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The Notable African Books of 2018
A Princess in Theory
Fiction-Novel
February 27, 2018 | 384 pages
Avon Books
When the scam email turns out to be a legit missive from a real prince, you know you are in for a magical tale. Naledi's life as an over-worked graduate student in New York City turns upside down when she finds she is the long-lost betrothed of Prince Thabiso, crown prince of the fictitious African country Thesolo.
A Spy in Time
Fiction
August 14, 2018 | 296 pages
Rare Bird Books
Johannesburg is the center of a post-apocalyptic story where a spy journeys through time to solve a mystery on which the fate of the world depends. Coovadia’s blend of espionage and sci-fi creates a mind-bending tale that changes how we imagine Africa as a futuristic space.
A Stranger’s Pose
Nonfiction
October 16, 2018 | 216 pages
Cassava Republic
Iduma's recollections of his journeys to African cities depict the bewitching power of wanderlust but also the sense of loss and longing that haunts the traveler's ever-widening distance from home.
A Wall is Just a Wall
Fiction
February 24, 2018 | 152 pages
Amazon Digital Services
Police Inspector Denja is out of work, out of money and down in his luck. This gripping story follows him as he goes down the rabbit hole of the criminal underworld where he battles old and powerful enemies.
AfroSFv3
Fiction
December 1, 2018 | 186 pages
StoryTime
All 12 stories present the most daring imaginations of Africans in outer space. In AfroSFv3, the third installment of Ivor Hartman's famed anthology, the astronomical wildness of space bows to the African logic of world-making and storytelling.
Back to Black
Nonfiction
September 15, 2018 | 256 pages
Zed Books
What do the Black Panthers and the Black Lives Matter Movement have in common? How do we overcome the racist residues buried deep in the fabric of society? British academic Andrew Kehinde reopens the question of resistance in black communities and the intellectual history that inspired them.
Becoming
Inspirational
November 13, 2018 | 448 pages
Crown Publishing Group
Since Michelle Obama's book came out, it has broken all kinds of publishing records. Readers are clearly intrigued by Ms. Obama's story. The book promises an intimate look into the life of one of the world’s most powerful women.
Binti: The Night Masquerade
Fiction
January 16, 2018 | 202 pages
Tor.com
Black girl magic meet space travel? Count us in! Binti reprises her role as defender of the peace and harmonizer of the world in the third and final part of Okorafor's award-winning sci-fi series.
Can We All Be Feminists?
Nonfiction - Anthology
September 25, 2018 | 288 pages
Penguin Books
Chimamanda Adichie says we should all be feminist. But how might class, race, and sexual orientation complicate a woman's decision to identify as a feminist? June Eric-Udorie invites 17 writers from diverse backgrounds to address multiple ways of relating to feminist politics and ideals.
Children of Blood and Bone
Fiction
March 6, 2018 | 544 pages
Henry Holt and Co.
Tomi Adeyemi made a splash online when she signed a million dollar book deal. Children of Blood and Bone is the first book in the Orisha Legacy trilogy. Drawing from Yoruba mythology, Adeyemi tells the story of a girl who, at the risk of losing everything, goes on a near impossible odyssey to save the world and magic.
Edwardsville By Heart
Poetry
June 6, 2018 | 95 pages
Wisdom's Bottom Press
Kọ́lá Túbọ̀sún’s debut poetry collection, titled Edwardsville By Heart, is a magical meeting place of travelogue, memoir, and poetry. The poems are recollections of the three years he lived in Edwardsville, teaching Yoruba as a Fulbright scholar at Southern Illinois University.
Elsewhere, Home
Fiction
July 1, 2018 | 256 pages
Saqi Books
The collection contains 13 stories about the imagination of home as loss and desire. Aboulela is an endearing storyteller. There is a kindness in her tempered tone. The stories in this collection feel like that quiet place in the world of fiction where you can actually watch life take place.
