About this title: From a portrait of a family living together in a makeshift shanty in urban Kenya to a Rwandan girl's account of her family's struggles to maintain normalcy amid unspeakable horrors, each of the short stories in this collection is a testament to the wisdom and resilience of children.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Format: Audio CD
Label: Hachette Audio
Date: 2009
UPC:1607883414
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Edition: First Edition; Third Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780316086363ISBN:0316086363
Description: Fine in Fine dust jacket. 9780316086363. Stated first edition, third printing with "3" in numberline. Free of former owner writing, bookplates or remainder marks. Fine, non price clipped dust jacket. Uncommon book and now Oprah's newest book club selection (first state without any Oprah ref. Third printing was issued before club selection, same as first printing in all respects including original $23.99 price on front DJ flap; just lacks the "1" on copyright page).; 8vo. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: LITTLE, BROWN BOOK GROUP Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780349120645ISBN:0349120641
Description: BRAND NEW PAPERBACK. 304 pages. A powerful and vivid debut collection describing the plight of children caught up in difficult and often harrowing situations throughout the continent of africa. map (Paperback) read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780316086363ISBN:0316086363
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Description: Fair. Purchasing this book supports the King County Library System Foundation. Thriftbooks and KCLSF have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Edition: First edition. Advanced Reading Copy. First Printing
Binding: Wraps
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780316113786ISBN:0316113786
Description: New. No dust jacket as issued. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 358 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. Rare Advanced Reading Copy. True first printing. Softcover with french flaps. New and unopened. Ships in a box. read more
Edition: First Edition, First Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company, New York
Date Published: 2008
Description: Fine in a Fine dustjacket. Brown boards. The spine is stamped in gilt. Octavo. Brown endpapers. 358pps. An excellent, collector's-quality copy: clean, tight, square, and bright. All tips are sharp. Yet to be read. The dustjacket, glossy in a mylar sleeve, is also as new; the original price is intact. "...Uwem Akpan's first published short story, 'An Ex-mas Feast, ' appeared in The New Yorker's Debut Fiction issue in 2005. The story's portrait of a family living together in a makeshift shanty in ... read more
Description: Fine; Collectible. 2008 Little Brown-UNCRECTED PRUF-1st edition 1st printing-mark on page edge-otherwise a brand new clean fine collectible-enjoy. read more
Description: Fine; Collectible. 2008 Little Brown-UNCRECTED PRUF-1st edition 1st printing-mark on page edge-otherwise a brand new clean fine collectible-enjoy. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780349120645ISBN:0349120641
Description: New. A powerful and vivid debut collection describing the plight of children caught up in difficult and often harrowing situations throughout the continent of Africa. read more
Description: New. 0316086371 *NEW BOOK! * RETURNS ARE NO PROBLEM! We LOVE happy customers. All our orders sent with tracking information. ALIBRIS. read more
Description: New. 0316113956 *NEW BOOK! * RETURNS ARE NO PROBLEM! We LOVE happy customers. All our orders sent with tracking information. ALIBRIS. read more
"This book was painful to read, not because it didn't capture my interest or the prose, but it was like seeing two buses on a collision course and anticipating the inevitable twist of metal and gruesome breaking of bodies. This is one of the many reasons I don't read "Oprah" books, because they always drag you through the mud to make an impression. However, I must attribute these stories to making me think more about the newsclips I hear or read and to put faces and life stories to the people involved. We know war-torn places in Africa embody tragedy and suffering that I cannot understand or empathize. I admit that while I appreciate the plight of a people, I don't appreciate the plight of persons. I'm better able to conjure the feelings I had while reading these stories.
There were two main themes running through my mind reading these stories. First, religion is the root of the violence depicted here. This only bolsters my support that religion, particularly when unquestioned my most of its adherents, can be used to justify anything, including the most inhumane atrocities people inflict on other people. It provided a fictional account of how religion or faith as the primary source for basing decisions in one's life, as opposed to logic or faithless humanism, leads people to practices that are contrary to their beliefs (eg non-Christian Christians). A second theme was that these children are always paying for the sins of their parents, particularly when the sin is being of one religion/faith or another. I think the author was clever in choosing children as a vector for delivering these stories; they impart a sense of innocence make it easier to evaluate the world the author creates with a more objective view."
