them. The first story, “An Ex-Mas Feast” takes place in Nairobi, Kenya. It is 32 pages long. The story revolves around a ten year old boy whose family is living in extreme poverty. His older sister is twelve and is earning money as a prostitute, selling herself to Western tourists. He parents encourage this.
Next is “Fattening for Gabon,” a 134 page story about two children who are going to be sold by their uncle and taken to Gabon. We see at the beginning of the story how the children are prepared for this in a way that convinces them that this is a good thing.
“What Language is That?” is the shortest story at only 12 pages. It is about two girls in Ethiopia who are best friends until their religious differences make that impossible to continue.
“Luxurious Hearses” is 134 pages. A teen-age boy who is from a mixed Christian-Muslim marriage has to flee from the mostly Muslim north of Nigeria to the mostly Christian south. He grew up in the north and was raised Muslim. But, he was facing attack from his former friends in the north because of his Christian heritage. He travels to the south, heading to his Christian father's village, on a bus filled with Christians who are also fleeing for their own protection, and he has to hide the fact that he is Muslim from them.
“My Parents' Bedroom” is about a young girl in Rwanda, who is from a mixed Hutu-Tutsi marriage during the Hutu on Tutsi genocide that occurred there. It is another very short tale, only 30 pages.
Of course, I was already aware of how desperate the situation is for so many in Africa, due to wars and other conflicts, poverty, disease, etc. The first story of the collection was so depressing, that I almost stopped reading the book. There is no hope in any of these stories, and you will feel greatly for the characters. Nothing much good happens in their lives. The stories will deeply affect you though.
One of the longer pieces, Luxurious Hearses, is too much of a polemic. It places muslim, Christian, soldier, police, democrat and traditional chief in a bus together for a journey in the midst of cultural riots. Although told from the pov of a 16-year-old boy, it fails to create the empathy achieved in the other stories.
This is an important book. Most of us would rather not know about the individual suffering, especially the suffering of children, that takes place in Africa. But one hopes this voice will help bring about change.
“An Ex-Mas Feast”
This is the first story in the collection. We are introduced to a destitute family living in a make-shift shanty. Maisha is a 12 year old prostitute and her family encourages her “profession” in order to fund her brothers education. Maisha’s relationship with her parents is strained, and she is constantly quarrelling with them. She’s not only is the breadwinner in the home, she seems to be adult. In this story we see the destruction of the family. When Maisha decides she no longer wants to be in the home, her brother decides he no longer wants to go to school much to his parents dismay. He rather have his sister than his education.
“Fattening For Gabon”
The second story in the collection is as shocking as the first. We begin the novel learning the Uncle is trying to sell his nephew and niece. The children are forced to live with their Uncle while their parents are living with AIDS. The children are introduced to their “godparents” who they are told are paying for their parents medicine and giving them many gifts. The children enjoy the attention, and enjoy the luxurious meals at first. They are oblivious to their Uncle’s intentions, When they being to notice his unusual behaviour they being to question their godparents acts.
“What Language Is That?”
This is the third story and incredible short. Two best friends wake up one morning and are told by their parents that they can no longer speak to each other due to religious conflicts. Although, the parents are trying to protect the children we see the impact this has on them.
“Luxurious Hearses.”
Jubril is a young sixteen year old Muslim who was born to a Christian father and Muslim mother. His brother adopted the Christian faith and was eventually stoned in front of him. While the violent in his area had escalated Jubril feels he must escape. Jubril’s only hope is to escape on a bus full of Christians. He hides his right hand being cut off, his name and his Muslim ideas. He is afraid of women and television, but must try to come to terms with them on the bus.
“My Parents Bedroom”
This is the last story in the collection. This story really affected me. The children in the story have a Hutu father and a Tutsi mother. The parents are forced to choose between the tribes, this results in the children witnessing their mothers death at the hands of their father.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed the book. I’m not a huge fan of short stories and for that reason I didn’t love the book. I do recommend it, and I am happy that I read it. However, I do feel it is a little overrated because Oprah chose it as a book club choice.
One of the main reasons I love books is because it gives you a chance to be someone else. At least until you turn the last page. Part of the reason that I am as strong as I am, is because reading gives me strength. This book/audiobook, cannot be read/heard without feeling a sense of empowerment. As you've probably guessed, I really enjoyed this.
While the stories are set in a few countries, they don't try to single any one out in particular. Nor are the people all poor, uneducated and oppressed. The stories
The writing is eloquent in giving a voice to an Africa unseen by most of the world outside her borders. It made each story live beyond just facts on a page. These things were happening to people I felt close to, and cared about.
Take the plunge. Read this book. I'm sure you'll remember it long after you finish.
We read this book for a book group and although I would normally avoid short stories for such discussions, these were sufficiently similarly themed to make for an enlightening evening. The universal subject of horrors witnessed or experienced by
Personally, I thought some were better than others and had a big problem with the language in 'Fattening for Gabon'. It didn't seem to me that it was necessary to make the speach so inaccessible, we would have achieved the same, if not better, understanding with more comprehensible language.
The other story that caused me to drop a point in the star rating was 'Luxurious Hearses'; it was just too slow and drawn out.
Having said that, generally the author was spot-on in tugging at our heart strings and it was certainly a collection that will stay with me for many months. It is a wonder that children can ever recover from such horrors and it is a poor refection on us as adults that they should ever have to.
Another book that I read recently on a similar theme was The Go-Away Bird by Warren Fitzgerald, set in Rwanda, also recommended reading.
