dramadaze226's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
diamondhope's review against another edition
5.0
A reread but I still love this as much as I did when I first read it.
appletonkelli's review against another edition
3.0
Voice of America is a collection of one chapter stories about Nigerians. Some of the stories are uplifting and joyful, some are heartbreaking. All the stories are thought provoking.
extemporalli's review against another edition
4.0
Really good stark debut collection. Osondu's fiction is funny, brash, misanthropist, and... sad. Voice of America is an ironic title as he switches between narratives about Nigerian society and the specific ways that society is harsh and punishing, and Nigerian diaspora in America. Hugely worth a read for those interested in contemporary fiction about Nigeria beyond Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Not quite The voice, but certainly a voice of Nigeria.
tonireads's review against another edition
4.0
I am fully on board the short story train now. There have been so many stellar collections in the past few years. This one actually came out last November and I finally dug it out of the "to be read" pile. I'll actually post pictures of that pile one day.
Osondu's stories are set in Nigeria and the U.S. and focus mainly on the hopes and dreams of the Nigerian people. Young boys living in a refugee camp dreaming of being adopted and living abroad. A young man sent to study in America by the hard work of his family, only to return disgraced. A woman so desparate to have a child that she returns to Nigeria and allows her mother-in-law to take her to a healer. My favorite is "A Letter From Home", where a mother gently prods her son to send money home and remember his roots and not marry a White woman.
In an age where all we hear about Nigeria is corruption and scams, this is beautiful insight into its people, their culture, and their motivations.
Osondu's stories are set in Nigeria and the U.S. and focus mainly on the hopes and dreams of the Nigerian people. Young boys living in a refugee camp dreaming of being adopted and living abroad. A young man sent to study in America by the hard work of his family, only to return disgraced. A woman so desparate to have a child that she returns to Nigeria and allows her mother-in-law to take her to a healer. My favorite is "A Letter From Home", where a mother gently prods her son to send money home and remember his roots and not marry a White woman.
In an age where all we hear about Nigeria is corruption and scams, this is beautiful insight into its people, their culture, and their motivations.
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