Freshwater
Fiction
February 13, 2018 | 240 pages
Grove Press
Fans of Ben Okri's Famished Road have found their next read in Akwaeke Emezi's Freshwater---a story about a girl crowded with multiple selves.
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Fiction - Short Stories
October 23, 2018 | 208 pages
Mariner Books
In his debut collection, Adjei-Brenyah makes it a point to mix a ton of different genres---fantasy, satire, realism, in addition to all kinds of weird and surreal elements. This is the kind of collection that grabs you by your palette, hitting you with a rush of different aesthetic sensations.
GERMAN CALENDAR, NO DECEMBER
Fiction - Graphic Novel
November 13, 2018 | 192 pages
Cassava Republic
This stunning debut is the work of Swedish Nigerian writer Sylvia Ofili. It is a coming of age story about a mixed-race girl and her journey from Warri to Lagos to Germany. The Lagos bit of her experience is a wild tale of Nigerian boarding school shenanigans---the punishments, the chores, urban legends.
HAIR, IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR
Fiction - Children's Book
September 12, 2018 | 28 pages
Cassava Republic
The magic of black hair is the focus of this beautifully illustrated children's book. Mylo Freeman pictures the burst of styles and cuts that make black hair a delightful and uniting aspect of black family life.
Happiness
Fiction
March 6, 2018 | 368 pages
Atlantic Monthly Press
In Aminatta's 6th book, a fox crossing the Waterloo Bridge sets off a series of encounters and incidents in which multiple worlds collide and align in unexpected ways.
House Girl
Fiction
August 28, 2018 | 320 pages
Picador
Donkor presents a unique take on the classic "housegirl" narrative. Belinda moves from the village to the city of Kumasi to be a house-help, only to end up in Brixton as a hired companion of sorts to a rebellious teenage girl Amma. The novel loops itself around the unlikely bond between the two girls.
House of Stone
Fiction
January 29, 2018 | 400 pages
W. W. Norton & Company
The disappearance of a teenage boy sparks this epic tale about a couple's search for their son and the uncertain alliances they must court to get to the root of their loss. 400 pages of lightening wit, swirling with memorable characters.
Intruders
Fiction
September 1, 2018 | 125 pages
Picador Africa
Mohale Mashigo, also known as Black Porcelain, burst into the African literary consciousness with her unforgettable novel, titled Yearning. With her first short story collection, she mobilizes all her speculative fiction chops to dissect the feeling and experience of not belonging.
KUGALI COMICS: AN AFRICAN ANTHOLOGY
Fiction - Comic
May 21, 2018
Amazon Digital Services
If you've ever had trouble sourcing Africa comic books and graphic novels, Kugali Media's Raki Edition is a god-sent. It showcases stunning work done by African artists and writers. The multi-genre collection features historical narratives, but also contemporary and futuristic pieces.
La Bastarda
Fiction
April 24, 2018 | 112 pages
The Feminist Press at CUNY
Trifonia Melibea Obono made history by becoming the first Equatorial Guinean woman to have her novel translated into English. La Bastarda was originally published in 2016 but made its English debut earlier this year. It traces the path of an orphaned teen who goes in search of a father but ends up finding herself.
La Guardia #1
Fiction - Comic
December 5, 2018 | 34 pages
Dark Horse
A pregnant sci-fi heroine, a sentient plant, and a New York City swarming with shape-shifting alien immigrants. Okorafor is undoubtably the queen of uncharted territories when it comes to imagining future black worlds. But isn't that why her stories have become a global staple?
Lagos Noir
Fiction - Anthology
June 5, 2018 | 224 pages
Akashic Books
Famed Nigerian novelist Chris Abani invites 13 writers to portray Lagos from every possible perspective. Each writer brings out the dark, whimsical, and endearing side of Africa's most enigmatic city. The collection features writings by the likes of Chika Unigwe, Igoni Barret, Nnedi Okorafor, and lots more.
