You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
Another tragically beautiful story. During my travels, I was always warned not to tip the kids who were begging on the streets because of similar stories like these. My heart hurts for these kids and it was interesting to take a look into Senegalese culture.
This is a book is filled with profound sadness, but the moments of childhood joy are so beautiful that they make the difficult parts bearable. This is not a happy story, but the portraits of Ibrahimah and Etienne are so lovely. The abuse in this story is heart wrenching, but the vivid descriptions of the brief moments of respite like the pride over blocking a goal on the soccer field or drinking a cold coke kept me going. I loved Ibrahimah and Etienne from page one.
This book grabbed my heart and didn’t let go. I admit I had never heard of Telibe boys of Senegaland it made me want to know more . I absolutely loved the characters of 6 year old Ibrahimah and 13 year old Etienne. I couldn’t believe all they went through and how they loved and cared for each other. This book is heartbreaking and hard to read but I know this story will stick with me for a long time. And I couldn’t believe this was Keisha Bush’s debut novel- amazing!
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Keisha Bush’s No Heaven for Good Boys (Random House 2020) is one of the more delicate and devastating debut novels I’ve read in a long while. The tragedy of it is exquisitely crafted, clinging to the reader like small, dirty hands begging for money, or a hungry child suckling at his mother’s breast.
It’s a novel of family, with the power and magic of a mother’s love and grief soaring through every page. The novel opens with six-year-old Ibrahimah dreaming of his mother. He’s a Talibé, a student sent to study the Qur’an under the guidance of a teacher, called a marabout. It’s an old tradition, and Ibrahimah is one of many boys under the guidance of Marabout Ahmed; his cousin, Etienne, is also a student and has been for many years. While rooted in faith, the tradition has become corrupt, resulting in significant atrocities against the children. (Bush’s firsthand experiences while in Senegal led to her writing this novel.) Marabout Ahmed is one of the more chilling villains, making Fagin look like a cinnamon roll. On good days, he neglects the children. On bad days, he beats them. On the worst of days, he sexual assaults them.
The horrors faced by the young boys are juxtaposed with unexpected kindness and unlikely friendships. They’re let into the zoo and a soccer game for free. They make friends with a wealthy boy who brings them to his house where they are bathed and fed. Some of the passersby are especially kind. And Bush ensures that she includes descriptions of marabouts who are not trafficking and abusing children but are teaching them while keeping them fed and clothed. Not all Talibé are abused and neglected, and it’s very important that Bush included those details as well.
Ibrahimah’s experiences are broken up by his mother’s. Maimouna is in mourning when we first meet her; her baby has died, and the grief is eating at her. In her heartache, she clings to Ibrahimah as he is now the youngest. Despite being six, she begins to nurse him again – his hungry suckling reminding her of the baby she lost and easing the physical pain in her heavy breasts as well as the pain in her heart. She fights her husband over sending him to Marabout Ahmed but tradition and pressure from Etienne’s parents mean he goes.
Maimouna’s journey through her anger and grief is highlighted by a sickness that consumes her. The magic against her is a dark one, but her family has its own secrets. Her mother is called, and the magic employed is one that has been passed down by the women – a different tradition. She will do whatever it takes to ensure Ibrahimah returns, and that love carried on the wings of a red bird is my takeaway from this novel.
This Senegalese Oliver Twist highlights Bush as not only a phenomenal storyteller, but a compassionate and truthful observer. My beloved Nadine Gordimer once said, “The truth isn’t always beauty, but the hunger for it is.” This story is beautiful because it is so hungry.
Read this book.
It’s a novel of family, with the power and magic of a mother’s love and grief soaring through every page. The novel opens with six-year-old Ibrahimah dreaming of his mother. He’s a Talibé, a student sent to study the Qur’an under the guidance of a teacher, called a marabout. It’s an old tradition, and Ibrahimah is one of many boys under the guidance of Marabout Ahmed; his cousin, Etienne, is also a student and has been for many years. While rooted in faith, the tradition has become corrupt, resulting in significant atrocities against the children. (Bush’s firsthand experiences while in Senegal led to her writing this novel.) Marabout Ahmed is one of the more chilling villains, making Fagin look like a cinnamon roll. On good days, he neglects the children. On bad days, he beats them. On the worst of days, he sexual assaults them.
The horrors faced by the young boys are juxtaposed with unexpected kindness and unlikely friendships. They’re let into the zoo and a soccer game for free. They make friends with a wealthy boy who brings them to his house where they are bathed and fed. Some of the passersby are especially kind. And Bush ensures that she includes descriptions of marabouts who are not trafficking and abusing children but are teaching them while keeping them fed and clothed. Not all Talibé are abused and neglected, and it’s very important that Bush included those details as well.
