Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan


Say You're One of Them


What attracted me to this book was the fact the stories were told by children. It is a collection of 5 stories that take place in Africa. So as I read the book for book club, I also read it aloud to my 10 year old. That was a mistake. The stories were full of very graphic violence that even I couldn't stomach. 

I admit I don't know much about the political scene in Africa with the fighting in Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria and Ethiopia. I didn't even know where they were situated on a map! But the book didn't make me care for the people in those countries, it just repulsed me that the violence was more severe than I had ever come across previously. 

The week we discussed the book in book club, there was a really low attendance. I think because most people didn't like it, or didn't finish reading it. For those of us who were there, after we had all registered our disgust, one lady commented, "Well I really liked the book." I'm glad we don't all have the same opinion, because that's what really makes us human. 

I listened to some stories on the CD, and for some reason that wasn't obvious to me, the stories were in a different order. 




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