Malika: Warrior Queen Volume 2
Fiction - Comic
May 2, 2018 | 144 pages
Youneek Studios
Roye Okupe recreates 15th century West Africa in the second installment of the Malika series. Malika is a warrior queen and all round amazing figure of power. But her work as an empire builder is far from being over. As the Kingdom of Azzaz comes under new threats, she renews her resolve to protect her people.
Milk Fever by Megan Ross
Poetry
May 6, 2018 | 97 pages
Uhlanga
There is no easy way to write about the misadventures of young womanhood and the uncertainties of unexpected motherhood. But Megan Ross finds a voice in the experimental and layered language of poetry. Her debut collection is a surreal take on what it means to be woman today.
My Sister, the Serial Killer
Fiction
November 20, 2018 | 240 pages
Doubleday
The quote "a true sister will stand by your side" is pushed to its darkest extreme in Braithwaite's debut novel. When Ayoola's boyfriends turn up dead, Korede gets rid of the bodies. But this sisterly bond of murder and cover-ups is not as perfect as it seems. A delightful mix of dark, hair-raising, and funny!
NEW-GENERATION AFRICAN POETS
Poetry
April 10, 2018 | 350 pages
Akashic Books
From joy and triumph, to grief and mourning, to the confessional and the raw, this collection of chapbooks has something for every mood and every taste. The series was established in 2014. This year's edition features works by hot new voices like Leila Chatti, Saddiq Dzukogi, Yalie Kamara, and Romeo Oriogun.
North of Dawn
Fiction
December 4, 2018 | 384 pages
Riverhead Books
Nurruddin Farah is one of Africa's most loved novelists. His 13th novel is an intense family drama set in Norway. It tells the story of a Somali family dealing with the aftermaths of their son's ignoble death.
Olori Supergal
Inspirational
July 8, 2018 | 115 pages
Prestige Books: imprint of Kachifo Limited
In her memoirs, Nigerian media personality Tosin “Olori Supergal” Ajibade challenges the myth of fly-by-night success. She shares her remarkable journey to becoming a media powerhouse. She is honest about the challenges she faces but also full of insights on how to overcome difficulties.
Pentecostal Republic
Nonfiction - Scholarly
October 15, 2018 | 252 pages
Zed Books
Nigerian sociologist Ebenezer Obadare exposes the link between the rise of pentecostalism in Nigeria and the unstable conditions of Nigeria's young democracy. Pentecostal Republic is a delightfully witty account of the toxic love affair between Nigerian mega-churches and the state.
Postcolonial Paris
Fiction
June 12, 2018 | 256 pages
University of Wisconsin Press
Literature professor Laila Amine retells the story of Paris as a city built on the cultural contributions of colonial immigrants. She changes the script on who is Paris and what is Paris by exploring the novels, films, and street art of Maghrebis, Franco-Arabs, and African Americans in the famed City of Light.
She Called Me Woman
Nonfiction - Anthology
April 26, 2018 | 340 pages
Cassava Republic
If you've ever wondered what life was like for queer Nigerian women, here is your answer. All 25 pieces in the collection are first-hand accounts of Nigerian womxn building life and community in a climate of fear and discrimination. The stories are eye-opening but also tremendously hopeful.
She Would Be King
Fiction
September 11, 2018 | 312 pages
Graywolf Press
Monrovia has one of the most fascinating origin stories of any African city. In her magic-infused historical novel, Moore retells the story of one of Africa's most fascinating cities through the lives of three strangers bound by the strange and secret power they all share.
Shuri #1
Fiction - Comic
October 17, 2018 | 32 pages
Marvel Comics
If there is any author who can turn the enviable life of T'Challa's technophile sister Shuri into a wildly successful spinoff, it is Nnedi Okorafor. Enter Shuri's world of gadgets, gizmos, and rise to royal power.
