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rachelannekass's review against another edition
3.0
Such an informational and emotional book. Check out my full review here: http://basicbookblog.com/the-chibok-girls-by-helon-habila/
rachelmansmckenny's review against another edition
3.0
April 14, 2014 is when the kidnapping of the Chibok girls took place, but this book has a much wider scope and longer view. Reading this book as an American with little to no knowledge of the history of Nigeria, I appreciated Habila's emphasis on the rise of Boko Haram and the political climate which enabled it to exist.
This slim volume is just over 120 pages, but packs in narratives from parents of the girls, people in the community, and clergy members, besides including information from other outside sources. When we finally get to the narrative from some of the escaped girls, however, even Habila notes that it's nothing we haven't heard before.
I have to admit I'm of two minds here. I think this book is an excellent, well-written and insightful primer on Boko Haram and conditions that make it possible for extremist groups like it to form. However, I wouldn't recommend this to a person interested only in the #BringBackOurGirls movement. Because the identities of girls who have escaped are so important to protect, you won't learn much new about that. The climate surrounding the incident, however? Rich material, well-explored.
Thank you to NetGalley who gave me a free copy in exchange for my honest review.
This slim volume is just over 120 pages, but packs in narratives from parents of the girls, people in the community, and clergy members, besides including information from other outside sources. When we finally get to the narrative from some of the escaped girls, however, even Habila notes that it's nothing we haven't heard before.
I have to admit I'm of two minds here. I think this book is an excellent, well-written and insightful primer on Boko Haram and conditions that make it possible for extremist groups like it to form. However, I wouldn't recommend this to a person interested only in the #BringBackOurGirls movement. Because the identities of girls who have escaped are so important to protect, you won't learn much new about that. The climate surrounding the incident, however? Rich material, well-explored.
Thank you to NetGalley who gave me a free copy in exchange for my honest review.
madewellreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
5.0
The copy I own is a 'Penguin Special' and is 110 pages (compared to the 128 pages noted).
The style of this 'special' report afforded me a quick overview of the Boko Haram kidnapping while traveling, without carrying a cumbersome book or reading a longer article online. The report's compact style is also reflected in Habila's writing style: compact, but succinct, clear, and as Dave Eggers notes, 'controlled.'
Consider the tale Habila's weaves with the following: "Checkpoints weren't only for regulating traffic-they also controlled the flow of the narrative surrounding the kidnapping." This story is one of control: control by the government that Nigeria was actually 'winning' against Boko; control by Boko over the people of Nigeria through terror and fear; and control by Boko over the girls he kidnapped (276 in 2014). Before the kidnapping, starting in 2011, Boko terrorized Nigeria through suicide bombings - the first ever in the country. He also murdered 59 young boys in cold-blood at a co-ed secondary school the same year of the kidnapping.
In the final chapter we hear directly from three girls who escaped Boko by jumping from a truck and running in the night. This one leap of faith, writes Habila, made the difference between them and those who were taken. "Like most things in life, it all came down to chance, opportunity, and desperation."
The style of this 'special' report afforded me a quick overview of the Boko Haram kidnapping while traveling, without carrying a cumbersome book or reading a longer article online. The report's compact style is also reflected in Habila's writing style: compact, but succinct, clear, and as Dave Eggers notes, 'controlled.'
Consider the tale Habila's weaves with the following: "Checkpoints weren't only for regulating traffic-they also controlled the flow of the narrative surrounding the kidnapping." This story is one of control: control by the government that Nigeria was actually 'winning' against Boko; control by Boko over the people of Nigeria through terror and fear; and control by Boko over the girls he kidnapped (276 in 2014). Before the kidnapping, starting in 2011, Boko terrorized Nigeria through suicide bombings - the first ever in the country. He also murdered 59 young boys in cold-blood at a co-ed secondary school the same year of the kidnapping.
In the final chapter we hear directly from three girls who escaped Boko by jumping from a truck and running in the night. This one leap of faith, writes Habila, made the difference between them and those who were taken. "Like most things in life, it all came down to chance, opportunity, and desperation."
folieassdeux's review
4.0
I have far more understanding now of the religious complexities in Nigeria and what actually happened to the Chibok girls than I've ever gleaned from articles on the internet. I would definitely recommend this book.
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