Book picks similar to
The Incorruptible Judge by D. Olu Olagoke
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Machu Picchu The History and Mystery of the Incan City
Jesse Harasta - 2013
Though local inhabitants had known about it for century, Bingham documented and photographed the ruins of a 15th century settlement nestled along a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, placed so perfectly from a defensive standpoint that it’s believed the Spanish never conquered it and may have never known about it.
Soweto, Under the Apricot Tree
Niq Mhlongo - 2018
This tree has bitter-sweet memories, just like the fruit it bears.” If the apricot trees of Soweto could talk, what stories would they tell? This short story collection provides an imaginative answer. Imbued with a vivid sense of place, it captures the vibrancy of the township and surrounds. Told with satirical flair, life and death are intertwined in these tales where funerals and the ancestors feature strongly; where cemeteries are places to show off your new car and catch up on the latest gossip. Populating these stories is a politician mesmerised by his mistress’s manicure, zama-zamas running businesses underground, a sangoma with a remedy for theft, soccer fans ready to mete out a bloody justice, a private dancer in love and many other intriguing characters. Take your seat under the apricot tree and be enthralled by tales that are both entertaining and thought-provoking.
Barber Shop Chronicles
Inua Ellams - 2017
Six cities. A thousand stories.Newsroom, political platform, local hot spot, confession box, preacher-pulpit and football stadium. For generations, African men have gathered in barber shops to discuss the world.
Red Ink
Angela Makholwa - 2007
The Butcher wants Lucy to tell his story. Intrigued by his approach Lucy decides to take this opportunity to fulfill her dream of writing a book.
The Native Commissioner
Shaun Johnson - 2004
He prided himself on furthering relations between communities, speaking several tribal languages fluently and developing a reputation as a man to be trusted and sought after for help and advice. With a thriving young family, a devoted wife and a quick succession of promotions, George is proud of everything he has achieved so far, in particular the understanding he is fostering between whites and blacks. Then, in the wake of the 1948 elections, George feels a shift in the Native Affairs Department's agenda. As he is shunted from one outpost to another, his role becoming ever more hopeless, his place in South Africa's future increasingly hazy, he feels the weight of his powerlessness and finds himself fighting off a crippling depression. "The Native Commissioner" is a heart-wrenching portrayal of a kind and conscientious man who felt himself cast adrift under the weight of South African apartheid.
Radiance of Tomorrow
Ishmael Beah - 2014
Now Beah, whom Dave Eggers has called “arguably the most read African writer in contemporary literature,” has returned with his first novel, an affecting, tender parable about postwar life in Sierra Leone.At the center of Radiance of Tomorrow are Benjamin and Bockarie, two longtime friends who return to their hometown, Imperi, after the civil war. The village is in ruins, the ground covered in bones. As more villagers begin to come back, Benjamin and Bockarie try to forge a new community by taking up their former posts as teachers, but they’re beset by obstacles: a scarcity of food; a rash of murders, thievery, rape, and retaliation; and the depredations of a foreign mining company intent on sullying the town’s water supply and blocking its paths with electric wires. As Benjamin and Bockarie search for a way to restore order, they’re forced to reckon with the uncertainty of their past and future alike.With the gentle lyricism of a dream and the moral clarity of a fable, Radiance of Tomorrow is a powerful novel about preserving what means the most to us, even in uncertain times.
DEFECTIVE DETECTIVES: TINKLE TALL TALES
Rajani Thindiath
The police are on holiday. Everyone knows that with Rahul and Ravi around, crime is on a downtime. Or so they’d like to believe. From missing vegetables to escaped convicts the detectives will chase down any crime... that’s if they don’t trip and fall over their own laces to begin with!Defective Detectives? Who are they?Rahul and Ravi are Tinkle’s infamous Defective Detectives, who have vowed to solve every mystery on this planet. And if and when there is no mystery, rest assured they will invent one! You see, with their overactive imagination which sees a mystery behind every bush and their unwavering determination to see everyone as a criminal, the duo are always hot on the heels of trouble or more often than not, trouble is hot on their heels! Either way, it is no mystery that absolute pandemonium is bound to follow when these two are aboard. So stick around close. It would be a crime to miss out on all the madness and mayhem that breaks loose in the world of the Defective Detectives!The series was created by Tinkle reader Anisha Hariharan and illustrated by Abhijeet Kini.Meet the Cool CastSamhita aka Sam: Ravi’s sister, smart-aleck and a general pain in their necks, Sam is actually clever and manages to solve cases. However she’s left dismayed when the boys’ misadventures often swing the credit to them! Is there more?Rahul and Ravi are hot on the tail of someone who they think is a criminal mastermind. After all, who else plans the robbing of a bank, the kidnapping of a prince and the theft of a jewel all at one go? Later, when it seems like there’s no crime to solve, the Dynamic Duo chance upon a dog that seems suspiciously robotic... which means it will terrorise people and take control of the city! And a new face appears in the neighbourhood... the face of a pirate! What will the Defective Detectives do? What new outlandish theory will they come up with and what mayhem will they cause? Laugh along at their misadventures!About TinkleContinuously published since 1980, Tinkle is one of the oldest and most cherished children’s comics magazines in India. It boasts of a large fan following and beloved characters that include such household names as Suppandi, Shikari Shambu and Tantri the Mantri.
