African Authored books that you love...

[Lydia Jamyoung]

This comment "...While I am pleased at how diverse our reading culture is, and how many people appreciate it here, I am greatly disappointed that in that list there is no book by an African author...."
on the discussion "how many of these books have you read" , really hit home on African books, and authorship.
Most of the African books i read were as a result of the educational system bestowed on me by the government :).
Later, when i went to campus, i happened to read African literature because my roommate was a literature student.
Anywho, some of my favorite African literature are:
1. After 4:30- by David Maillu- this book defined sexuality in an African context for me.
2. My dear bottle: By David Maillu (Clearly i love this author)- this one was hilarious, it was basically long poems on drinking, its effects, women and politics. you can never really separate the three, can you?
3. The concubine- Elechi Amadi
4. Mariam Ba- So long a letter- i am not saying anything about this, if you haven't read it, go look for it.
5. Alfu lela ulela- yes, basically because it was 1001 Arabian nights in Swahili. And i loved---love 1001 Arabian nights.
6. And of course there is Half of a yellow sun and Purple hibiscus by you know who.

So, which African authored books have you read, and would recommend?

[Lydia Jamyoung]

Also, how could i forget Allah is not obliged (my favorite) and Cyprian Ekwensi's Boa suitor and the drummer boy, books i started reading as a kid!

[Nina Mwiti Mugira]

I highly recommend the following books from African writers and other continents:

 

1. Blossoms of the Savanna- H.R kutet ( Kenya)****

2. Anthills of the Savanna- Chinua Achebe ( Nigeria)

3. Purple Hibiscus- Chimamanda Adichie ( Nigeria)****

4. The Joys of Motherhood- Buchi Emecheta( Nigeria)**

5. Nervous Conditions- Tsitsi Dangarembga ( Zimbabwe)******

6. The Color Purple- Alice Walker ( America)**

7. God Dies by the Nile- Nawal el Sadawi ( Egypt)*

8. So Long a Letter- Mariama Ba( Senegal)****

9. Petals of Blood- Ngugi wa Thiong'o ( Kenya)

10. I Will Marry when I Want- Ngugi wa Thiong'o ( Kenya)***

11. God's Bits of Wood- Sembene Ousmane ( Senegal)*

12. The Caucasian Chalk Circle- Bertolt Brecht (Germany)

13. Luanda Magere- Okoiti Omtata ( Kenya)

14. She Ate the Female Cassava- Jimmi Makotsi (Kenya)*

15. Devil on the Cross- Ngugi wa Thiong'o ( Kenya)

16. The River and the Source- Grace Ogot ( Kenya)

17. Why the Caged Birds Sing- Maya Angelou ( America)

18. Hullabaloo in The Guava Orchard- Kiran Desai ( India)*

19. Inheritance of Loss- Kiran Desai ( India)

20. Memoirs of a Geisha- Arthur Golden ( America)

21. A Thousand Splendid Suns- Khaled Hosseini ( Afghanistan)*****

22. Wizard of the Crow- Ngugi wa Thiong'o (Kenya)**

23. Allah is Not Obliged- Ahmadou Kourouma (Côte d'Ivoire) ***

 

I shall post more with time. (* Favorite reads)

[Ruth Lucinde]

You have to add The Concubine by Elechi Amadi to the list.Enough said..

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[James Wamathai]

1. The Men From Pretoria by Hilary Ng'weno
2. Children of our alley by Naguib Mahfouz
3. God’s Bits of Wood – By Sembene Ousmane

I think Lydia and Nina have already mentioned the others that i like. Those that i can remember anyway. 

I asked my followers which were their favourites and here's what some of them said:

1. Beneath the Lion's gaze By Maaza Mengiste. - Wambui Waithaka

2. A Map Of Love By Ahdaf Souef - Clifton Anthony

[Jacque Ndinda]

Thanks Nina for this! 

[Nina Mwiti Mugira]

There's this book, The Cockroach Dance by Meja Mwangi. You gotta read it. A witty dialogue and a very beautiful plot. Also, read Kill Me Quick by the same author.