These 5 books by African authors must be on your reading list

There has never been a better time than right now to be a reader of African literature.

Of course, we are still playing catch-up.

So if you’re looking for something to read, and you want it to have the word “African” attached to it, here are my top 5 suggestions for you.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Gyasi’s characters are so fully realized, so elegantly carved. The writer sets for herself drawing not just a lineage of two sisters, but two related people. Gyasi is deeply concerned with human trafficking.

The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz

This Egyptian novel is set in a dystopic Egyptian setting. After a failed uprising, a sinister authority, the Gate, rises to power. The story then revolves around a wounded man who is waiting for permission to remove a bullet.  The novel is, intriguingly and structured using his medical records.

Born On A Tuesday by Elnathan John

This Nigerian novel is set in the (largely Islamic) north of the country, Born on a Tuesday is Elnathan John’s debut as a novelist. Though he’s already had a storied career as journalist, blogger, tweeter and short story writer. (Don’t ask him if he’s one of Chimamanda’s boys).

The Kindness of Enemies by Leila Aboulela

The winner of the very first Caine Prize for African writing in 2000, Leila Aboulela is always briskly readable, but her intimate stories also have a depth and weight to them that stays with you long after you’ve put the book down. And though there is no shortage of secular writers writing about religion, Aboulela is the rare reverse, a novelist whose deep Muslim faith animates her explorations of Islamic identity in the secular world.

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi

A short story collection from Helen Oyeyemi . No one does the uncanny like she does, or  explores the complex nature of childhood. Get it; read it; tell your friends.