Atlantic County Library System

UnCovered Review by Debbie Brahmi, ACLS Pleasantville Branch Librarian

BEASTS OF NO NATION is a disturbing, but sadly realistic novel, about a young schoolboy from an unknown, war-torn African country, who is forced to join a band of ragtag guerilla fighters after witnessing the death of his father. Agu quickly becomes a “favorite” of his commanding officer, which results in the loss of his innocence, along with the happy, carefree life he used to know. He no longer has a family (his mother and sister have fled with the other women from his village) and memories of school friends and church services are fading fast. His daily routine now consists of marching from morning till night with his fellow soldiers in search of food and villages to plunder and pillage. Agu is slowly losing his sense of self amidst the brutality of war.

Uzodinma Iweala is a Nigerian-American, Harvard-educated author and medical doctor. BEASTS OF NO NATION, Iweala’s debut novel, was published in 2005 and was later adapted as an award-winning movie in 2015, starring Idris Elba. His second novel SPEAK NO EVIL, published in 2018, is a coming-of-age novel about a Nigerian-American high school student who must deal with the trials and tribulations of his homosexual lifestyle.

Kyo Maclear presents a unique take on the paternity mystery memoir, one that eschews a predetermined narrative arc for a wide-ranging exploration of what it means to be a family.

(Image credit: Scribner)