Bisi Adjapon

"Bisi Adjapon writes with incredible vividness and clarity. Extraordinary."--Dave Eggers, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius "Bisi Adjapon uses language like a finely tuned instrument, alternating moments of warmth with devastating revelations about identity, family, and those lies we tell ourselves in order to keep moving forward."-- Maaza Mengiste, author of The Shadow King In this stunning debut novel--a tale of self-discovery and feminist awakening--a feisty Nigerian-Ghanaian girl growing up amid the political upheaval of late 1960s postcolonial Ghana begins to question the hypocrisy of her patriarchal society, and the restrictions and unrealistic expectations placed on women. Young Esi Agyekum is the unofficial "secret keeper" of her family, as tight-lipped about her father's adultery as she is about her half-sisters' sex lives. But after she is humiliated and punished for her own sexual exploration, Esi begins to question why women's secrets and men's secrets bear different consequences. It is the beginning of a journey of discovery that will lead her to unexpected places. As she navigates her burgeoning womanhood, Esi tries to reconcile her own ideals and dreams with her family's complicated past and troubled present, as well as society's many double standards that limit her and other women. Against a fraught political climate, Esi fights to carve out her own identity, and learns to manifest her power in surprising and inspiring ways. Funny, fresh, and fiercely original, Of Women and Frogs marks the American debut of one of West Africa's most exciting literary talents.

The Teller of Secrets

A Novel

Daughter in Exile

The acclaimed author of The Teller of Secrets returns with a gut-wrenching, yet heartwarming, story about a young Ghanaian woman’s struggle to make a life in the US, and the challenges she must overcome. Lola is twenty-one, and her life in Senegal couldn’t be better. An aspiring writer and university graduate, she has a great job, a nice apartment, a vibrant social life, and a future filled with possibility. But fate disrupts her world when she falls for Armand, an American Marine stationed at the U.S. Embassy. Her mother, a high court judge in Ghana, disapproves of her choice, but nothing will stop Lola from boarding a plane for Armand and America. That fateful flight is only the beginning of an extraordinary journey; she has traded her carefree existence in Senegal for the perilous position of an undocumented immigrant in 1990s America. Lola encounters adversity that would crush a less-determined woman. Her fate hangs on whether or not she’ll grow in courage to forge a different life from one she’d imagined, whether she’ll succeed in putting herself and family together again. Daughter in Exile is a hope-filled story about mother love, resilience, and unyielding strength.

"One of the best books of this year." -Arts and Africa "Adjapon tells a gripping tale" -The Nation "Bisi Adjapon has tackled some of the truly difficult aspects of love and sexuality." -The Mirror "At times hilariously funny and at others deeply disturbing. Of Women and Frogs offers a refreshing and insider perspective onto two West Africa societies." -Literandra London "Unputdownable, a book that makes you go from laughing out loud to bawling and back to laughing again." -Ayesha Haruna Attah, author of The Hundred Wells of Salaga "Stunning. I spent hours moving between out-loud laughter, gripping fear and deep annoyance and love for Esi and her father." -Africa in Dialogue A precocious African girl, whose sexual curiosity brings unexpected heartbreak, wishes frogs will turn her into a man. Will she ever find a way to love herself again and become the extraordinary woman she hoped to be? Esi is a feisty half-Nigerian girl growing up in Ghana, with occasional visits to her family in Lagos. When curiosity about her womanhood leads to a burning punishment from her stepmother, Esi begins to question the hypocrisy of adults around her and the restrictions they place on girls. Moving between Ghana and Nigeria, this heartwarming story of a girl beating a path to self-actualization amidst political upheaval in Rawlings' Ghana and strained relationships between her ancestral countries. OF WOMEN AND FROGS is a heartwarming, soulful coming-of-age tale. Explore girlhood with the inquisitive, unflappable Esi as she journeys through the trials of becoming a woman to find her best self. "This is a really wonderful story. [Bisi Adjapon] writes with incredible vividness and clarity. [Her] similes and attention to all the senses are really extraordinary." - Dave Eggers, publisher of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

Bisi Adjapon

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