July Book Club: Guinea-Bissau

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

Get your copy of the book in any format (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 44 books we have read.

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Book #45 is The Ultimate Tragedy Protected content Abdulai Silá (author), Jethro Soutar (translator)

The first novel to be translated into English from Guinea-Bissau, The Ultimate Tragedy is a tale of love and emerging political awareness in an Africa beginning to challenge Portuguese colonial rule.

Ndani leaves her village to seek a better life in the capital, finding work as a maid for a Portuguese family. The mistress of the house, Dona Deolinda, embarks on a mission to save Ndani’s soul through religious teaching, but the master of the house has less righteous intentions. Ndani is expelled from the house and drifts towards home, where she becomes the wife of a village chief. He has built a mansion and a school to flaunt his power to the local Portuguese administrator, but he abandons Ndani when he finds she’s not a virgin. She eventually finds love with the school’s teacher, but in tumultuous times, making a future with an educated black man involves a series of hurdles.

Happy reading and see you then!