LAND OF MY FATHERS, West African historical fiction

LAND OF MY FATHERS
VAMBA SHERIF
HopeRoad Publishing
$22.95 hardcover, available now

Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: The proud Republic of Liberia was founded in the 19th century with the triumphant return of the freed slaves from America to Africa.

Once back 'home', however, these Americo-Liberians had to integrate with the resident tribes—who did not want or welcome them. Against a background of French and British colonialists busily carving up Mother Africa, while local tribes were still unashamedly trading in slaves . . . the vulnerable newcomers felt trapped and out of place.

Land of My Fathers plunges us into this world. But in the midst of turmoil, there is friendship. Edward Richard, a man born into slavery and a preacher by profession, is convinced that the future of Liberia lies in bringing peace amongst the tribes. His mission takes him to the far north, where he meets an extraordinary man, Halay. Edward's new and dearest friend is ready to sacrifice his own life to protect his country; for the Liberians believe that with Halay's death, no war will ever threaten their land. A century later, this belief is crushed when war engulfs the land, bearing away with it the descendants of both Edward and Halay. The story of Halay is the untold story of Liberia. What he did would come to stand as symbol of man's ability to defy the odds, to face the inevitable head on.

Where men should have stood shoulder to shoulder, they turned on each other instead.

I RECEIVED AN ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER. THANK YOU.

My Review: Human beings are vile. They are irredeemable. Sweeping statements, condemnatory and accusatory, all-inclusive, and deeply heartfelt. Want to know why? Read this novel about Liberia's history.

I'd wager big money against most people in the US being able to find Liberia on a map, or identify its flag correctly. This one:

...clearly modeled after the US flag, meant to align the new nation with the US principles of equality and freedom. Well...in a curious way it did. The native inhabitants of the country now called Liberia weren't in any great hurry to welcome these dark-skinned colonizers.

To tell his story as a story, not a sermon, Author Vamba Sherif uses a multigenerational structure tracking the developments of Liberian history. It's pretty much all new to me. I was interested in all the details salted through the story. I was always glad to return to the read. I'm deaccessioning my lovely hardcover but I can't say enough about the beautiful design and quality execution of the hardcover.

The story being told is of the same level of craft. It was deeply involving, it presented the disasters of human history in humane terms, giving the reader people to invest in and then giving those people the fates suffered by many millions like them.

I can't say I feel uplifted by this tale of venality, of carefully fanned hatreds overtaking the weakest of human emotions: Kindness.

I recommend the read to all who need a primer on the West African historical disaster that is Liberia.

THE EMPEROR'S SON, immersive historical fiction

THE EMPEROR'S SON
VAMBA SHERIF
Iskanchi Press
$25.00 trade paper, available now

Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Vamba Sherif’s The Emperor’s Son tells the story of Zaiwulo, a young boy sent off to the ancient city of Musadu to study under Talata, a great scholar and head of the legendary Haidarah family. The boy soon notices that there is more to the story of his presence among the Haidarahs, and as he grows older and becomes a soldier fighting alongside Emperor Samori whom the French nicknamed “the Black Napoleon”, his resolve to unravel the mysteries of his childhood propels him into an adventure that leads him back home in the forests where there awaits a revelation with far-reaching consequences.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: Historical fiction set in Africa, written by an African author? Sign me up...I love Marlon James's and Kai Ashante Wilson's African-set and -themed fantasy novels, Tade Thompson's Rosewater SF series, and on and on...the genres I read are populated with African writers, and I seek them out.

Until now, historical fiction has not been populated. I have hopes that this will change because this story is awesome. I won't go through a book report because I hate that in a review, but I will say that "the Black Napoleon" as Samori Touré, a Mandinka Muslim cleric, military strategist, and founder of the Wassoulou Empire, is called in this book, was a fascinating character indeed. Start with the Wikipedia article linked and keep going...look up the events in the book...don't stint on the research!

Or do none, that won't harm your pleasure in the story of a young man caught up in the heady slipsteam of a leader who wants, plans for, and wages an effective war to gain independence and self-determination. The people of Western Africa then incorporated into France's colonial empire were working with him, and that kind of personality is fascinating to read about.

The story is deeply immersive, impressively involving, and a delight to read. Any younger reader, say from sixteen up, will not find anything in the story that hasn't passed before their eyes many times before. The violence is not overplayed, or lingered on in a prurient way. It is a fact of war. The balancing factors are the immense amount of cultural knowledge that Author Sherif puts in logical and necessary places. I felt the way he placed them, the level of detail he provided, gave me a deeper picture of the world I was reading about.

At over 500 pages, this is the best kind of immersive, dense, textured read for an adolescent or older person to get as a #Booksgiving gift. What better way to escape the family closeness so many readers dread, in such a pleasant and acceptable way?

Strongly recommended.