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Say You're One of Them
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Say You're One of Them
Unavailable
Say You're One of Them
Audiobook11 hours

Say You're One of Them

Written by Uwem Akpan

Narrated by Kevin Free, Robin Miles and Dion Graham

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Uwem Akpan's stunning stories humanize the perils of poverty and violence so piercingly that few readers will feel they've ever encountered Africa so immediately. The eight-year-old narrator of "An Ex-Mas Feast" needs only enough money to buy books and pay fees in order to attend school. Even when his twelve-year-old sister takes to the streets to raise these meager funds, his dream can't be granted. Food comes first. His family lives in a street shanty in Nairobi, Kenya, but their way of both loving and taking advantage of each other strikes a universal chord.
In the second of his stories published in a New Yorker special fiction issue, Akpan takes us far beyond what we thought we knew about the tribal conflict in Rwanda. The story is told by a young girl, who, with her little brother, witnesses the worst possible scenario between parents. They are asked to do the previously unimaginable in order to protect their children. This singular collection will also take the reader inside Nigeria, Benin, and Ethiopia, revealing in beautiful prose the harsh consequences for children of life in Africa.
Akpan's voice is a literary miracle, rendering lives of almost unimaginable deprivation and terror into stories that are nothing short of transcendent.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateNov 3, 2009
ISBN9781607884460
Unavailable
Say You're One of Them

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Reviews for Say You're One of Them

