SYNOPSIS
Jessamy “Jess” Harrison is eight years old. Sensitive, whimsical, possessed of an extraordinary and powerful imagination, she spends hours writing haiku, reading Shakespeare, or simply hiding in the dark warmth of the airing cupboard. As the child of an English father and a Nigerian mother, Jess just can’t shake off the feeling of being alone wherever she goes, and the other kids in her class are wary of her tendency to succumb to terrified fits of screaming.
Believing that a change from her English environment might be the perfect antidote to Jess’s alarming mood swings, her parents whisk her off to Nigeria for the first time where she meets her mother’s family—including her formidable grandfather.
Jess’s adjustment to Nigeria is only beginning when she encounters Titiola, or TillyTilly, a ragged little girl her own age. To Jess, it seems that, at last, she has found someone who will understand her. But gradually, TillyTilly’s visits become more disturbing, making Jess start to realize that she doesn’t know who TillyTilly is at all.
Helen Oyeyemi draws on Nigerian mythology to present a strikingly original variation on a classic literary theme: the existence of "doubles," both real and spiritual, who play havoc with our perceptions and our lives. Lyrical, haunting, and compelling, The Icarus Girl is a story of twins and ghosts, of a little girl growing up between cultures and colors. It heralds the arrival of a remarkable new talent.
MY REVIEW
The book started off slow... I didn't know what to expect from it AT ALL.
I just didn't expect it to scare me so much. It's been long since I have really thought about "Ogbanjes" and "Abikus"... this book scared me.
It is not the best book out there but it's scary, I don't want to read it again. The synopsis says a lot about the book already - Me, I was uncomfortably scared o...
I guess some people might enjoy it... I just wanted to get it over and done with QUICKLY.
I didn't really like it, I felt like I had to force myself to finish it.
It had some history about the Ijaws, etc... I learnt a little there. The main character's history - how her mother met her father, etc but the rest of the story - was JUST OK.
Has anyone read it? What'd you think?
I bought a magazine last week - New Woman - and it came with a free book "Ready or Not" by Chris Manby. CHICKLIT!!! I have had a long break from chicklit, so I think I should enjoy this book.
Brief Review: Finding Fish By Antwone Fisher
I watched the movie, 'Antwone Fisher' a few years ago and it is not exactly like the book. I liked the movie but I think I prefer the book.
This is Antwone Fisher's true story... he was born in an institution where his Mum was being held and from them on, he was a 'Ward of the State'. His first 2 years were relatively ok because his foster Mother liked him... then it went downhill from there.
He stayed with a family for 15(or more) years of his life and he went through a lot - abuse(sexual by a woman), abuse(physically by his foster parents, more from his foster mother), abuse(mentally by his foster mother). He could have ended up in jail but he didn't... he once witnessed a friend get shot, he was homeless for a short while... I don't want to say too much about the book BUT I REALLY LIKED IT - Please read it if you can...
Yellow-Yellow by Kaine Agary
SYNOPSIS: Zilayefa, a young girl of Greek and Nigerian parentage, leaves her rustic existence and the protective grip of her mother in the village, in search of a better life in the city. With a recommendation from her church pastor, she is taken in and catered for by Sisi, an elderly woman, and her young friend, Lolo.
Zilayefa is thrust into the bustling city of Port Harcourt, unprepared for the pitfalls awaiting a young girl so unsure of herself and in desperate need of direction. In Port Harcourt, Zilayefa is confronted by prejudices against her racial identity. She struggles with accepting the void left by not knowing her father and tries to fill that void with the attention of an older lover.
Through the experiences of her budding sexuality, Zilayefa grows to a higeher level of knowledge and understanding and must define for herself what her life should be.
When I'm done with the book, I'll leave a review... I might leave a mid-read(LOL!) review too.
NA WA O!!!!!
Where are the updates from my fellow Book Club Blog members??? WHERE?
Anyway, I read Wole Soyinka's 'Ake' and I really liked it... it was so funny! There were some sad parts BUT he told the whole story from a child's perspective so you could tell he was confused by death.
For a grown man to have written a book, so so well from a child's perspective... BEAUTIFUL!
READ this book if you can get a hold of it!
Currently Reading: Finding Fish by Antwone Fisher, did any of you watch the Denzel Washington directed 'Antwone Fisher'? The movie was based on this book. I am halfway through it and I must admit the first few pages were not great but now I'm on page 193, I read the book anytime I can get a free minute or two.
Has anyone read it? What's you think of it?
