cleffert's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
claudia2945's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book of short stories about the stark realities of some children's lives in Africa. Poverty, child trafficking, revolution and genocide are among the themes addressed. The plots are based on the grim realities the children face. The writing is beautiful and evocative, but the tension is almost unbearable at times. I think part of the pain of reading about these children's experiences comes from the skill with which the author brings them alive as real children.
This is a challenging read, some of the dialogue is written in a pidgin dialect. You can get the gist if you stick with it.
This is a challenging read, some of the dialogue is written in a pidgin dialect. You can get the gist if you stick with it.
lauferr's review against another edition
I only liked the story "Fattening for Gabon". The other two were too slow and I gave up on the last story.
gladiolus17's review
Wasn’t in the mood to read this. It might do better to read it with my eyes.
mags017's review against another edition
3.5
This is a tough book to read, certainly. The content of the five short stories is heavy, but it captures the lives experiences of so many. The audiobook helped bring life to the stories, too
sandeestarlite's review against another edition
3.0
A glimpse of life set in the poorest Africa. Amazing the difficulties much of the world faces.
smallison's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
bibliophilelinda's review against another edition
5.0
This is a powerful collection of five short stories told through the voices African children. Beautifully written, haunting and totally unforgettable, "Say You're One of Them" is a profoundingly moving piece of art that is at once sad, chilling and highly emotionally charged. The first story, "An Ex-Mas Feast", shows a glimpse in the life of a poor young boys' family whose older sister engages in prostitution in order to feed the family and raise enough money to send him to school. The second story, "Fattening for Gabon", details the plight of a brother and sister who are sold to human traffickers by their own uncle. The third story, "What Language is That?", is about two best friends who are told not to play with one another because of religious differences. The fourth story, "Luxurious Hearses", chronicles a young Nigerian's flight to his family living in the south in hopes of escaping the religious animosities of the north. Unfortunately, the bus on which he flees is filled with its own religious intolerances. And, lastly, the fifth, and for me the most powerful of all the stories, "My Parent's Bedroom", is the heartbreakingly sad tale of a mixed Hutu and Tutsis family that is attacked by an angry mob. I admit I cried reading the last piece though it is one of the shorter stories. For readers living in the developed countries, we occasionally hear about the atrocities occurring in foreign countries. And while we often feel sadness at the senselessness, the human factor gets lost amongst the numbers and politics and religious overshadowing and media circuses created by these not uncommon events. In this collection, Akpan reminds you of the human factor by pulling you slowly into each story with one hand, then grabbing your heart with the other.
elsiebrady's review against another edition
3.0
Rather depressing! It's difficult to imagine that people, particularly children, have to live in these conditions.