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Anthills of the Savannah (African Writers Series) 13 reviews
Chinua Achebe
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1988
Political life in a modern African country
The story in this book is set in the fictional modern-day African country of Kanga. The action revolves around three central characters. Chris holds the position of "Commissar of Information" in the president's cabinet; he basically has the final say in what gets printed in the country's newspapers and broadcast on the airways. Ikem is the editor of the country's leading newspaper. He and Chris ...
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No Longer at Ease (African Writers Series)20 reviews
Chinua Achebe
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 2008
The Trouble with Nigeria
Although considered a sequel to "Things Fall Apart," "No Longer at Ease" stands on its own and does not require that you read Achebe's more famous work (assuming you've somehow made it through school and managed to escape its ubiquity). It's probably more accurate to say that "No Longer at Ease" is a retelling set in modern Nigeria, and it is as great as--perhaps better than--his earlier work.
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Things Fall Apart (African Writers Series)533 reviews
Chinua Achebe
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1986
What makes fiction important
I know this is the classic debate of all time when it comes to literature: Is it about beautifully written prose (THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE, incidentally, is a good example of this problem) or does it tell a compelling story? (yet the prose itself is not its strong point).
It seems that many works of fiction these days are of the former and unfortunately, not enough of the latter. I ...
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Arrow of God (African Writers Series)13 reviews
Chinua Achebe
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1986
Achebe's Arrow
Like Chinua Achebe's first novel (Things Fall Apart), Arrow of God takes us back to the traditional village culture of the Igbo nation in Western Nigeria, tracing its destruction under British colonial rule. Once again, too, the story centers on a tribal elder who embodies the old ways so profoundly that he will be destroyed along with them. Achebe uses fiction to do what ethnology can never ...
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The River Between (African Writers Series) 13 reviews
Ngugi Wa Thiong'o
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1966
Important book from an important author
The River Between is a subtle tale that manages to comprehensively deal with a variety of themes including the challenge of leadership, the values of traditional heritage, the destructive nature of rejection of culture and finally, the multi faceted dimensions of the human personality.
As an African woman in the Diaspora, the writing of African writers from the Continent is a very important ...
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Season of Migration to the North (African Writers Series) 19 reviews
Al-Tayyib Salih
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1991
Unsung gem
I stumbled upon this book when I found it on the IB World Literature list and among the teachable (but until I attempted it, untaught) books in an international school. Looking for new material, I took it home over the summer with a stack of several others, the covers of which were far more inspirational. The look of it put me off and it was the last book in the pile that I read, but none of ...
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Biology for Igcse
Mary Jones
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 2002
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Petals of Blood (African Writers Series)8 reviews
Wa Thiong'o Ngugi
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1986
A tale of Post-Colonialism
Set in Kenya but could be a prototype for a native culture anywhere colonized, breaking free, then globalized which is an extension of colonialism. It is easy to understand why the author was imprisoned after the book's publication in 1977 as he presents a bleak view of what the Kenyans got in the way of leaders after independence from the white rulers. The viewpoint here seems to be anyone "for ...
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A Man of the People (African Writers Series) 7 reviews
Chinua Achebe
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1988
Perhaps Achebe's Best
I loved "Things Fall Apart", and it was what got me to fall in love with African literature in the first place-and download a list of Africa's 100 greatest works of literature in order to try to feed my passion! (I'm not sure how far into it I am now!) It is a masterpiece and so moving.
However, I have to admit there is something so perfect about "A Man of the People", so witty, so ...
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Devil on the Cross (African Writers Series)12 reviews
Wa Thiong'o Ngugi
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1982
Breathtaking
One commentor noted that Ngugi's book is good but fails in establishing a reason to care to his audience.
The reason for this is because though Ngugi does establish empathy from his audience he does so briefly because he assumes it is understood. Ngugi, in other words, was not writing this book for the European descent population who would need an elaborate explanation as to why to care ...
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Weep Not, Child3 reviews
Wa Thiong'o Ngugi
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1967
The Plight of the African people
"Weep Not, Child" chronicles a young boy, Njoroge, as he grows up admist the Mau Mau war and the conflict between the African natives and the British colonial rulers. The book is in essence about the hopes and dreams of a young boy coming being affected by the outside world and how the outside world changes a person. The novel also addresses the political conflict that was occurring in Kenya in ...
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I Write What I Like (African Writers Series)7 reviews
Steve Biko
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1987
Powerful "Black Consciousness"
"I Write What I Like" was set on the backdrop of the thankfully defunct system of apartheid, but the parallels to our modern world remain both pertinent and poignant.
While activists such as Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela fought apartheid on the political and economic front, Steve Biko fought it on the most basic psychological level. He rejected the fundamental premise that made racism and ...
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Jhango Chichewa Book 7 52 reviews
CHILAMBADZUKA ET AL
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1998
Pretty Good
The book is pretty good. It is maybe more for the typical advance or college level student. It can be improved if it provides a more thorough explanation but still does a good job explaining easy question for physics. It provides a wide variety of problems. Also it has a scale of difficulty of the problem. Overall I am quiet satisfied with the book.
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Biology Standard Level (Heinemann Baccalaureate)
Alan Damon, Randy McGonegal, ...
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 2007
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A Grain of Wheat (African Writers)15 reviews
Wa Thiong'o Ngugi
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1986
Compelling story w profound moral msg for all activists
I loved this book. The story itself is compelling, detailing both African and European characters' perspectives on Kenyans' struggle for independence from Britain. Just for the story alone, the book is an intriguing page-turner that completely satisfies. But beyond that, it has a powerful and inspirational moral message that I have taken with me and hope never to forget. Each of the major ...
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The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born13 reviews
Ayi Kwei Armah
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1969
Unforgettable....
Beautiful Ones was required reading at secondary school. I didn't quite understand it, all the same it left an impression, and early this year i sought it out. It is an amazing book. Two weeks of careful reading, my copy is left heavily lined and dog-eared. I strongly recommend it to all budding social revolutionaries. It is one lone man's struggle against seemingly inescapable corruption and ...
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African Short Stories (African Writers)1 review
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1985
A Worthy Introduction to African Literature
This is a great collection of stories. Too often the artistic talent in Africa is overloooked because of the turmoil in some parts of the land. This book is for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the African people and their lives that one cannot get from headlines.
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Jhango Chichewa Book 69 reviews
KATHENERA ET AL
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1998
An impeccable and indespensable document
Mr. William Ball, the former artistic director and founder of The American Conservatory Theatre in San Fransisco, boils down almost forty years of teaching, acting and directing experience into possibly the most effective,educational and practical document about directing. I shudder to use the word text book as that term implies dry academia- an approach which leads to the the death of the ...
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Beka Lamb (Caribbean Writers)5 reviews
Zee Edgell
Heinemann International Literature & Textbooks, 1982
captivaing and compelling
The first time I read this book, it was a mandatory reading assignment in Catholic school in the Caribbean. I left that country and my copy of the book behind and have searched incessantly for it ever since. The story of "Beka Lamb" is a realistic portrayal of Caribbean life for a young girl. The political climate in the novel is still very much in existence today. The plight of the character ...
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