January Book Club: Gabon

Join us to read a book from one of the 54 countries in Africa each month.

Get a copy of the book in any format you prefer (physical, audio, or e-book).

Meetings go like this:
Check-in and introductions.
Brief info on the author.
Personal reviews and observations.
Notable quotes.
Final ratings.

Check out past events for the 38 books we have read so far.

*****

Book #39 is Awu's Story : A Novel
by Justine Mintsa

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, villages in the Fang region of northern Gabon must grapple with the clash of tradition and the evolution of customs throughout modern Africa. With this tension in the background, the passionate, deft, and creative seamstress Awu marries Obame, after he and his beloved wife, Bella, have been unable to conceive. Because all three are reluctant participants in this arrangement, theirs is an emotionally fraught existence. Through heartbreaking and disastrous events, Awu grapples with long-standing Fang customs that counter her desire to take full control of her life and home. Supplemented with a foreword and critical introduction highlighting Justine Mintsa's importance in African literature, Awu's Story is an essential work of African women's writing and the only published work to meditate this deeply on some of the Fang's most cherished legends and oral history.

Happy reading and see you then.