| | |  | MOTORCYCLES | Home » » » Say You're One of Them (Oprah's Book Club) | | | | | | | Description: | | Each story in this jubilantly acclaimed collection pays testament to the wisdom and resilience of children, even in the face of the most agonizing circumstances.
A family living in a makeshift shanty in urban Kenya scurries to find gifts of any kind for the impending Christmas holiday. A Rwandan girl relates her family’s struggles to maintain a facade of normalcy amid unspeakable acts. A young brother and sister cope with their uncle’s attempt to sell them into slavery. Aboard a bus filled with refugees—a microcosm of today’s Africa—a Muslim boy summons his faith to bear a treacherous ride across Nigeria. Through the eyes of childhood friends the emotional toll of religious conflict in Ethiopia becomes viscerally clear.
Uwem Akpan’s debut signals the arrival of a breathtakingly talented writer who gives a matter-of-fact reality to the most extreme circumstances in stories that are nothing short of transcendent. | | | Features: | |
• ISBN13: 9780316086370
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Uwem Akpan | | Paperback:
| 384 pages | | Publisher:
| Back Bay Books | | Publication Date:
| September 18, 2009 | | ISBN:
| 0316086371 | | Product Length:
| 8.57 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.22 inches | | Product Height:
| 1.04 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.74 pounds | | Package Length:
| 8.2 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.5 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.1 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.85 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 135 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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 Say You're One of Them = great purchase.Aug 22, 2010
The quality of the product I got was great as well as the content. I would suggest it to anyone interested in social issues or expanding their horizons. It's shocking throughout and definitely leaves an impression.
Fascinating and deeply emotional bookAug 21, 2010
When I finished reading this book, my first thought was 'Who will discuss this book with me?' Every page opened my eyes to another world. Every story made me more and more grateful of the evidently plush life I've led as a middle-class American. This is one of those books I want to highly recommend, but as much as it's changed my outlook, I can't recommend it to just anybody. I honestly think everyone needs to read it, but it's graphic nature (at points), and the fact that's it's narrated by children is almost too much to handle some times. I realize it's fiction, but it's probably one of the best fiction books I've ever read.
An Important ReadAug 15, 2010
Five stories (all written in the eyes of children) that are heartbreaking, not only because of the story lines but also because they are based on fact. These children are living in terrible circumstances, yet Akpan reminds us that they bounce back quickly to try to survive. Some of the dialog takes some getting used to, but once you figure it out, everything flows smoothly. As the author mentions, many Americans know little about life elsewhere and seemingly, don't want to know. Read these heart-wrenching stories, and you will know a little more about life elsewhere, specifically in Africa. Although depressing, these stories are well-written and impressive... I am in awe.
A face to the realities we skip over in the newsAug 04, 2010
An extremely well written book that puts a human face on the poverty and conflicts pervasive throughout sub-saharan Africa. I'm a bit surprised by those who gave it a bad rating because it wasn't cheery enough...that's kind of the point. In these days of non-stop news focused intentially on creating polarization around US social policies we tend to skip through the suffering in much of the rest of the world (it is, after all, not here). This book puts it in your face and makes you care. Other reviewers have gone through the individual stories - so I won't re-hash that. I will recommend getting the audio version of the book. I've both read and listened to the stories and the African accents of the audio version really bring the stories to life.
 So depressing!Aug 01, 2010
I could not bring myself to finish the last story. Maybe in a couple months I can finish the book. It's too depressing. This book is really opened my eyes to how children in Africa live and suffer. You always hear about how things are bad there generally, but this author really brings the point home. And that is why I could not finish the book - I felt like it's not really fiction, some variation of the short stories is happening right now to many African children. Recommend it only if you are in the mood for a depressing book.
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