Chinelo Okparanta, the award-winning author of Happiness, Like Water and Under the Udala Trees, shares her favourite reads.
There are so many books I love. But I will say that I particularly appreciate satires, or novels that are in some way reflective of the social issues of the time and also simultaneously transcend the time, so:
Candide by Voltaire, because it’s funny but so real. Bits about buttocks being cut off. It’s a book that cautions against misguided optimism.
Gulliver’s Travels by Swift, because it’s brilliant and inventive. It is a satire, and is a novel that is reflective of the social issues of the time and also simultaneously transcends the time.
Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, because it is sweet and poetic and honest and simple (in a good way). And it’s about love, and it’s about a rose.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin, because it speaks to the plight of women in society, then and now.
Things Fall Apart by Achebe, because, let’s face it, colonialism is still a problem.
I am a huge fan of Toni Morrison. I love The Bluest Eye. But I also love God Help the Child. My favorite lines in all of literature just might be: “What you do to children matters. And they might never forget.”
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Book details
- Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta
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EAN: 9781847088369
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- Happiness, Like Water by Chinelo Okparanta
EAN: 9781847088314
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- Candide, or Optimism by Voltaire
EAN: 9780140455106
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- Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
EAN: 9781847495976
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- The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
EAN: 9780156012195
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- The Awakening by Kate Chopin
EAN: 9780007420056
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- Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
EAN: 9780141023380
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- God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
EAN: 9780099555926
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