Trap Fever: Addicted to Dope Boys
M.J. Cannabliss - 2017
For too long she’s endured hurt and betrayal from the men in her world, and instead of getting tired of love, she gets even. She’s been having an affair with ex-boyfriend Cali, but decides to end it when she comes to terms that she still wants to be with her boyfriend Savage, who hasn’t exactly been faithful either. It’s only a matter of time before the two men face off, and Aleesha can’t do anything to stop it. The day of her last affair with Cali, she and her illicit lover get followed, and later that night the drama reaches the ultimate climax. *Publisher's Note: This book was formerly titled "She Don't Get Tired"
The Park
Gail Schimmel - 2017
Rebecca doesn’t expect to make new friends at this stage of her life. But when she becomes mother to little Amy, she finds herself spending her afternoons in the park. There she meets other mothers: first flamboyant, fun Rose, and then single-mom Lilith, whose inner strength is tangible, and whose eyes never leave her toddler.Very soon the women have formed a trio – the type of friends who feel at home in each other’s kitchens – and their daughters begin to behave like sisters. But Rebecca is about to learn that friendship is not always what it seems, and that sometimes you trust the wrong people. At exactly the moment when she needs to lean on them, one of her new friends harbours a shocking secret, and the other will turn on her in a way she could never have anticipated. Her two park friends will change Rebecca’s life – and her family – forever.
My Boyfriend Beats Me But I Still Love Him
Quan Millz - 2019
Lacey Franklin is the definition of the 21st century educated black millennial woman: classy, educated, career-driven but lonely. She is a senior copywriter working for a bourgeoning black Chicago advertising agency, but unexpectedly, her career comes to an end. Although blindsided by the devastating news, she quickly meets a new beginning with the prospect of finding new love. Derron Harrington is the founder and CEO of BeastCORE Studios, an upscale boutique gym located in the heart of Downtown Chicago. He's the walking epitome of everything a black woman wants in a black man: attractive, well-spoken, self-assured, entrepreneurial and seductive. Quintessential qualities every woman truly desires out of a man...that is until they discover the depth and darkness of a man's secret demons. Lacey meets Derron for the first time at his gym and is instantly wowed by his charisma and presence. But she knows little about the man (and his demons). As Derron attempts to pull her into his world, he also begins to unravel, losing sanity as his other problems come to surface. Read more in, "MY BOYFRIEND BEATS ME BUT I STILL LOVE HIM." One of the best African-American urban fiction titles for 2019! This is Episode 1 of a three-part series.
Lil Baby Ridin' For A Hitta: A Standalone Novel
Myia White - 2017
For reasons beyond her Blue can’t seem to get his life together and love her the right way. She has hope for her relationship until Blue becomes more of a hassle instead of her man. Blue’s inconsiderate ways drives her into the arms of a friend. Blue secretly sees this friend as competition cause Blue knows he can’t compete where he doesn’t compare. Trench is a hustler that has life figured out but not without a couple of war wounds. He focuses on his money and finding ways to improve himself. Out of the blue his life is turned upside down when his friend needs his help. Knowing better than to get his heart involved he’s left wondering how does he get his peace of mind back. With Anika finding a new love interest in her friend Trench, Blue is left on the outside and he’s not feeling it. He has a plan and if Anika doesn’t get with the program he will do everything in his power to make Anika Suffer the consequences. Lil Baby Ridin’ For a Hitta is about finding the right person to ride for and showering them with your love. Don’t get it twisted though because anyone who stands in the way of Lil Baby Ridin’ for her man will meet the Hitta himself and be left breathless.
Eyebags & Dimples
Bonnie Henna - 2012
A shockingly naked chronicle of how her depression almost robbed her of her shine, this unflinchingly honest book recounts Bonnie's intricate journey living in constant fear of darkness. After she unsuccessfully tried to pursue her acting career in Hollywood, she was diagnosed with clinical depression. Thanks to this diagnosis, Bonnie began the painful climb back to a life of health and mental stability. This is the candid account of her new life trek.
491 Days: Prisoner Number 1323/69
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela - 2013
Rounded up in a group of other anti-apartheid activists under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act, designed for the security police to hold and interrogate people for as long as they wanted, she was taken away. She had no idea where they were taking her or what would happen to her children. For Winnie Mandela this was the start of a 491-day period of detention and two trials. Forty-one years after Winnie’s release on 14 September 1970, Greta Soggot, the widow of David Soggot, one of Winnie Mandela’s advocates during the 1969–70 trials, handed her a stack of papers that included a journal and notes that she had written in detention. Their arrival brought back vivid and horrifying memories and uncovered a unique and personal slice of South Africa’s history. 491 Days: Prisoner Number 1323/69 shares with the world Winnie Mandela’s moving and compelling journal as well as some of the letters written between affected parties at the time, including Winnie and Nelson Mandela, who by then had been in prison for nearly seven years. Readers gain insight into the brutality she experienced, her depths of despair as well as her resilience and defiance under extreme pressure. This young wife and mother emerged after 491 days in detention unbowed and determined to continue the struggle for freedom.
Star of the Morning
Pamela Jooste - 2007
We were colored girls in a white world that didn’t want us." Born on the wrong side of a racial divide in apartheid-torn Cape Town, young sisters Ruby and Rose exist in a world where they are not welcome. As part of the Cape Colored community, they are considered socially inferior, yet even within their own social group the sisters live in the poor end of town. Their father was killed when they were very small, so when their mother dies after a protracted illness, Ruby and Rose’s fate falls into the hands of Aunt Olive. Ruby knows without being told that their aunt’s home will not be opened up to them – charity does not extend to the poor relations who would cast a smudge on such a respectable house. Aunt Olive condemns her nieces to the local orphanage, relieving her conscience with monthly invitations to Sunday lunch. In the orphanage the girls grow up sheltered from a divided world that they do not yet fully understand, but the day approaches when Ruby and Rose must forge their own paths in life and confront the lessons that apartheid enforces. Like the award-winning Dance with a Poor Man’s Daughter, this beautifully observed novel of sisterly love once again displays Pamela Jooste’s poignant understanding of human nature.