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A review by africanbookaddict
Every Day Is for the Thief by Teju Cole
4.0
http://africanbookaddict.wordpress.com/2014/07/10/every-day-is-for-the-thief-by-teju-cole/
Every Day is For The Thief is a good book. The protagonist of this novella or travelogue is a Nigerian born, now naturalized American resident medical officer in New York with a calm demeanor, giving the book a progressive, logical flow. I actually read the book thinking the protagonist was Teju Cole himself… just because readers don’t get much detail on the protagonist- like his name, stature etc.
A lot of what Cole writes about seems common to Ghana but not as severe! The corruption heavily practiced by the police, the hustle and bustle of the city full of old vehicles and zooming okadas (motorcycles) on pot-holed roads, the regular power outages, the wide social and economic disparities in the nation of Nigeria and increased armed robbery cases in the suffering economy are all prevalent in Ghana as well.
Certain parts of the book wowed me. The widespread of internet frauds conducted in Internet cafes by ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ boys, the burning of a child thief in a car tire, the gangs that roam the streets of Lagos readily demanding thousands of naira or ever-ready to maim citizens was pretty wild. Such incidents may seem exaggerated and fictitious, but I believe these things actually occur in Lagos, since I’ve heard similar stories from some Nigerian friends. After reading this novella, foreigners may think twice before visiting Lagos because it seems as if Nigerians are always living on the edge of danger!
I loved how the protagonist was a ‘returnee’ from being away in the US for 15 years. He sort of returned to Lagos as a stranger with his absorbed Western ways of democracy. This allowed him to share his shock of the craziness and delight being back home with a wide array of readers- both foreign and fellow Africans. I think this helped foreign readers take in Lagos from an insider, yet outsiders’ lens.
This is a good book for anyone who would love to learn about the rambunctious nation of Nigeria. Teju Cole expertly discusses and simplifies some of the complex issues the country faces such as corruption, governmental issues, the oil sector, the health sector etc. Some may be even more apprehensive about visiting the nation after reading jaw-dropping descriptions, but I’m still keen on visiting Nigeria- Abuja to be precise!
Every Day is For The Thief is a good book. The protagonist of this novella or travelogue is a Nigerian born, now naturalized American resident medical officer in New York with a calm demeanor, giving the book a progressive, logical flow. I actually read the book thinking the protagonist was Teju Cole himself… just because readers don’t get much detail on the protagonist- like his name, stature etc.
A lot of what Cole writes about seems common to Ghana but not as severe! The corruption heavily practiced by the police, the hustle and bustle of the city full of old vehicles and zooming okadas (motorcycles) on pot-holed roads, the regular power outages, the wide social and economic disparities in the nation of Nigeria and increased armed robbery cases in the suffering economy are all prevalent in Ghana as well.
Certain parts of the book wowed me. The widespread of internet frauds conducted in Internet cafes by ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ boys, the burning of a child thief in a car tire, the gangs that roam the streets of Lagos readily demanding thousands of naira or ever-ready to maim citizens was pretty wild. Such incidents may seem exaggerated and fictitious, but I believe these things actually occur in Lagos, since I’ve heard similar stories from some Nigerian friends. After reading this novella, foreigners may think twice before visiting Lagos because it seems as if Nigerians are always living on the edge of danger!
I loved how the protagonist was a ‘returnee’ from being away in the US for 15 years. He sort of returned to Lagos as a stranger with his absorbed Western ways of democracy. This allowed him to share his shock of the craziness and delight being back home with a wide array of readers- both foreign and fellow Africans. I think this helped foreign readers take in Lagos from an insider, yet outsiders’ lens.
This is a good book for anyone who would love to learn about the rambunctious nation of Nigeria. Teju Cole expertly discusses and simplifies some of the complex issues the country faces such as corruption, governmental issues, the oil sector, the health sector etc. Some may be even more apprehensive about visiting the nation after reading jaw-dropping descriptions, but I’m still keen on visiting Nigeria- Abuja to be precise!