Akpan, a Jesuit priest with an MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan, piles on details available only to one intimately familiar with the lives described. Be forewarned: some of those details are gruesome to the point of causing distress, which I am sure was his intent. The imagery can range from the droll, like the description of the motorbike loaded with five people, various fruits and vegetables, a rooster and five rolls of toilet paper in "Fattening for Gabon," to the most horrific sight a child can see, a parental bloodbath, in "My Parents' Bedroom." This story ends the book and is the source of the title "Say you're one of them," the command given by a desperate Rwandan Tutsi mother to her Hutu-fathered child as machete-wielding killers approach.
Various dialects are used masterfully to both reveal characters and set scenes. The jargon, slang, and foreign phrases may be off-putting to some readers, but little meaning is lost when the dialogue is read in full context. Quite frankly, the only time many readers can bear to imagine events like those in the book is when they take place on foreign shores. We can be sickened and outraged by horrors on another continent; the same happenings across the street from where we live would paralyze us with fright. Fortunately, Akpan's familiarity with African poetry infuses much of the writing, giving the book a lyrical tone that keeps the more violent passages from slipping into slasher-movie territory.
As a person who has photographed and written about Africa extensively, I must confess I was not shocked by Akpan's stories. Unfortunately, tales like them are all too familiar to me. I was deeply moved by his dramatic intensity, however, and highly appreciative of his ability to put the reader inside the children's lives.
The first story was the
The second CD contained the story of a destitute Kenyan family living in shanty town, trying to gather presents for "X-Mas" (it was odd hearing them continually calling it "X-Mas" and never "Christmas"). This was my least favorite of the three stories.
The final CD consisted of the story of two young girls, best friends for years, torn apart by the religious differences of their parents. The third CD ends with an interview with the good-natured author.
These stories were brought to life by two narrators with authentic African accents, breathing life into the characters. As I've said before, I loved the first story, and loved the narration.
This was a quick audiobook, allowing me to listen through it in just a few hours, even though I had my attention towards the book continually interrupted by my workday. If all of the stories had been as good as the first one, this book would have been fantastic, but as it was the book was "okay". It had its moments.
The title of the book derives from the instructions given by a mother to her daughter just before the genocidal mob arrives at their house. The daughter is half Hutu(her father) and half Tutsi(her mother). As her mother tries to figure out how to escape, she wants her child protected from the mob and leaves this instruction in the hopes that that a Hutu affiliation will save them.
There is also the story of two siblings sent to live with an uncle as their parents die of AIDS. At first all is going well but suddenly their uncle seems to be flush with cash. He buys a new motorcycle and holds an elaborate party in his church to celebrate his new fortune. But this fortune comes at a price, one that the children will soon discover involves them.
There is also a story of child prostitution with one child sacrificing her body to provide money for her family and get an education for her brother. Another story documents the journey of a sixteen year old boy as he tries to flee northern Nigeria when his own people turn on him. He gets on a bus packed with mostly southerners who are themselves fleeing and hopes to join his southern family who he has never met. He tries to conceal his northern identity by remaining silent most of the time but once in a while finds himself on the verge of discovery. As he interacts and observes his fellow passengers, he realizes how lost he is in his own country. The product of an inter tribal marriage between a northerner and a southerner, he has spent most of his life in the north and has been a Muslim for most of his life. With the outbreak of religious and ethnic violence, he tries to flee the north in hopes of joining his southern family where he hopes he may be shielded from the violence.
The stories enclosed are all heart breaking. Genocide, poverty, war etc are all sad facts but when they are happening to children, they are even sadder. Many times as I read, I found myself getting annoyed at the actions taken by the main characters. But then I had to remind myself, they are children. They are acting as children ought and are naive as to certain evils in the world. They want to trust authority figures, they want to hang on to a kind face but what happens when the authorities betray you and the kind face hides a monster?
The book did tend to get long winded at times but I think that is because it is told from the perspective of children who many times will document everything both relevant and irrelevant. Also as I read, I noticed that there were a lot of African phrases, local patois and idioms thrown. I was left wondering how much a person who is unfamiliar with Africa, African speech and dialects will grasp the full meaning and importance of what is transpiring. Personally I believe that this may in fact hinder the full enjoyment of the book for someone without the aforementioned knowledge but I could be wrong.
That said, the story, "My Parents' Bedroom," would make an interesting conversation piece if you needed a short story unit.
The story that had the biggest impact on me was My Parent’s Bedroom. It’s the story of Monique, a young girl living in Rwanda with her Tutsi mother and her Hutu father. There is conflict between the two tribes, which Monique and her brother Jean don’t understand. It all comes to a horrifying ending for their family when their mother makes the ultimate sacrifice. I can’t describe the horror I felt at the end of this story.
I enjoyed Say You’re One of Them and think it’s a significant book, but I found some of the dialogue very difficult to read. I think it would have been even harder if I didn’t know some French. There were times when I had to read sentences several times to extract their meaning. Here’s an example of dialogue, chosen at random:
“My mama no be like dat,” Jubril argued. “I say I dey come. I go join una now now. Ah ah, no vex now. Come, pollow me go fark dis cows, and I go join.”
This book isn’t a fast read, but I think it’s an important one. The title of the book comes from the fact that children in Africa sometimes have to deny their identity and say they’re one of “them” (another tribe or religion) in order to survive. You will be a different person after you’ve read this book.