A powerful and vivid debut collection describing the plight of children caught up in difficult and often harrowing situations throughout the continent of Africa. 'Nothing interests Maman today, not even Jean, her favourite child... She acts dumb, bewitched, like a goat that the neighbourhood children have fed sorghum beer.' These extraordinary stories centre on African conflicts as seen through the eyes of children and describes their resilience and endurance in heartbreaking detail. From child trafficking to inter-religious conflicts, Uwem Akpan reveals in beautiful prose the resilience and endurance of children faced with the harsh consequences of deprivation and terror.
