Great African Reads discussion

Here are a few ideas for 4 categories:

Debut novel: Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi; Another Woman's Daughter by Fiona Sussman (South Africa)(not an author of color); Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta (Nigeria); Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe); The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu (Zimbabwe)

Travel Memoir:The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca by Tahir Shah (Morocco)

Published between 1900 and 1950: Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt; first published in 1947); Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton (South Africa - not an author of color)

All POV characters are people of color: Lots of choices, but for something lighter you might want to consider a book in Kwei Quartey's Darko Dawson crime/mystery/thriller series set in Ghana. #1 is Wife of the Gods: A Novel.

Mona wrote: "I am doing the Book Riot Read Harder reading challenge for 2017... I would love to read your thoughts on great African reads that would fit for the following: "

Hi Mona - Nice challenge, I'll have to have a look at that myself :)
Here are some suggestions - beware that I tend to allow room for interpretation with regards to challenges, so they may not all be spot on, but I'll add comments...

-LGBTQ+ romance novel The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu
While it's not traditional romance novel, there is an LGBTQ+ theme, and romance (and it's a great book!)

-Debut novel
Check out some of these ladies' first works: https://aalbc.com/authors/25_African_...

-Published by a micropress
Try checking out the Authors & selfpromotion discussions in this group, there are African authors here, and I'd guess some of them might be on a micropress?

-Travel memoir
The Shadow of Imana by Véronique Tadjo
Not the happy-go-lucky type: She was part of a programme sending 10 authors to Rwanda 10 years after the genocide. It's short, her style is poetic, and it's absolutely bearable even though it's the story of people trying to live after atrocities have been a daily occurrence. I liked it quite a lot.

-Set in Central/South America, written by a Central/South American author
Not one, but a bunch of them: Water: New Short Story Fiction from Africa: An Anthology from Short Story Day Africa a great collection of new short stories mostly from southern Africa. Very interesting and diverse.

-All point-of-view characters are people of color
I think most of these new works would fit the bill: http://lithub.com/25-new-books-by-afr...
...or use this as an excuse to read Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, it's awesome!

Published between 1900 and 1950: Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz; Batouala by René Maran; Chaka by Thomas Mofolo; The Stranger by Albert Camus; The Plague by Albert Camus; The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles; The Grass is Singing by Doris Lessing.

Book about books: The Last Summer of Reason by Tahar Djaout

Poetry: Jack Mapanje has written a lot of poetry that is not about love, such as The Chattering Wagtails of Mikuyu Prison and Of Chameleons and Gods.

Travel memoir: Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town; The Lower River.

For a travel memoir, I loved this book:

Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria by Noo Saro-Wiwa

For African romance writers I like Kiru Taye.

She has written a bunch of romance books - contemporary. historical, etc.

Here is another source:
https://rwowa.wordpress.com/

For LGBTQ + romance

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

Not sure if this is a micro press:

https://www.cassavarepublic.biz/pages...

I can recommend these two books by them.
Easy Motion Tourist by Leye Adenle
Season of Crimson Blossoms

Beverly wrote: "For a travel memoir, I loved this book:

Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria by Noo Saro-Wiwa"

I too thought it was wonderful and very amusing

-Book in which a character of color goes on a spiritual journey
Judith Gleason, Agotime, Her Legend, 1970

-All point-of-view characters are people of color
With apologies for self-promotion, 5 of my 6 books:
https://www.amazon.com/Manu-Herbstein...