Rating: 3.6611109999999996 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

360 ratings35 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    If you are looking for a book that will restore your faith in humanity and your hope for a brighter future for mankind, this is not the book you are looking for. The stories in this collection show kids in horrible situations, victims of the various evils their communities create for them, including extreme poverty, child trafficking, sexual molestation, murder, and genocidal violence. While the stories are fiction, they are based on real life, and bring to life several horrible events in recent African history that are often reduced to less unpleasant, safer narratives in news reports and history books. Kids all over the world are subjected to similar evils, so not only do these stories make the horrific conditions in parts of Africa disturbingly real, but they also show what kids closer to home are going through, from their own perspectives. Reading this book may not inspire readers to like humanity more, but it may lead to some rather fruitful discussions about what we are doing to ourselves and how we can make things better.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Good but sad
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Interesting short stories about Africa and the conflicts there. They were very depressing. About genocide, religious conflict, and child slavery. The dialogue was hard to read because it was all written in broken English. The stories were well written but depressing.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Absolutely horrific. Anyone who thinks life in the US is bad should read these stories.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is an intense collection of stories about what it is like to live in Africa in the countries torn by religious conflict, political conflict, and violence. Each story is hopeful and despairing at the same time. Mr. Akpen's writing is very matter-of-fact regardless of the intensity of actions and situations in the stories, which somehow makes it all very readable. Themes addressed include: Muslim v. Christian conflict, family loyalty, desperation of poverty, HIV/Aids, survival instinct, conflict between tribal rule, dictatorships, and democracy, and the desire for peace.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I wanted to like this book--I love foreign settings--but I had a hard time getting through this book because I didn't understand much of the dialect in pidgeon English. It felt authentic (except for the story in Benin--wouldn't they be speaking a Beninese language?) but made it hard to figure out what was going on plot-wise.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Powerful short stories that it is hoped will encourage readers to learn more and delve deeper into the ethnic conflicts that have and continue to plague Africa and other parts of the world.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Say You're One of Them By Uwem Akpan Short stories from life in Nigeria. As Mr. Akpan was growing up in a small village, he experienced and witnessed an extraordinary amount of love and compassion in this turbulent land. He was ordained as a Jesuit priest later in life and then continued on with and MFA in creative writing. This interesting mixed education brings his short stories to life. Some of these are incredibly sad. This writer has an intense connection to his characters that enables the reader to both visualize and care about each and every one of them. There is so much turbulence in Africa, yet the people can still stare up at a beautiful starry night and appreciate the beauty in which they live. If you enjoy reading about Africa, this is a good read. It is not necessarily enjoyable as much as deeply thoughtful.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was a very brief audiobook, being only 3 CDs long, with one story per CD. Of course, my copy does say "Unabridged Selections: 3 Stories on 3 CDs read by Robin Miles and Dion Graham". So it seems that this is not the complete book, but only 3 of the stories from the book.The first story was the most powerful, told from the perspective of a young girl in Rwanda living through the genocidal slaughter of the Tutsi by Hutu members- a slaughter that turned family members and friends and neighbors against one another. This story drew me in, and the characters came alive for me. I loved this story, in a tragic and broken and heart-wrenching sort of way.The second CD contained the story of a destitute Kenyan family living in shanty town, trying to gather presents for "X-Mas" (it was odd hearing them continually calling it "X-Mas" and never "Christmas"). This was my least favorite of the three stories.The final CD consisted of the story of two young girls, best friends for years, torn apart by the religious differences of their parents. The third CD ends with an interview with the good-natured author.These stories were brought to life by two narrators with authentic African accents, breathing life into the characters. As I've said before, I loved the first story, and loved the narration.This was a quick audiobook, allowing me to listen through it in just a few hours, even though I had my attention towards the book continually interrupted by my workday. If all of the stories had been as good as the first one, this book would have been fantastic, but as it was the book was "okay". It had its moments.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    These stories of the children of Africa should be compulsory reading for everyone. I knew the situation for most of Africa's children was bleak - and considered myself aware of and sensitive to it. But this book made me feel it, and has taken me beyond complacency towards actively alerting others to the situation, and seeking ways to contribute to eliminating this horror. In the future,people will look back at us and be horrified that we allowed this situation to exist. Much like people look back at Nazi Germany and ask how right-thinking people did nothing to stop the genocide.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Five harrowing stories about Africa's children.We read this book for a book group and although I would normally avoid short stories for such discussions, these were sufficiently similarly themed to make for an enlightening evening. The universal subject of horrors witnessed or experienced by Africa's children was a harrowing topic, however, and some readers did not manage to complete all the stories.Personally, I thought some were better than others and had a big problem with the language in 'Fattening for Gabon'. It didn't seem to me that it was necessary to make the speach so inaccessible, we would have achieved the same, if not better, understanding with more comprehensible language.The other story that caused me to drop a point in the star rating was 'Luxurious Hearses'; it was just too slow and drawn out.Having said that, generally the author was spot-on in tugging at our heart strings and it was certainly a collection that will stay with me for many months. It is a wonder that children can ever recover from such horrors and it is a poor refection on us as adults that they should ever have to.Another book that I read recently on a similar theme was The Go-Away Bird by Warren Fitzgerald, set in Rwanda, also recommended reading.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Each one of these stories is a dagger through the heart. The stories in this collection are all seen through the eyes of children, and each story illuminates in gripping and heartbreaking detail and intensity the violence, strife and economic struggles to be found throughout Africa. Each story takes place in a different country, and through the eyes of the child protagonists, we are taken into the heart of poverty, child slavery and cold-blooded inter-tribal and inter-religion slaughter. The writing is stunning, bringing each character and each tragic situation fully alive in all its inhuman, but also human, intensity. This is a very rough book, but, I think, an essential one. Highest possible rating.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a book of short stories. Actually there are three short stories and two longer short stories. Each story is told from the point of view of a child living in Africa. The stories are about poverty, abuse, religious turmoil, child trafficking, tribal conflict and survival by any means possible. They are told in a flat, almost unemotional voice which did not by any means take away the emotion of the stories.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I don't know, I just couldn't get into these stories. Maybe it's because it's stories, and not a cohesive plotline. I am not put off by the depressing topics. But I found I could not ingratiate myself with any of the characters, and gave up a few stories in (that really, really, really loooong one that seemed to never want to end).
