I was a cranky reader on social media this year, so I was surprised to discover that like Jayne’s, my top ten list runneth over. In hindsight, I think some my crankiness was due to the difficulty I had finding satisfying reads in historical romance, traditionally my favorite genre. Please ... more >
Dear Ms. Okorafor, Having read and enjoyed the first book in your If-Harry-Potter-was-a-girl-in-Nigeria series of young adult novels, Akata Witch, I’ve been looking forward to the sequel, Akata Warrior. The books’ protagonist is Sunny Nwazue, an African-American girl born to Nigerian immigrant parents and now living in Nigeria. Sunny has ... more >
Dear Ms. Okorafor, Twelve-year-old Sunny Nwazue is fascinated by candles. In Nigeria, where Sunny lives, the electrical company turns off the lights at night, and Sunny keeps candles in her bedroom in case she needs light. One night, she lights such a candle and it shows her something—a vision of ... more >
The Subversive Women Who Self-Publish Novels Amid Jihadist War – For almost thirty years now, Kano market literature has been a force in northern Nigeria’s cultural marketplace, and its most popular books are written by Hausa women. Some even feature adultery and other taboo subjects, and authors are now utilizing self-publishing technologies to produce ... more >
The Secret of Nigerian Book Sales – It is so difficult to sell books in Nigeria that publishers say it can take years to sell off a couple thousand print copies. Programs have been established to encourage reading and assuage the challenges associated with book sales in Nigeria. And yet, one man, ... more >