Great African Reads discussion

Hi guys, Welcome to your May read! I'll be back with some background info but wanted to get the thread set up. :)

Marieke, could you put the title of the book on these Contemporary Lit threads? I have a hard time remembering which is which.

Yes, I can absolutely put the title. Sorry about that.

I add the image of the book when i set up the threads, but i didn't realize it doesn't show up in all places. I added the title and will do so from now on.

Thanks!

I found this as an audio version on audible, yay! I'll actually get around to "reading" one of our books for a change. :D

I'm almost finished now, hoping to finish it later today. Really quite enjoying it... Has anybody else read / is reading it?

I read it last year. And I did enjoy it. I think there are lots of themes to discuss. :)

I am a little behind but will be able to pick book up at library early next week - then my plan is to read before the end of month.

It's a fast read, Beverly. Once you start, you'll be reading quickly. It's well-paced and interesting.

Read, loved, looking forward to the discussion. This is my first book that I am reading with you folks, so I'll let someone else get started.

Isabel wrote: "Read, loved, looking forward to the discussion. This is my first book that I am reading with you folks, so I'll let someone else get started."

Hi Isabel!

We are really casual here, so feel free to share your thoughts whenever you are ready, especially now that the month is almost over, I don't think we need to worry about spoilers too much.

I read this last year and it made me want to go to Nigeria. I really liked that she went to a lot of different areas. I also enjoyed how she shared her thoughts about her father's legacy. Another thing that was especially interesting to me was what she wrote about the history of the mid-Atlantic slave trade, and that generally speaking, this is not a part of the average Nigerian's ancestry.

Just finished reading it today and happened to see that it was the book to read for this month!

I'll paste in what I wrote for my personal review:

At first I wasn't so sure about Looking for Transwonderland... Noo Saro-Wiwa's conflicted relationship with the country made me feel earlier on somewhat uncomfortable with her commentary, but as I got further into the book I did feel like I was on the journey with her as her hesitations, fears and frustrations were addressed and answered - in part. She does an excellent job of painting a realistic picture of Nigeria with all it's flaws and glory. There is also some interesting cultural and political analysis that gives further insight into the character of Nigeria as well as great revelations about Nigeria's rich history. One book is never going to be enough to do such a vast and varied country justice, but this is a great introduction to Nigeria - it is not patronising, it is not pessimistic, it's honest and insightful, and very well written. The personal anecdotes make a great dynamic that is both touching, illuminating and just brings further character to Noo's journey. It is also well-researched, so there's a balance between the personal, the political, the historical and the now.

On another note, as British-Nigerian, it was fascinating to read about other parts of Nigeria that I don't know about because I don't have family living there. Generally speaking there is a habit to stick to the most obvious places that are relevant to your ethnic heritage, especially if you are Yoruba (I think) because Lagos is where everything happens. But reading about Cross River State, and more northern parts of Nigeria and other ethnic tribes that I never knew existed (!) has made me appreciate Nigeria more as gathering of so many ethnic tribes. Like Noo says at one point: "It's an achievement when 15 million people across 250 ethnic groups can live together relatively harmoniously..."

Jendella wrote: "Just finished reading it today and happened to see that it was the book to read for this month!

I'll paste in what I wrote for my personal review:

At first I wasn't so sure about Looking for Tran..."

I also just finished this book and agree with your comments. Very enjoyable read!

I have been looking forward to reading this book for a little while so was glad when it was chosen as BOM.

My thoughts:
• I really enjoyed this book – it is part travelogue, part memoir, part history lesson, part commentary written in an engaging thoughtful informative manner.
• I have read several books on Nigeria but most of the books concentrated on one region or a specific conflict regarding a specific event or a specific ethnic group. But this book gave me a great introduction to Nigeria as a whole and as separate regions – it open up my eyes on how much more I have to learn.
• I especially liked how the author sought out historical sites in each of the places she visited – also providing the history of the place. It was heartbreaking to read about the historical sites being neglected and/or the valuable artifacts that exist outside of Nigeria
• Sometimes you have to be away from a situation to fully comprehend the situation and I thought the author wrote with honesty and compassion on what she observed and what the future potential could be.
• One of the interesting commentaries throughout the book dealt with corruption and the government – and how most of the people see spoke to in Nigeria had the same attitude about it - but in contradiction the author mentions that she could leave her bags in an open truck, etc and they would not be stolen – that corruption/stealing did not extend to that everyday individual level.
• This book will enhance my future reading of stories set in Nigeria as I have better overview of the landscape and the connection between the regions.
• The only thing is I wish that a map with the cities was included – but this is just a nitpick thing with me as I am visual and like to understand where places are relative to others – so I just looked at a map of Nigeria every time the author moved to another place.

Jendella, I loved hearing your thoughts as someone with a real connection to Nigeria. It's been awhile since I read this book, but I do recall thinking about how little of the U.S. I've seen...I almost always go to the same places, where family is! But a lot of my family is now dispersed all around the country but I have yet to visit them and see more of my own country.

I really enjoyed this book. I feel like I know so much about Nigeria. If I ever make it to Nigeria I am welll versed. First stop Jazzhole! Great selection, def more than a travelogue

Mal wrote: "I really enjoyed this book. I feel like I know so much about Nigeria. If I ever make it to Nigeria I am welll versed. First stop Jazzhole! Great selection, def more than a travelogue"
I am glad you did.

Looking for Transwonderland has been short-listed for DOLMAN TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2013

http://dolmanprize.wordpress.com/dolm...