Ibrahimah’s experiences are broken up by his mother’s. Maimouna is in mourning when we first meet her; her baby has died, and the grief is eating at her. In her heartache, she clings to Ibrahimah as he is now the youngest. Despite being six, she begins to nurse him again – his hungry suckling reminding her of the baby she lost and easing the physical pain in her heavy breasts as well as the pain in her heart. She fights her husband over sending him to Marabout Ahmed but tradition and pressure from Etienne’s parents mean he goes.
Maimouna’s journey through her anger and grief is highlighted by a sickness that consumes her. The magic against her is a dark one, but her family has its own secrets. Her mother is called, and the magic employed is one that has been passed down by the women – a different tradition. She will do whatever it takes to ensure Ibrahimah returns, and that love carried on the wings of a red bird is my takeaway from this novel.
This Senegalese Oliver Twist highlights Bush as not only a phenomenal storyteller, but a compassionate and truthful observer. My beloved Nadine Gordimer once said, “The truth isn’t always beauty, but the hunger for it is.” This story is beautiful because it is so hungry.
Read this book.
A strong and heartbreaking narrative on the Talibé boys in Senegal.
No Heaven for Good Boys creates seamless imagery of traditions, family, culture and brings you into the hard life of the Talibé with such power that will leave you bothered even after finishing the novel. Aside from the story itself, the surreal symbolism created during their dreams is so well-written, there are moments I don't realize how long I've been holding my breath.
On a more personal note, as someone from a developing country, this story hits quite close to home and instilled more empathy and courage for me.
No Heaven for Good Boys creates seamless imagery of traditions, family, culture and brings you into the hard life of the Talibé with such power that will leave you bothered even after finishing the novel. Aside from the story itself, the surreal symbolism created during their dreams is so well-written, there are moments I don't realize how long I've been holding my breath.
On a more personal note, as someone from a developing country, this story hits quite close to home and instilled more empathy and courage for me.
Dakar, Senegal. In the villages of Senegal, it is the custom for parents of young boys to give their sons to the care of a marabout, a teacher who will instruct them in the Qu'ran for a year. Most of these men are probably honorable and take their responsibility for the children in their care seriously as they attempt to teach them the tenets of Islam. But some of them are pure evil. Marabout Ahmed is the evilest of the evil and it is into his care and control that cousins Etienne and Ibrahimah are given. Ibrahimah is only six years old.
Etienne is the first to be sent to Dakar to be taught by Ahmed, but when his year is up Ahmed persuades the parents to let him stay, and then Ibrahimah's father decides to send his son, also. Ibrahimah's mother is opposed to the idea. She insists he is too young, but his father takes him to Ahmed very early one morning while his mother is still sleeping so that she cannot object. Ibrahimah joins Ahmed's daara (school) with his cousin and his life is changed forever.
Instead of being instructed in the Qu'ran, the boys in Ahmed's daara are forced onto the streets every day to beg for food and for money to line their marabout's pockets. They are told a sum of money that they must collect each day. If they fall short, they are beaten.
Even under the best of circumstances, the streets of Dakar would not be safe for these young boys. There are predators galore who would take advantage of them. For example, there is an active black market in organ trading that some of the boys are known to fall prey to. There are also student protests taking place on the streets, sometimes violent protests. Etienne and Ibrahimah must try to navigate all of these dangers as they attempt to meet their marabout's demands and avoid being beaten.
The older cousin, Etienne, is a real hero in this story. He does his best to protect his younger cousin and keep him safe. The boys' lives are a neverending series of horrors and the most horrible thing may be the knowledge that their parents - or at least their fathers for their mothers seem to have little say in the matter - have delivered them to this fate. Etienne and Ibrahimah long to run away and go home, but if they do, will their fathers just bring them back as the father of one boy who did manage to run away did?
This book had been in my reading queue for a year and I kept avoiding it because I knew it was going to be a heartbreaking story. I was not wrong. And, of course, I usually stay away from reading books that deal with the abuse of children or animals because they are just too upsetting for me. Nevertheless, in spite of the subject matter, I am glad I finally convinced myself to read this one. Keisha Bush has given us in her first novel a beautiful narrative of human perfidy and brutality but also of the resilience of the human spirit and its ability to keep hope alive even in the direst of circumstances. Her characterizations of Ibrahimah and Etienne make them real flesh and blood boys, not just paper replicas. They are a combination of both naivete and native wisdom. They comfort each other and manage to have moments of silliness that can almost bring a smile to the reader's face amid all the sadness.
The author also gives moments of magical realism in the narrative which somehow help to lighten the mood, but there is no disguising the fact that this is a completely devastating story. The most devastating thing about it may be the fact that it is based on reality. In truth, it is the religious custom in that country to send young boys to a marabout for a year's study of the Qu'ran. And human nature being what it is, over the years the practice has been abused and the boys are sometimes mistreated, even starved, and forced to beg. And evidently, this is not a practice that is in the past; it is still happening today. Here is a report on it from the Harvard Human Rights Journal published last year: https://harvardhrj.com/2021/04/the-plight-of-talibe-children-in-senegal/.