"I am between two and three stars on this book. What I liked: the stories, all set from the point of view of a child, offer unusual insight to a subject (subjects) I know very little about. In this sense it is almost as if a reader with little knowledge is at the same level of understanding as the narrators. There were many beutifully written scenes, sentences, paragraphs. Detailed descriptions that plant a picture in my mind clearly and vibrantly.
What I didnt like: Even from a child's point of view, I sometimes felt like a moron. I didnt know what was going on half of the time, and I suspect that this is due to the dialect in which much of the dialogue is written. After googling a few lines (yes, i wanted to clarify what I was reading) I discovered that it is a slang language called Pidgen. Fair enough, but readers who are unfamiliar with this way of speaking are only able to guess (or google) at times what is going on. And I had a bit of trouble getting through the story "luxurious Hearses". The political and religious details were easy enough to understand, but I suppose I had trouble identifying who was on who's side, since all the characters seemed to be at different times on both. And i had to wonder why it was that the 'child's" point of view seemed to have much more understanding and insight than many of the adult passengers on this bus......maybe I just dont fully understand the content. I found the sotry much too long and without enough action. And I am by no means an action junkie. I did enjoy Jubril's flashbacks, which felt like an actual story rather than listening to a bunch of people talk on and on and get nowhere. My Parent's Bedroom was by far the most gruesome story. And yet, without the "pidgen" it was the easiest for me to relate to. It deals the most with absolute fear. I don't know anyone who couldn't relate to such a thing.
Overall, i was saddened by the scenes depicted. The lives these children and families lead are nothing I would want to find myself immersed in, yet I acknowledge that it is a very real lifestyle for millions of people in Africa. I wish I knew more about what we were dealing with before I read the book. An Xmas feast was simple, short and saddening. Fattening for Gabon was much too long and revealing. It was heartbreaking and thoroughly confusing in moments. What Language is that? Simple. Easy. Sad, but nothing we haven't seen before. Felt like a short story from high school english. All about the message and theme, not at al about the story. Luxurious Hearses. There was a lot I liked of this story and a lot I didnt. Some of the characters frustrated me and I couldn't help but think at times, no wonder your life is the way it is. At other times, though, Jubril's innocence (emotionally) was something to help warm the reader up. The ending was blunt and savage but seemed to be symbolic of the quick and easy way violence is accepted and runs rampant in these countries. My Parent's Bedroom: Gruesome. Alarming, frightening and sad. Detailed imagery of things I never wanted to see."
"All 5 stories in the book were written in the voice of a child in the story. In some of the stories, the vernacular speech was very hard to follow.
I found the first story very sad; a family trying to stay together. The mother, pick-pocket father, the 12 year old sister who turns to prostitution to help send her younger brother to school, and a few other siblings and their lot in life.
The second, third and fourth depend on your interest in the subject of violence against children in Africa and how much you may have already read about this -- These three weren't as compelling as the first and last stories for me.
The last story, "My Parent's Bedroom", about the violence between the Tutsi and Hutu, was extremely horrifying and sad.
I don't really know whether to recommend this book or not. I don't think the writing is exactly top-notch, but on the other hand, the writing in some of the stories is quite good. The book is sad and horrifying at turns - to some it could be very depressing, to others very educational. It is an emotional book to read."
"What I liked: That he talked about gov't aid and how it is viewed by native countries, and i think paints a great picture of how it can do more HARM than good!
The stories seemed to be an echo chamber of not, these are our stories, listen. more of a: We are flat suffering characters....
I did not like this book. I read a couple of the pages, and just couldn't get into it. The use of colloquial language is out of wack and doesn't make sense
I found the character depth to be sub par, the scenes sensationalized and shock... and the dialogue to be obnoxious.
I think Akpan is doing more harm than good... we have these stories. we know the children are suffering. how does he add to the canon? I don't think he does.
Now hear me out; not because he is speaking out on the horrors and plight of these children. That is necessary. I don't believe him.
give me edwidge danticat. elie wiesel.
... of course people won't admit it; but they will say that it was good anyway, because it was about the plight of african children. i would assert, that is true to an extent. being that akpan decided to publish this work, he should've took the responsibility for greater quality."
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