From School Library Journal
---------------------------
After leaving his Koranic training, Dantala is sidetracked
and lives on the streets with friends who provide him with
"wee-wee" (marijuana). But when his world erupts in violence,
Dantala takes shelter in a mosque. The imam, Sheikh Jamal,
informally adopts him, and Dantala spends years working with his
mentor, learning English, calling prayers, and becoming his
official assistant. Northern Nigeria is a violent place—different
factions of Islam are at war with one another, and the only
constancy is political corruption and savagery. Dantala's naive,
sincere teen voice will ring true with young adults, especially
as he falls in love and confronts the death of loved ones.
Ultimately, this novel, based on the author's award-winning short
story, "Bayan Layi," is about the terrors of war and the children
who suffer. Dantala may wander down the wrong path, but his
religious faith serves as his guide when all hope is lost.
Fundamentalism is the antagonist here, and Nigerian author John's
beautiful, literary coming-of-age debut will resonate with
readers; teens will also come away with a strong understanding of
Nigeria and Islam. Pair with Alex Award winner Ishmael Baeh's
child soldier memoir A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
for a discussion about choices and redemption. VERDICT A rich and
nuanced work for school libraries needing quality contemporary
fiction.—Sarah Hill, Lake Land College, Mattoon, IL
Read more ( javascript:void(0) )
Review
------
Praise for Born on a Tuesday:
Winner of the 2017 Betty Trask Prize
A Finalist for the Nigeria Prize for Literature
Nominated for 2017 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award
An Indies Introduce selection
An Best Book of the Month in literature & fiction
Longlisted for the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature
“[John] has produced a thoughtful, nuanced first novel, employing
a style that is as unadorned as it is unflinching . . . His
restraint in handling difficult material is just one of his many
gifts . . . Born on a Tuesday brings home the reality of what is
happening in northern Nigeria with a power the news reports of
Boko Haram’s atrocities can’t adequately project. Elnathan John
is a writer to watch.”—Fiammetta Rocco, New York Times Book
Review
“A nuanced first novel illuminates the rise of radical Islam in
northern Nigeria.”—New York Times Book Review, Editors’ Choice
“[An] impressive debut . . . I was carried along by the endearing
voice of the young, sensitive narrator, his instinctive goodness
and intelligence in making sense and finding beauty in the
brutality, poverty, and oppression surrounding him. The novel
manages to pull off two s at the same time―giving the reader a
sophisticated understanding of contemporary Nigerian politics and
the pleasure of a tender and classy coming of age story.”―Leila
Aboulela, Millions, A Year in Reading
“Elnathan John’s first novel is an ambitious book that tackles
modern Nigeria’s extremely complex religious landscape with great
in, passion, and humor by taking us deep into the mental and
emotional space of the country's most neglected.”—Uzodinma
Iweala, author of Beasts of No Nation
“With brave, unflinching candor expressed through spare,
unadorned prose, Elnathan John considers the rise of Islamic
extremism in Nigeria as experienced by one young man. Anyone
seeking to peer beyond the media's portrayals of Boko Haram must
read this book, not because it offers a hopeful account but
because it offers a human one.”—Taiye Selasi, author of Ghana
Must Go
“[An] inful debut novel about religious extremism in Nigeria
. . . John writes with an understated elegance and we discover
humour and wisdom in the most unexpected of places.”—Guardian
(UK)
“A Nigerian bildungsroman featuring Dantala, a street kid thrust
calamitously into the arms of a gentle sheikh, who thereafter
faces Islamic extremism and the cruelty of his own country.”—O,
The Oprah Magazine, “10 Titles to Pick Up Now”
“Elnathan John’s beautifully written novel is a moving and deeply
felt debut from a writer of prodigious talent.”—Petina Gappah,
author of The Book of Memory
“This debut novel by a Nigerian author couldn’t be more timely,
or powerful.”—Newsday
“This sweeping debut novel by Caine Prize–finalist John is
poignant and compelling . . . Told through a blend of
first-person narration and diary pages, John skillfully employs
Dantala’s probing voice to pose crucial questions and explore
collisions between modernity and tradition, Arabic and English,
rhetoric and action . . . John has written a stunning, important
coming-of-age story.”—Publishers Weekly (boxed and starred
review)
“A Nigerian boy struggles to survive in a violent, disintegrating
world. Like the most famous coming-of-age-in-hell story of all,
Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young Girl, Nigerian lawyer and political
commentator John's debut novel makes an old nightmare new by
placing a bright, articulate, curious, and endearing young
narrator in the midst of it . . . An action-packed,
heartbreaking, and eye-opening debut from a great new
talent.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Elnathan John’s debut coming of age novel is a striking and
unnervingly assured depiction of a complex and tumultuous world.
