With the influx of books on a daily basis into the literary market, it is becoming increasingly difficult to decide on what to read. Some books have however distinguished themselves, by means of a steady rise in the demand for them.
We have selected ten from the dozens making waves on Amazon; from the different generations of African writers.
Read them below:
1. Things Fall Apart – By Chinua Achebe
After six decades of its first publication, “Things Fall Apart,” still have an unswerving effect on a good percentage of book lovers. It seems to gain momentum as it gets older. First published in 1958, Things Fall Apart follows the story of Okonkwo an Igbo man from Umuofia, who makes the mistake of killing Ikemufuna (a boy handed over to Okonkwo’s village, to avert war between the two villages). But Okonkwao, proud as most men of that time were, would go ahead to kill a boy who calls him father.
2. Americanah – By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Americanah is still breaking grounds, even after six years of its publication. Winner of the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Fiction Award, “Americanah” is a bold novel that raises universal discuss on race, identity, belongingness and migration. Ifemelu the foremost protagonist in this novel, is the go-between as we try to find a balance between her life in Nigeria and the United States.
3. Purple Hibiscus – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Adichie’s debut, “Purple Hibiscus” hasn’t lost its taste in our mouths. Purple Hibiscus, follows the story of Kambili and her brother Jaja. Born into a wealthy family, but they must abide by the strict rules of an overzealous, self-righteous Catholic father and their mother is not left out in his campaign of physical abuse.
4. Half of a Yellow Sun – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Adichie seems to be topping the table of bestselling African books on Amazon. “Half of a Yellow Sun,” Adichie’s second novel, awarded the 2007 Orange Prize for Fiction, is her most acclaimed novel. “Half of a Yellow Sun,” tells the story of Olanna and Odenigbo caught up in the violence of the civil war that broke out in 1967, they survive the terror, but Kainene’s disappearance towards the end of the war, leaves a hole in their hearts that would never be filled.
5. Stay With Me – Ayobami Adebayo
Described by The New York Times Book Review as; “Powerfully magnetic. . . . In the lineage of great works by Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. . . . A thoroughly contemporary—and deeply moving—portrait of a marriage,” Stay with me, ranks amongst the bestselling African books on Amazon. It is a must read.
6. Cry, The Beloved Country – By Alan Paton
First published in 1948, Cry, The Beloved Country remains afloat after so long a time. Little wonder why The New Republic described it as; “The greatest novel to emerge out of the tragedy of South Africa, and one of the best novels of our time.”
7. The Moor’s Account – Laila Lalami
Recently shortlisted for the prestigious Kirkus Prize for her book; “The Other Americans,” Laila Lalami’s third novel “The Moor’s Account” was a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, nominated for the Man Booker Prize and won the 2015 American Book Award.
8. Who Fears Death – By Nnedi Okoroafor
In a post-apocalyptic Africa, the world has changed in many ways; yet in one region genocide between tribes still bloodies the land. Award winning writer, Nnedi Okoroafor has surely made a mark and has earned her place in the hierarchy of the literary world.
9. We Need New Names – Noviolet Bulawayo
Shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize, “We Need New Names” six years after publication, remains a delight. It tells the story of deprivation and smothered hopes in Zimbabwe through the eyes of a child.
10. Say You’re One of Them – Uwem Akpan
Jesuit Priest, Uwem Akpan, has made footprints that wouldn’t be wiped off in a very long time from now. “Say you’re One of Them,” a collection of short stories published in 2008, won the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize. Uwem Akpan’s stunning stories humanize the perils of poverty and violence so piercingly that few readers will feel they’ve ever encountered Africa so immediately.