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a truly eye opening collection of stories, each from a child's perspective, about issues of survival in today's Africa. While the stories are set in a few countries, they don't try to single any one out in particular. Nor are the people all poor, uneducated and oppressed. The stories encompass a diverse Africa, more unique and real than I knew. I was drawn into many situations that I found myself overwhelmed at what was required just to survive, let alone triumph over the adversities.The writing is eloquent in giving a voice to an Africa unseen by most of the world outside her borders. It made each story live beyond just facts on a page. These things were happening to people I felt close to, and cared about. Take the plunge. Read this book. I'm sure you'll remember it long after you finish.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a collection of five short stories. Each story is written from a child's perspective, living in a different part of Africa. These children are put through unimaginable situations that in this part of the work seem impossible. It was gut wrenching to read but certainly eye-opening to the types of things happening in other parts of the world.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I've never had to worry about not having food or shelter. I never had to wonder whether or not I would be able to attend school. These are some things that have always been an automatic in my life. I find that a lot of people take the most simple things for granted, me included. I don't know what I would do if I were to walk in someone else's shoes. One of the main reasons I love books is because it gives you a chance to be someone else. At least until you turn the last page. Part of the reason that I am as strong as I am, is because reading gives me strength. This book/audiobook, cannot be read/heard without feeling a sense of empowerment. As you've probably guessed, I really enjoyed this.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Some books will tell you stories, truths, you would rather not know. This is one. Say You're One of Them is a series of stories about the horrors of Africa told through the eyes of children. The first two stories were the most moving. "An Ex-mas Feast" portrays the destruction of a family as a 12 year old girl prostitutes herself in the hope of putting her younger brother through school. "Fattening for Gabon" is told through the eyes of a young boy taken in, along with his little sister, by his uncle when their parents are dieing of AIDS. I wish the book cover had not given away the uncle's plans for these children and, as a reader, I was left to discover the terrible truth along with the main character. One of the longer pieces, Luxurious Hearses, is too much of a polemic. It places muslim, Christian, soldier, police, democrat and traditional chief in a bus together for a journey in the midst of cultural riots. Although told from the pov of a 16-year-old boy, it fails to create the empathy achieved in the other stories.This is an important book. Most of us would rather not know about the individual suffering, especially the suffering of children, that takes place in Africa. But one hopes this voice will help bring about change.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Say you're one of them is a compilation of short stories that tackles the ills facing Africa. Where this book differs from many other books is that it presents Africa from the perspective of children in different perilous circumstances from homelessness, prostitution, genocide, slavery etc. It is a powerful book that speaks to the state of childhood and the destruction of innocence.The title of the book derives from the instructions given by a mother to her daughter just before the genocidal mob arrives at their house. The daughter is half Hutu(her father) and half Tutsi(her mother). As her mother tries to figure out how to escape, she wants her child protected from the mob and leaves this instruction in the hopes that that a Hutu affiliation will save them.There is also the story of two siblings sent to live with an uncle as their parents die of AIDS. At first all is going well but suddenly their uncle seems to be flush with cash. He buys a new motorcycle and holds an elaborate party in his church to celebrate his new fortune. But this fortune comes at a price, one that the children will soon discover involves them.There is also a story of child prostitution with one child sacrificing her body to provide money for her family and get an education for her brother. Another story documents the journey of a sixteen year old boy as he tries to flee northern Nigeria when his own people turn on him. He gets on a bus packed with mostly southerners who are themselves fleeing and hopes to join his southern family who he has never met. He tries to conceal his northern identity by remaining silent most of the time but once in a while finds himself on the verge of discovery. As he interacts and observes his fellow passengers, he realizes how lost he is in his own country. The product of an inter tribal marriage between a northerner and a southerner, he has spent most of his life in the north and has been a Muslim for most of his life. With the outbreak of religious and ethnic violence, he tries to flee the north in hopes of joining his southern family where he hopes he may be shielded from the violence.The stories enclosed are all heart breaking. Genocide, poverty, war etc are all sad facts but when they are happening to children, they are even sadder. Many times as I read, I found myself getting annoyed at the actions taken by the main characters. But then I had to remind myself, they are children. They are acting as children ought and are naive as to certain evils in the world. They want to trust authority figures, they want to hang on to a kind face but what happens when the authorities betray you and the kind face hides a monster?The book did tend to get long winded at times but I think that is because it is told from the perspective of children who many times will document everything both relevant and irrelevant. Also as I read, I noticed that there were a lot of African phrases, local patois and idioms thrown. I was left wondering how much a person who is unfamiliar with Africa, African speech and dialects will grasp the full meaning and importance of what is transpiring. Personally I believe that this may in fact hinder the full enjoyment of the book for someone without the aforementioned knowledge but I could be wrong.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A powerful collection of short stories told through the eyes of children living in different countries in Africa. Each story left me speechless. In America, where we can find hope if we are looking, it's hard to imagine a place that is filled with such hopelessness. But in the face of such adversity all children are able to carve out a place for joy. Even if you only read one or two stories, you'll come away with a better sense of the struggles that exist in the far away continent of Africa.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Short stories that tell with touching sadness how the children in Africa live their daily lives. Written almost lyrically, the inclusion of many African dialects adds difficulty to the text and unfortunately, the subject matter left me with feelings of despair. There is little hope for these children: A 12 year old girl whose prostitution provides the family's only income as she tries to earn enough to send her younger brother to school; a brother and younger sister being sold into slavery by their uncle as their parents die of Hiv/aids; two little girls who are best friends but kept apart by their parents due to religious differences; a Muslim teenager trying to pass himself off as Christian on a bus trip between the warring North and South of his country; and two children witnessing the horrors of Rwanda. Tough stuff.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was an informative book about life in many different African villages during various times. I really was quite ignorant about such things that took place or are taking place in that country. Most stories were quite sad. I am glad that I read the book , would like to do more research, but was a little disappointed in the overall content. But, then again, short stories are not my favorites anyway. I usually avoid them.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This was incredibly painful to read. The stories of how children are treated and what they experience are painful. The dialogue, with so many foreign words thrown in, is confusing. The tone is depressing because although this is fiction, part of you realizes that life is really like this for too many people in the world. I'm glad I tried it, but its not something I would necessarily recommend or ever re-read. To me, this book is a slap in the face.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Stories of abused and battered children in Africa are legion, but few cut as close to the bone as this collection by Uwem Akpan. His five tales, two of which are novella length, are told with the uninhibited, truth-filled voices of the children involved. Each one takes place in a different country but the theme is universal: the biggest challenge faced by children in Africa is staying alive.Akpan, a Jesuit priest with an MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan, piles on details available only to one intimately familiar with the lives described. Be forewarned: some of those details are gruesome to the point of causing distress, which I am sure was his intent. The imagery can range from the droll, like the description of the motorbike loaded with five people, various fruits and vegetables, a rooster and five rolls of toilet paper in "Fattening for Gabon," to the most horrific sight a child can see, a parental bloodbath, in "My Parents' Bedroom." This story ends the book and is the source of the title "Say you're one of them," the command given by a desperate Rwandan Tutsi mother to her Hutu-fathered child as machete-wielding killers approach.Various dialects are used masterfully to both reveal characters and set scenes. The jargon, slang, and foreign phrases may be off-putting to some readers, but little meaning is lost when the dialogue is read in full context. Quite frankly, the only time many readers can bear to imagine events like those in the book is when they take place on foreign shores. We can be sickened and outraged by horrors on another continent; the same happenings across the street from where we live would paralyze us with fright. Fortunately, Akpan's familiarity with African poetry infuses much of the writing, giving the book a lyrical tone that keeps the more violent passages from slipping into slasher-movie territory.As a person who has photographed and written about Africa extensively, I must confess I was not shocked by Akpan's stories. Unfortunately, tales like them are all too familiar to me. I was deeply moved by his dramatic intensity, however, and highly appreciative of his ability to put the reader inside the children's lives.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    God, Africa is just depressing. You sorta know that as you go into a book like this but this is just a particularly heartbreaking set of stories. Gruesome, hopeless, but with a sense of beauty even in the midst of horror.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    All short stories. Different things that others must deal with to just make it each day.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    these are unforgettable, haunting, disturbing stories about Africa that are so well written, and so hard to read. Proceed with caution!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Beautifully rendered stories of children in precarious situations beyond their control. Heartbreaking and touching. These are children of Africa during challenging times, stories of families from a child's point of view.

