The short stories cover a range of cringe-worthy topics: poverty, hunger, the sexual exploitation of children, war, violence, and religious persecution. It makes this American question the possibility of two places being so vastly different. Africa is the polar opposite of our developed nation. How can there be two such extremes on the same planet?
And yet, I found myself drawn to the characters in these stories. My heart longed for them to know love, security, comfort, and peace. The conversations are so true-to-life and written in the African dialect in such a way that it is impossible not to hear their very voices. This book will give you an understanding of a place that is beyond different, miles away, another continent, yet linked to us by our humanity.
Should you read this book? Should you read about a child prostitute, a boy that is fleeing for his life, two children that do not understand they are being sold, among other stories? I cannot answer that question for you. I believe it comes down to this: will you stick your head in the sand or will you force your eyes wide open? Will you let these children speak to you or will you try to escape from their reality?
* Quote from Akpan's interview with Cressida Leyshon of the New Yorker
** Image from barnesandnoble.com