Silence is My Mother Tongue
Fiction
October 25, 2018 | 208 pages
Indigo Press
This mesmerizing story is set in an East African refugee camp. A young woman named Saba finds that, against the chaos of war and the fragility of refugee life, she must hold on to the things that matter. It's impossible not to fall in love with Saba. She brings a ton of emotional texture to the story.
Sing to the Moon by Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl
Fiction - Children's Book
October 1, 2018 | 40 pages
Lantana Pub
In Isdahl's beautiful book about a Ugandan boy and his great grand father, childhood is for dreaming of big and bright things like stars and supernovas. This is a delightful addition to Lantana's growing catalogue of African children's books, which boasts offerings by the likes of Nnedi Okorafor and Wanuri Kahiu.
Speak No Evil
Fiction
May 6, 2018 | 224 pages
Harper
In his second novel, the bestselling author of Beast of No Nation leaves the battlefield for a different kind of drama --- the kind that takes place in the household. The novel captures the intrigue and betrayals that trail a conservative Nigerian father's discovery that his son Niru is queer.
The Extinction of Menai
Fiction
March 7, 2018 | 384 pages
Ohio University Press
Facing language extinction and culture collapse, the people of Menai must come to terms with the end of the world as they know it. Publisher's Weekly gave the novel a 5 star and listed it in its best of 2018 list.
The Hundred Wells of Salaga
Fiction
May 8, 2018 | 234 pages
Cassava Republic
19th century Ghana is brought to life with richly colored strokes in Harruna's slave narrative. The novel traces the linked fate of two women from different worlds---Aminah and Wurche. Harruna follows in Yaa Gyasi's footsteps to show us how history looks different when told through the eyes of women.
The Parking Lot Attendant
Fiction
March 13, 2018 | 240 pages
Henry Holt and Co.
In The Parking Lot Attendant, an Ethiopian community in Boston is the setting for a dark and haunting family thriller that involves a mesmerized girl, a roguish parking lot attendant, and a disapproving father.
The Perfect Nanny
Fiction
January 9, 2018 | 240 pages
Penguin Books
When this book was published in France in 2016, it sold 600,000 copies in about a year! It tells the story of Louise, the perfect nanny turned murderer. Set in Paris, the book opens with the murder of two little children and then works its way back through what led up to that tragic moment.
The Rise of the African Novel
Nonfiction - Scholarly
March 27, 2018 | 240 pages
University of Michigan Press
Mukoma wa Ngugi, literature professor at Cornel University and son of one of Africa's greatest novelists, takes us back to the beginning in this powerful account of how African fiction, in its modern form, emerged from existing literary traditions and gained global significance.
The Terrible
Fiction
June 5, 2018 | 224 pages
Penguin Books
She is the Instapoet we love, the top model we admire, and the break out literary star that inspires us. Yrsa Daley-Ward's second book is a soulful mix of prose and poetry. It tells her coming-of-age story in northwest of England.
These Bones Will Rise Again
Nonfiction
October 26, 2018 | 144 pages
Indigo Press
This well-timed essay gives a unique take on Zimbabwe as a nation reshaping itself after a turbulent past. Blending reportage and memoir, Panashe Chigumadzi connects the dots of Zimbabwe's history using her grandmother's life as an organizing frame.
This Mournable Body
Fiction
August 7, 2018 | 304 pages
Graywolf Press
The last time we heard from Tambu was in 2006 when she appeared in The Book of Not, the sequel to Nervous Conditions. As usual, Dangaremgba pulls all the stops to lay bare Tambu's airless world and rips open the intimate psychological source of her constantly unraveling life. Keep a box of tissue close by!
When Trouble Sleeps
Fiction
September 25, 2018 | 336 pages
Cassava Republic
Amaka Mbadiwe, the sex-worker's superhero, is back! In this sequel to Easy Motion Tourist, she still has zero tolerance for powerful men who hurt women. She is still bent on taking them down, even when it means putting her life at risk.