This really is an excellent, well-written book that tells an important story and is hard to put down, although I had to occasionally just to give myself a mental break. The only reason I don't give it five stars is because it was so difficult for me to read.
Etienne is the first to be sent to Dakar to be taught by Ahmed, but when his year is up Ahmed persuades the parents to let him stay, and then Ibrahimah's father decides to send his son, also. Ibrahimah's mother is opposed to the idea. She insists he is too young, but his father takes him to Ahmed very early one morning while his mother is still sleeping so that she cannot object. Ibrahimah joins Ahmed's daara (school) with his cousin and his life is changed forever.
Instead of being instructed in the Qu'ran, the boys in Ahmed's daara are forced onto the streets every day to beg for food and for money to line their marabout's pockets. They are told a sum of money that they must collect each day. If they fall short, they are beaten.
Even under the best of circumstances, the streets of Dakar would not be safe for these young boys. There are predators galore who would take advantage of them. For example, there is an active black market in organ trading that some of the boys are known to fall prey to. There are also student protests taking place on the streets, sometimes violent protests. Etienne and Ibrahimah must try to navigate all of these dangers as they attempt to meet their marabout's demands and avoid being beaten.
The older cousin, Etienne, is a real hero in this story. He does his best to protect his younger cousin and keep him safe. The boys' lives are a neverending series of horrors and the most horrible thing may be the knowledge that their parents - or at least their fathers for their mothers seem to have little say in the matter - have delivered them to this fate. Etienne and Ibrahimah long to run away and go home, but if they do, will their fathers just bring them back as the father of one boy who did manage to run away did?
This book had been in my reading queue for a year and I kept avoiding it because I knew it was going to be a heartbreaking story. I was not wrong. And, of course, I usually stay away from reading books that deal with the abuse of children or animals because they are just too upsetting for me. Nevertheless, in spite of the subject matter, I am glad I finally convinced myself to read this one. Keisha Bush has given us in her first novel a beautiful narrative of human perfidy and brutality but also of the resilience of the human spirit and its ability to keep hope alive even in the direst of circumstances. Her characterizations of Ibrahimah and Etienne make them real flesh and blood boys, not just paper replicas. They are a combination of both naivete and native wisdom. They comfort each other and manage to have moments of silliness that can almost bring a smile to the reader's face amid all the sadness.
The author also gives moments of magical realism in the narrative which somehow help to lighten the mood, but there is no disguising the fact that this is a completely devastating story. The most devastating thing about it may be the fact that it is based on reality. In truth, it is the religious custom in that country to send young boys to a marabout for a year's study of the Qu'ran. And human nature being what it is, over the years the practice has been abused and the boys are sometimes mistreated, even starved, and forced to beg. And evidently, this is not a practice that is in the past; it is still happening today. Here is a report on it from the Harvard Human Rights Journal published last year: https://harvardhrj.com/2021/04/the-plight-of-talibe-children-in-senegal/.
This really is an excellent, well-written book that tells an important story and is hard to put down, although I had to occasionally just to give myself a mental break. The only reason I don't give it five stars is because it was so difficult for me to read.
This was a gut punch of a novel. Child abuse, starvation, murder, and betrayal are frequent occurrences throughout the book. The story centers on a young child named Ibrahimah who was taken from his home and his family in Southern Senegal to live as a talibe (student of the Quran) in the capital city of Dakar. Each day, Ibrahimah, his cousin Etienne, and the other talibe arise from their cardboard mats to venture out and collect enough earnings for their marabout (teacher) to avoid his wrath. As Ibrahimah roams around the city, he thinks of his family back home and tries to figure out a way to return.
As devastating as this book is, there is immense beauty in its narrative. Bush weaves feelings of hope and resilience tethered to the love of family and community throughout the heartbreak. There are beautiful moments of joy and spiritual/dreamy scenes that take you beyond the hurt the characters face. Above all, it is a moving tale that teaches about the power of the human spirit as well as an intimate look into Senegalese culture.
As devastating as this book is, there is immense beauty in its narrative. Bush weaves feelings of hope and resilience tethered to the love of family and community throughout the heartbreak. There are beautiful moments of joy and spiritual/dreamy scenes that take you beyond the hurt the characters face. Above all, it is a moving tale that teaches about the power of the human spirit as well as an intimate look into Senegalese culture.
3.5 stars rounded up because I learned about a part of the world I'm vastly unfamiliar with.
This novel got to me - it was a total gut punch from the very beginning. I felt like the magical/ voudou/ spiritual storylines weren't very well done and they lost me sometimes. I wanted a little more editing in those parts. I appreciated the hope in the story.
This novel got to me - it was a total gut punch from the very beginning. I felt like the magical/ voudou/ spiritual storylines weren't very well done and they lost me sometimes. I wanted a little more editing in those parts. I appreciated the hope in the story.