How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars 

Pages: 384 pages
Published: March 2021

Told over several decades beginning in 1980, How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue, is a heart-wrenching literary novel about a U.S.-based oil company that takes over the land of a fictional African village. To make economic gains, the company does so at the cost of the environment and the people who live in the small village of Kosawa. Thula, the book's main character, is a young girl when the oil company took over her community's land and throughout the novel she emerges as the central figure in the community's struggles. Her personality is different from other girls in the village in that she seeks an education for herself and is an independent and critical thinker. As a result of her dreams, she travels to the United States where she get a post-secondary education and learns about systematically resisting inappropriately assumed authority. She ultimately becomes a driving force in the efforts to regain control of her land. 

This book is an average sized book, just shy of 400 pages, but the content is so much more. Mbue's lyrical prose, haunting descriptions and vivid detail stay with the reader long after the book is over. The story is one most have heard before - profits over people; economy over environment. However, because this book was told over several years with vacillating perspectives it provided depth and understanding of how corporate greed can cause so much physical and psychological damage. 

As I read the book and learned more about Thula, mainly through her letters and narratives of others in her family and village, I likened her to Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party. So much oppression and devastation, as well as the desire for justice for her village, pushed her into a corner. Sometimes we want a happy ending in a book, but there never could be one with this plot. After so many years of marginalization, distrust and violence, how could there be? 

I can tell that the author took great care to craft a well-rounded story. Her writing is spot on, and her creativity evokes emotion. My only critique is that I wish she had included more details about Thula's father and his role in seeking justice. However, it sometimes makes sense to leave some plot elements open and up to the reader's imagination. 

Recommendation: I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it when you have time to truly savor the writing. 

Until next time ... Read on!

Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.

Read More

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Pages: 264 pages
Published: September 2020

I have had a difficult time pulling together a review for Yaa Gyasi’s sophomore novel, Transcendent Kingdom I absolutely loved Homegoing. I read it twice, which is something I rarely do. (There are simply too many books to read.) Gyasi is a talented writer, a gifted storyteller. However, despite warnings by the publisher, critics and the author herself, I wanted Transcendent Kingdom to be like Homegoing. It was not. The story was told in a stream of consciousness format from Gifty, the main character’s viewpoint of she and her mom healing from a husband and father who deserted them and a son and brother who died of an opioid addiction. As a result of these traumatic events, Gifty has dedicated her education to studying addiction and trying to find a cure to help people overcome it. This is where we find her in the opening of the book - in the midst of her PhD research on the subject. In addition to healing from the loss of her brother, Gifty is also trying to come to terms with her father’s return to Ghana from the United States many years earlier. And she is trying to reconcile her dedication to science while being the daughter of a devout Christian mother.

Even though the page count is a little over 250, the book had so many layers. I found it to be very complex and reflective but also very sad. The book does have some elements of hope but overall it basically focuses on the psychological struggle of a young woman attempting to synthesize the very heavy life experiences she’s faced. 

Recommendation: This is not a book that ties up neatly in the end. It’s one that you have to consider the journey more so than focusing on the ending. While I loved Homegoing much more, Transcendent Kingdom is good in its own right. It is different, but the writing is solid and I would recommend picking it up when you’re in the mood for an in-depth read. 

Until next time ... Read on!

Regardless of whether I purchase a book, borrow a book, or receive a book in exchange for review, my ultimate goal is to be honest, fair, and constructive. I hope you've found this review helpful.

Read More