Synopsis(as seen on the back cover of the book)
Burning Grass is an enthralling tale of Northern Nigeria where, when the grass is burnt on the plains, the Fulani cattlemen move southwards towards the banks of the Niger. Mai Sunsaye, the hero of the story, is afflicted with the sokugo, the wandering sickness, and his experiences and those of his herdsmen make a fascinating tale
My Thoughts on the book
Does anyone (Nigerian ofcourse) remember 'Tales By Moonlight'? I think it was aired on Sundays and I, personally, loved ALL the stories narrated, and acted out.
When I started reading this book, it reminded me of something BUT I couldn't remember what!!! I couldn't follow the story because of the way it was written... THEN IT HIT ME!!! I had to imagine this being acted out in a 'Tales By Moonlight' way! Honestly, this changed the book for me completely!!! The bad English (spoken by the characters) felt natural, the disjointedness(is there such a word? LOL!) of the scenes- some characters were mentioned suddenly without being introduced, EVERYTHING!!!
I think what I am going to do is read this again in a couple of months... because I should have started the book all over again when I had this 'Tales By Moonlight' revelation instead of continuing... does this make sense to anyone?
Anyway, to summarise - This was a good story, readers should bear in mind that conversations are not held in perfect english... be open minded. Have this in mind, and you'll actually find the book interesting! I will definitely read it again and I am sure I will find it even more interesting the second time round!
Almost every time the phrase 'sexual harassment' comes up, people inadvertently think of a male-harassing-female situation, yet the reverse scenario exists.
If you were a man and your boss harassed you, only to turn around and accuse you of sexual harassment when you spurn her advances, what would you do? In a society that's very unsympathetic, you find yourself in hot soup. Everyone suddenly avoids you. Your colleagues, other people in the industry, and you get the usual snide remarks and made-up songs in the cafeteria. The only people who seem to believe you are your wife, your secretary and your friend's wife -- even your friend doesn't!
In the thick of things is your boss who mocks you with impunity when no one's looking. When you look at the facts that she was your lover ten long years ago, is the never-do-wrong pet of the big boss, and got the position everyone thought you would have, it's pretty easy to build up a case against you as a man with a motive. As the events unfold, are you a victim or is she the victim?
I've come to expect techno-thrillers from Crichton for quite a while -- Jurassic Park, Andromeda Strain, Terminal Man etc -- so I was pleasantly thrilled when I read this book dealing with sexual harassment and corporate corruption. I watched the film a year ago, and while it differs slightly from the book, I must say they compliment each other.
Read the book and watch the film in any order. I can assure you you won't regret it ;).
I have finished this book! It was so so so good!!! I couldn't believe I was enjoying a book this much... I read it standing on the platform waiting for the train/tube... I read it standing on the tube cos there was no room to sit... I read it on the escalator out of the tube station... I read it everywhere!!
It was so interesting and it educated me A LOT. I have heard about the Biafra War but I never really knew the details... This book educated me while it told different stories... of people linked to each other. How the war affected them, what they experienced, what they witnessed, I felt like I was there.
If you haven't read it, please get it and read it :-)
When I FINALLY got into the book, I really enjoyed it.
The book begins with:
"I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day in January of 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Petoskey, Michigan, in August of 1974"
My Review: This book is a saga. It tells the story of the main character's grandparents (brother and sister married each other!), parents (cousins married each other). Apparently, in-breeding is the main reason for the resulting Haemaphrodite, Callie.
The first 200 (and more) tell the story of her grandparents and parents... I didn't really find that interesting, I struggled through it.
Can you imagine living the first 13 years of life thinking you are a girl? Only to find out you are BOTH but more a BOY than a GIRL?
Born as Callie, the doctor who delivered her was OLD and distracted so he did not notice anything... Callie lived a normal young girl's life until PUBERTY. No period, No breasts, Broad shoulders, Lean hips... While all the girls in her year were growing breast, showing off about their periods.
Her parents had NO idea she was a haemaphrodite... her Mother starts to worry that she is not going through puberty as expected so Callie lies to her that she'd started her period, she also starts stuffing her bra. Callie was attracted to girls and she had a 'relationship' with 'The Object', a pretty girl in her school. She did try to have sex once with 'The Object's' brother and it hurt LIKE HELL so she stopped the penetration.
She knew she was different but successfully hid this until she was involved in an accident and it was during examination in the Emergency Room that the medical staff realised her 'Secret'... Her parents had some doctors see her and she was referred to a specialist doctor in New York. She went through some psychological evaluations and tests and found out(by reading the Doc's note without her parent's or doc's knowledge) that although she was raised as a girl - she had more of the male gene.
I think her life after the actual discovery was rushed because as I was getting more and more into the book, IT ENDED!!!
I will give this book 5/10 for the first 200 pages and 8/10 for the rest of the book.
On to my Next Book - White Teeth by Zadie Smith. This book BETTER be good or else someone's gonna pay! HaHa!!!