John’s writing is controlled and lucid, full of compassion yet
fiercely unerring.”—Colin Barrett, author of Young Skins
“Working in the tradition of Achebe, Elnathan John has penned a
coming of age novel worthy of Twain. At times tragic, at times
humorous, Born on a Tuesday is the story of those who find the
courage to transcend violence even when born to its
confines.”—Elliot Ackerman, author of Green on Blue
“A tough, topical, directly-written book, devoid of
sentimentality, and yet engaging, troubling and sad. The sense of
place is wholly immersive, conjuring the villages and roads of
troubled Nigeria with a deft and effortless touch.”―Betty Trask
Prize judges
“Nigerian lit is experiencing a renaissance right now, with a
young generation of writers leading the way. Names like
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chigozie Obioma, and Chinelo Okparanta
are critically accled . . . Presenting a wide spectrum of
religious interpretation and adherence, John’s portrayal of
northwestern Nigeria is both subtle and precise. Add Elnathan
John to that list.”—Globe and Mail (Toronto)
“Nigerian author John’s story is an absorbing and sometimes
disquieting look inside the contemporary Muslim world.”—Booklist
“Born on a Tuesday . . . is an engagement with one of the most
vexing questions of this or any other time: Why is religion a
source of moral guidance and understanding for billions of
people, and also the impetus for ISIS-type acts of violence? . .
. His story of a young Muslim man witnessing the rise of jihadism
in northern Nigeria is an honest reckoning with the problem, and
one with implications beyond its particular setting and religious
context.”—
“Wrenching . . . this is one heck of a debut novel, and we are
confident you will be moved.”—Bookish, “Spring 2016 Fiction
Preview”
“Mesmerizing . . . [Dantala’s] journey from a lost boy to a
position of remarkable authority in his mosque in Sokoto, Nigeria
is powerfully moving and rich in period-specific detail . . .
Masterful.”—Jenny Lyons, The Vermont Bookshop
“Weaving everyday life, observations, religion, and politics
together with a fresh, compelling voice and powerful writing,
Born on a Tuesday will resonate with book clubs and readers
alike.”—Rebekah Hendrian, Book Nook & Java Shop, Montague, MI
“This powerful and gut-wrenching book is an unflinching look at
the brutality wrought on the life of innocents by those vying for
even small as of power.”—Anmiryam Budner, Main Point Books,
Bryn Mawr, PA
“This isn’t an easy book to read but it is a book that must be
read and it hasn’t been since Chris Cleave’s Little Bee that I
have felt so raw, eyes opened and uncomfortable with the truth
staring me straight in the eyes from a novel. While this may be a
work of fiction, it is happening now and feels so real and such
an important and vital piece of writing of stories that need to
be heard.”—Jessica Sweedler DeHart, BookPeople of Moscow, Idaho
“I was completely pulled into Dantala’s world . . . How easy it
is for those of us from a stable country to judge young men from
other nations who are lured into following leaders simply for the
promise of a full belly!”—Jamie Fiocco, Flyleaf Books, Chapel
Hill, NC
“A fast paced, compelling, heart wrenching yet humorous read . .
. Born on a Tuesday brings together a great plot, descriptive
prose and humour while also exposing the reader to a harrowing
reality of people in a part of the world whose voices we barely
hear . . . Pure brilliance.”—Media Diversified (UK), “Top 12
books by novelists of color published in 2015”
Read more ( javascript:void(0) )
See all Editorial Reviews (
/dp/product-description/0802124828/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&isInIframe=0
)
