Graceland by Chris Abani is a good book to read if you have a friend named “Redemption” or are aquainted with anyone who goes by “The King of Beggars.”
It’s also a great book to pick up if you were named after an American country music star or have ever found yourself involved in an international drug trafficking scandal.
As the author Chris Abani once said, “If you want to know about Africa, read our literature — and not just ‘Things Fall Apart,’ because that would be like saying, ‘I’ve read ‘Gone with the Wind’ and so I know everything about America.”
This is a story steeped in magical realism,
adolescent contemplation, abject poverty, social turmoil and familial betrayal. This novel is an attack on government corruption, a blueprint for international black market activities and a vivid account of slum life in Lagos, Nigeria. It’s gritty, sensual, sweaty and dark. Very dark.
“There was a positive side to not trying at something: you could always pretend that your life would have been different if you had.”
A Good Book to Read When... 