    Uwem Akpan is an important voice. I like his writing ethic; he cares about details and getting them right. I listened to this on audio as well as the interview with the author at the end.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    An Oprah Book Club book - so it is depressing. Oprah Book Club and depressing are synonymous.. Does she ever pick a happy book? I won't read a book because it is an Oprah Book Club, I might read it in despite of that.The CD had 3 of the 5 stories from the book.My Parents Bedroom is about the horrible fighting between the Hutus and the Tutsis. I hadn't heard of the Twa before this CD.An Ex mas Feast Do they really say ex-mas? I was so annoyed at the boy throwing away his future because his sister left.What Language is That a young Christian Ethiopian girl doesn't understand why she can no longer be Best Friends with her Muslim neighbor.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Say You're One of Them tells the story of families in different parts of the world. Their struggles of life and the world they live in. It brings you into a glimpse of their world and lets you know how the things they see really are. I enjoyed reading it but there was parts that I found very graphic and was not prepared to read. Being 14 I read the back of the book expecting just stories. But I ended up with more then I wanted to read. It tells of a young brother and sister whose uncle is attempting to sell them into slavery. i was overwhelmed with how fast the book got into a more adult part of the book. It also tells about a boy whose sister faces the world and has no choice but to be involved in prostitution. It tells of how his mother can't handle that fact so resorts to making her name a dirty thing. It also tells of how they get high off of shoe glue to fill their hunger. I would defiantly suggest that reading this book when your older would be better. I wish to read this book in its entirety, but when I know that I can handle the graphic parts a bit better. This book brings you into a different world and will change your thoughts on the inner workings of the world.