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lilyhduong's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
batkat31's review against another edition
5.0
Incredible storytelling and writing style. This will stick with me.
sktxaryaw's review against another edition
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
nerdsbianhokie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
kjthenerd3's review against another edition
5.0
This. Book. It’s fiction, but the fact that it’s based on real events and stories is absolutely heartbreaking. This is a must-read for everyone.
upward_not_northward's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
book_concierge's review against another edition
5.0
This young-adult novel tells the story of the “stolen girls” of northern Nigeria, where the militant terrorist group Boko Haram has been burning villages, kidnapping the young girls, and slaughtering the rest of the residents.
The author gives the reader a vivid picture of life in a small Nigerian village. The unnamed narrator is a young girl who excels at school, and dreams of new shoes, going to university, marrying a good husband – the kinds of things most girls dream of. She helps her mother keep the house, chatters with her best friend, and joins in village celebrations centered around the church. Christians and Muslims co-exist and work together for the good of the village and one another.
But when Boko Haram attacks the village and she is kidnapped, taken deep into the jungle to the militant group’s camp, it seems her dreams are shattered.
Forced to adopt a new name, to study to become “a good Muslim woman”, she learns to keep her thoughts to herself. Worried about her family and her friends, she must rely on herself – her intelligence, her prior education, her powers of observation – to survive with the hope of rescue or escape. How difficult to choose between escape and fear for your friends and family. How terrifying to witness your friend beheaded on the spot for refusing to swear allegiance to your captor’s beliefs. How easy it feels to succumb to the promise of better food and better housing that comes with adopting the “proper” demeanor and marrying a fighter. How impossible it is to maintain hope in these circumstances.
Nwaubani’s writing is poetic and lyrical, with vivid descriptions and heart-wrenching scenarios. This is the first of her books that I have read; it will not be the last.
The afterword is written by Viviana Mazza, an Italian journalist who has worked in several countries including Syria and Nigeria. The 2014 Boko Haram raid on a private school in Chibok where 276 girls were kidnapped captured world-wide attention – for a time. Since then most of the world has forgotten, if they ever knew, the names of these women (and many others taken in less widely reported raids). Mazza wanted to report on the continuing war, to document the real stories of women/girls who have been kidnapped by and rescued from Boko Haram. Her writing is more journalistic and suffers in comparison to the raw emotion of Nwaubani’s novel. However, it serves to educate the reader about the real atrocities being committed, the real challenges faced by those who escape Boko Haram. I applaud the courage of these girls and women who have come forward to tell their stories.
The author gives the reader a vivid picture of life in a small Nigerian village. The unnamed narrator is a young girl who excels at school, and dreams of new shoes, going to university, marrying a good husband – the kinds of things most girls dream of. She helps her mother keep the house, chatters with her best friend, and joins in village celebrations centered around the church. Christians and Muslims co-exist and work together for the good of the village and one another.
But when Boko Haram attacks the village and she is kidnapped, taken deep into the jungle to the militant group’s camp, it seems her dreams are shattered.
Forced to adopt a new name, to study to become “a good Muslim woman”, she learns to keep her thoughts to herself. Worried about her family and her friends, she must rely on herself – her intelligence, her prior education, her powers of observation – to survive with the hope of rescue or escape. How difficult to choose between escape and fear for your friends and family. How terrifying to witness your friend beheaded on the spot for refusing to swear allegiance to your captor’s beliefs. How easy it feels to succumb to the promise of better food and better housing that comes with adopting the “proper” demeanor and marrying a fighter. How impossible it is to maintain hope in these circumstances.
Nwaubani’s writing is poetic and lyrical, with vivid descriptions and heart-wrenching scenarios. This is the first of her books that I have read; it will not be the last.
The afterword is written by Viviana Mazza, an Italian journalist who has worked in several countries including Syria and Nigeria. The 2014 Boko Haram raid on a private school in Chibok where 276 girls were kidnapped captured world-wide attention – for a time. Since then most of the world has forgotten, if they ever knew, the names of these women (and many others taken in less widely reported raids). Mazza wanted to report on the continuing war, to document the real stories of women/girls who have been kidnapped by and rescued from Boko Haram. Her writing is more journalistic and suffers in comparison to the raw emotion of Nwaubani’s novel. However, it serves to educate the reader about the real atrocities being committed, the real challenges faced by those who escape Boko Haram. I applaud the courage of these girls and women who have come forward to tell their stories.
aliena_jackson's review against another edition
5.0
This book made me ANGRY. The fact that there are people out there suffering at the hands of these tyrants while we sit here, relatively safe, in circumstances that are 1,000,000 times better than theirs- who said that they deserved this? What force decided that they should have to suffer like this, to carry this weight upon their shoulders? And this book made me angry because I am helpless to do anything. I can sit here and write this review, and try to spread the word about this book, and I can donate money- but HOW DO WE STOP THIS? What can I do?