Africa

by charlieranter 1 comments

2018.This is the year I have intentionally committed to reading specifically works by African writers (of African descent), about Africans, living in Africa, and the diaspora. I am (not so much but I'm getting back to it) an avid reader and if I was to pick a genre, though I tell myself my preferences are genreless, I lean towards Classical English Literature; Jane Austen is on my list of faves, as well as the likes of Shakespeare and Dickens. For a long time I haven't really been drawn to works from this decade, leave alone this continent and I'm setting out to change that. Don't get me wrong, I can proudly boast of reading works by the incredible Ngugi wa Thiongo, Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe; but I haven't actively sought them and embraced them as my own, I would always go back to something outside. Maybe its because I have become more aware of my self and the person I am, an African woman and the place I am from, Kenya and the place I live, Uganda. Recommendations from these countries are very welcome. I won't try and justify and pin down the exact moment this happened or where its coming from but I love it and I am out to feed this hunger as best as I can.

(Update 1.) This post probably seems apt after Wakanda-ism is on the rise with Black Panther (and the fact that it is Black History Month in the US-anywhere else? I'm not sure). It is misleading. This journey began in 2017, it involved a resolve to read more of Africa and/or Self-Help Books. I discovered TedTalks for the latter, which left Africa.
(Update 2.) As I was drafting this, I spotted an unfinished post back in 2016 about the desire to read more Afrocentric books. I'm slow to catch on to my own mind.

I have a long list of reads I would like to cover this year, a bit ambitious if I am to be honest but the list is here so I can challenge myself forward. I hope I can write a review for all of them, bear with me if I do not. A majority of my reads this year are to be purchased so I have created my list in two parts, One being works I need to buy (or borrow) then read and Two, books I already own or can easily get, then read. I'm certain this list will grow as the year goes by and there may be books I end up reading or titles I come across within the year that will deviate from this list, I think I'll create an additional third list to accommodate these. So these lists are living, any recommendations are welcome.

I also unapologetically realise a majority of the writers on my list are female, not that male writers do not have an equal amount of insight to offer, I suppose I am coming into this from what I am, an African female. I've also not read very many works by female writers who were not from (in one way or another) my continent, so this is to sort of new beginners and moving away from my norm and comfort zone. I'm excited!! 

One: To buy (In the hopes that I am able to find them)
Bought: marked green, Read: crossed off
  1. Unbowed - Wangari Mathai
  2. Homegoing - Yaa Gyasi
  3. We Need New Names - NoViolet Bylawayo (Review up soon)
  4. Kintu - Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
  5. Blacksss - A. Igoni Barrett
  6. The Book of Memory - Petina Gappah (currently reading)
  7. Half of A Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  8. I Am Not Your Negro - James Baldwin
  9. Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates
  10. Tropical Fish - Doreen Baingana
  11. Jambula Tree- Monica Arac de Nyeko
  12. Ghana Must Go - Taiye Selasi
  13. Daughters Who Walk This Path - Yejide Kilanko
  14. Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature - Ngugi Wa Thiongo
  15. Nervous Conditions - Tsitsi Dangarembga
  16. Born A Crime - Trevor Noah
  17. Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  18. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives - Lola Shoneyin
  19. Stay With Me - Ayobami Adebayo
  20. Daughters of Africa - Magret Busby

Two: Already have
  1. No Longer at Ease - Chinua Achebe (Review up soon)
  2. Homegrown Love - Elma Asio & Evelyn Karungi (Review up soon)
  3. It's Our Turn to Eat - Michelle Wrong
  4. Say You're One of Them - Uwem Akpan
  5. Dust - Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
  6. The Childhood of Jesus - J.M. Coetzee

Three: Outsiders

  1. The Monk of Mokha - Dave Eggers
  2. Delivering Happiness - Tony Hsieh
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charlieranter

“What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.” ― J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye.

1 comment:

  1. UnknownJuly 6, 2018 at 7:33 AM

    Hi,

    I think you should add Roots to your list. Were are my manners, my name is Elliard. I compared your books with mine on goodreads and eventually ended up here after following your site link. Anyway, I like your collection and I think it's inspiring to see Africans read Afrocentric books.

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete

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