Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 118
 I will encourage my own kids to read this? February 8, 2010
S. Mosley-ramsey (Maryland, United States)
These stories captured me from page 1! I hope that my own high school kids would read them. These stories will sensitize you to some of the situations that other kids have to live with. Hopefully, it will awaken a global spirit of community service in all of us!
 He makes sure each story has no perfect endings February 7, 2010
J. Farthing
Not inspiring or uplifting in any way. Each story has horror, and each ending is almost happy but with some horrible twist that comes with it. It got frustrating for me and with his writing style, you can begin to predict how he's going to end his stories. The more you read the more you realize his writing style (except for some awesome similes and metaphors) is predictable and flat. Also, this disk only has three stories. I've read some of his other stories to see if they were any better, but they were actually worse.
 Thought-provoking book February 5, 2010
Betsy R. Seidel (Hoquiam, WA)
This book made me reflect on lives of people in other countries and my own life.
 Very disappointed! February 4, 2010
Kat (Ventura, CA USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Most of this book was boring! Some of it was interesting, but didn't hold my attention for very long.
Say You're One of Them February 3, 2010
Sacramento Book Review (Sacramento, CA)
In //Say You're One of Them//, Nigerian author Uwem Akpan's collection of stories, readers will journey through several painful realities in Africa, lit up by the voices of children. It takes a courageous writer to highlight these perspectives: Uwem Akpan handles the task skillfully. From Kenya to Nigeria, Ethiopia and Rwanda, the message is the same: children are vulnerable but powerful agents in shaping their destinies, protecting themselves and others in creative and sometimes dangerous ways. I peer into each story and see threads of truth and beauty in the face of poverty and violence. Uwem Akpan's characters show us the crucial roles children play, economic and emotional, in their families; the value of kinship and community that children can understand from a very young age; and responsibilities African children rise to meet, often gracefully, no matter their circumstances. Some readers might find these stories heartbreaking, but beyond tragedy, the other truth of Africa dances. There are children in Africa who lead happy lives in the safety and comfort of peaceful homes and communities. As someone who grew up in Africa and who has met Uwem Akpan in person, I say to him, "I am ready for joy-filled narratives about children in Africa. Your next book?"
Reviewed by Viola Allo
Showing reviews 6-10 of 118
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