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Of Okonkwo, Nigeria, and Smugglers - Librarian Book Picks

Submitted by admin on 13 October 2014

Check out this week’s selection of great books chosen by our librarians! You can find all of these awesome titles and more at our Community Library at 196 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. Looking for your next great read? Search our catalogue and e-library or browse previous picks for inspiration.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
This beloved novel portrays the collision of African and European cultures. Okonkwo, a great man in Igbo traditional society, cannot adapt to the profound changes brought about by British colonial rule. Yet, as in classic tragedy, Okonkwo's downfall results from his own character as well as from external forces.
My Nigeria: Five Decades of Independence by Peter Cunliffe-Jones
His nineteenth-century cousin, paddled ashore by slaves, twisted the arms of tribal chiefs to sign away their territorial rights in the oil-rich Niger Delta. Sixty years later, his grandfather helped craft Nigeria's constitution and negotiate its independence, the first of its kind in Africa. Four decades later, Peter Cunliffe-Jones arrived as a journalist in the capital, Lagos, just as military rule ended, to face the country his family had a hand in shaping.Part family memoir, part history, My Nigeria is a piercing look at the colonial legacy of an emerging power in Africa.
Peter, Sani and the Smugglers by Patience Thom
Peter and Sani, two young friends living in Northern Nigeria, get tangled up in a smuggling conspiracy.
Share what you’re reading this week in the comments, by leaving a comment on our Facebook page, or by tweeting @ZODML!