Book Reviews and Reflections
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Cover of Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self Recovery by bell hooks captured on my Kindle after a refreshing morning walk. 
Reading Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi, a timeless African feminist classic.
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – a powerful novel that stays with you long after the final page. 
Aminatta Forna’s acclaimed novel The Memory of Love, photographed on an Oshiwambi traditional handwoven basket. 
Read The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini during Read Caribbean Month, a powerful story set in Trinidad. 
Reading The Parlour Wife by Foluso Agbaje on Kindle. 
My daughter holding my copy of the Baby is Mine to the Sky on a bright sunny day. 
Hand holding This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga with greenery and brick houses in the background 
Cover of Tsitsi Dangarembga’s powerful sequel, The Book of Not, a bold exploration of race, identity, and belonging in postcolonial Zimbabwe. 
My personal copy of “The Book of Memory,” by Zimbabwean author Petina Gappah, is a haunting and powerful novel that explores identity, belonging, and the legacy of colonialism. 
My Kindle, a haunting read, and two silent witnesses — rereading My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite at golden hour. 
My copy of “Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night” by Sindiwe Magona. A warm afternoon read in the garden. 
My copy of We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo, captured on a quiet morning in the garden — a vibrant cover for a powerful story. 
Cover of Left to Tell by Immaculée Ilibagiza – A memoir of survival, faith, and forgiveness during the Rwandan Genocide. 
Cover of My Black Motherhood: Mental Health, Stigma, Racism and the System by Sandra Igwe — a powerful exploration of the realities Black mothers face in the UK.
“Nephilim Origins: Rise of the Nephilim” by Chido Hove – a captivating fantasy novel blending myth, power, and destiny.
The cover of “If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English” by Noor Naga presents a richly coloured artwork depicting a young Egyptian figure with curly hair, expressive eyes, and full lips, holding historical armour and weaponry. The title appears prominently in vibrant yellow text, complemented by the author’s name in white, against a dark, muted background. 
My copy of African Love Stories: An Anthology edited by Ama Ata Aidoo, captured on a sunny day. Photograph by Tungombili Shangadi. 
I Am Not Your Slave: A Memoir by Tupa Tjipombo and Chris Lockhart – a powerful story of resilience, identity, and reclaiming freedom from modern slavery. 
Holding Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter by Nozipo Maraire – a powerful exploration of identity, culture, and African womanhood, captured on a sunny day. 
Tungombili Shangadi with her World Book Day 2024 pick: Onyeka and the Secret Superhero by Tọlá Okogwu 
The stunning cover of Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie — a rich, emotionally layered novel about the lives of four women, longlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Book cover of Cack-Handed: A Memoir by British Nigerian comedian Gina Yashere. A bold and humorous memoir about identity, family, comedy, and resilience. 
Nnedi Okorafor’s Death of the Author is a sharp Afrofuturist tale that blurs the lines between creator and creation, reimagining authorship through a Black speculative lens. 
Official book cover of Zikora, a short story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. 
Review of Hope Amidst Tears: My Journey to Motherhood by Itunu Victor-Saleh – A deeply personal story about surviving a high-risk pregnancy and the emotional journey to motherhood.
Featured Review: The Purple Violet of Oshaantu by Neshani Andreas – A powerful novel about Namibian Aawambo women’s lives, friendship, and resilience. 
Review of Treasure by Oyinkan Braithwaite – A gripping dark short story exploring themes of social media, survival and hopes and dreams. 
Review of I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani – A compelling novel about survival, family duty, and Nigeria’s email scam industry. 
Review of The Wife’s Tale by Aida Edemariam – A beautifully written memoir about one woman’s extraordinary life in Ethiopia. 
Review of The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah – a bold and powerful exploration of self-discovery, freedom, and healing. 
Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad – Book Review 
Cover of The Visit, a 2021 short story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that flips the script on gender and power. 
Cover of Purple Hibiscus, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s award-winning debut novel exploring family, faith, silence, and resistance in postcolonial Nigeria. 
Cover of Tomorrow I Become a Woman, Aiwanose Odafen’s moving debut novel about love, loss, and resistance in the face of oppressive gender roles. 
Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga – A must-read African classic on identity and education 
Cover of Rootless, the 2023 debut novel by British-Ghanaian author Krystle Zara Appiah. A moving story of migration, motherhood, and mental health.
Book Review and Reflections: Mukwahepo: Woman, Soldier, Mother by Ellen Ndeshi Namhila
Book Review and Reflection Changes: A Love Story by Ama Ata Aidoo
Book Review and Reflection: A period is not a full stop: A woman’s journey with endometriosis by Olambimpe Fapohunda-Dube
Book Review and Reflection of Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine by Uché Blackstock, MD
Review and Reflection of Letter to My Daughter by Dr. Maya Angelou
Book Review and Reflection: We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan
Book Review and Reflection – Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery by bell hooks
Book Review and Reflection: Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi
Book Review and Reflection of Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Book Review and Reflection of The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna
Book Review and Reflection: The Bread The Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini
Book Review and Reflection: The Parlour Wife by Foluso Agbaje
Book Review and Reflection of The Baby Is Mine by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Book Review and Reflection of This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga
Book Review and Reflection: The Book of Not by Tsitsi Dangarembga
Book Review and Reflection of The Book of Memory by Petina Gappah
Book Review and Reflection: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Book Review and Reflection of Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night by Sindiwe Magona
Book Review and Reflection of We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
Book Review and Reflection: Left to Tell by Immaculée Ilibagiza
Book Review and Reflection of My Black Motherhood: Mental Health, Stigma, Racism and the System Sandra Igwe
Book Review and reflection of: Nephilim Origins: Rise of the Nephilim by Chido Hove
Book Review and Reflection of If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga
Book Review and Reflection of African Love Stories: An Anthology
Book Review and Reflection of I Am Not Your Slave: A Memoir by Tupa Tjipombo with Chris Lockhart
Book Review and Reflection of Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter by Nozipo Maraire
Book Review: Onyeka and the Secret Superhero by Tọlá Okogwu
Book Review and Reflection of Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Book Review and Reflection of Cack-Handed: A Memoir by Gina Yashere
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
Zikora by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, the African Way by Nompumelelo Mungi Ngomane Book Review
Hope Amidst Tears – My Journey to Motherhood by Itunu Victor-Saleh
The Purple Violet of Oshaantu by Neshani Andreas
Treasure by Oyinkan Braithwaite
I do not come to you by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
The Wife’s Tale: A Personal History by Aida Edemariam
The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah
Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad by Damilare Kuku
The Visit by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Tomorrow I become a woman by Aiwanose Odafen
Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
Rootless by Krystle Zara Appiah