I have been book reading slacking this year and one way I decided to get out of that funk was by slowly picking up “lighthearted” and quick books. I absolutely made the right choice with my most recent read, and today, I’ll be talking about +234 An Awkward Guide to Being Nigerian, written by Atoke. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
“If we can’t treat each other right, amongst ourselves, how can we expect the government or people in authority to have any tinge of respect for us?” – Atoke.
This book was quite interesting. The first essay, Welcome Home was really good and very relatable in terms of dealing with hosts whilst having an unconventional mindset as a young adult. Oh, the ending of that first essay had me so shook. I definitely did not see it coming. Usually, the thing I dislike about short stories/essay writings are the lack of continuity but I was so grateful for this one. I don’t think I had to know how things turned out, it was just the right dose of unpredictability I crave in books.
I also want to point out that almost all of the stories were culled from Atoke’s Monday Morning Banter articles on BellaNaija, so don’t be surprised if a lot of the material seems familiar. I love Atoke, and she’s one of my favorite writers, so I figured I wouldn’t mind re-reading her articles a million times in book form.
I have a couple of favourite essays in the book, but the one I absolutely loved was Going on Holiday with Le Boo.. Naija Style. It’s about young Nigerian lovers travelling on holiday or as we call it “baecation” together. It is a hilarious and mind boggling read because we all know that majority of Nigerian young adults cannot attempt it without lying to their parents or being outrightly rebellious.
This is a book that’ll help you learn, unlearn and re-learn what it means to be a Nigerian.
Overall, this was such a nice read, and a great way to kick off my reading goals for 2019. I would definitely recommend.
+234 An Awkward Guide to Being Nigerian is available on Amazon
