Books matching: african utopia
3 result(s)
- #1
Save:Everfair by Nisi Shawl is a steampunk alternate history novel set in an African utopia called Everfair, challenging the brutal Belgian rule in Congo. The book spans 30 years and features a diverse ensemble cast of characters from various backgrounds, exploring themes of agency, colonialism, and the impact of individual actions on history. The writing style includes jumps in time between chapters, providing a prologue-like structure that drives home the alternate history aspect and emphasizes the power of personal narratives in shaping the future.
Lisette Toutournier sighed. She breathed in again, out, in, the marvelous air smelling of crushed stems, green blood bruised and roused by her progress along this narrow forest path. Her progress, and... - #2
Save:The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz is a dystopian novel set in an unnamed Middle East country under a totalitarian regime where everyday life revolves around waiting in a long queue for permits and approvals from a mysterious gate. The story follows Yehya, a man wounded during an uprising, who must navigate the bureaucratic nightmare of obtaining permission for medical treatment in a society where rules and restrictions are stronger than the ruler himself.
The novel delves into ethical dilemmas, government oppression, and the powerlessness of individuals in a society where freedoms are eroded. Through rich details and haunting realism, Aziz presents a thought-provoking narrative that questions the limits of human resistance against an authoritarian regime that controls every aspect of its citizens' lives.
In the fierce heat, Yehya stood in a long queue that extended from the end of the wide street all the way to the Gate. A whole hour and he’d moved no more than two steps forward, and that wasn’t becau... - #3
Save:'Mating' by Norman Rush is a dense and demanding novel that follows an obsessive academic chasing idealized love in the Botswana bush of the early 1980s. The story revolves around a female protagonist, an anthropologist, as she engages in a pseudo-intellectual love pursuit with a charismatic activist named Nelson Denoon in an isolated feminist village experiment in the central Kalahari. The novel delves into themes of love, intellectual attraction, political activism, and the complexities of relationships, all set against the backdrop of an unconventional African community based on matriarchy and unique traditions.
Norman Rush's writing style is described as intelligent, erudite, and thought-provoking, with a unique female voice narrating the story in a highly analytical and almost clinical fashion. The narrative offers insights into African society from an outsider's perspective and explores the dynamics of a passionate yet intellectually driven love affair. Rush manages to avoid condescension in his portrayal of the female protagonist and creates a story that is both engaging and intellectually stimulating.
Obviously I mean whites in Africa and not black Africans. The average black African has the opposite problem: he or she doesn’t want enough. A whole profession called Rural Animation exists devoted to...
