Fiction Pick of the Week: Say You're One of Them

Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan 2009

Oprah gave star status to this book-- excerpts of which were first published in The New Yorker’s Debut Fiction in 2005. It is not an easy book to read as the characters in every one of the five stories are about children in various parts of Africa who live in terrible circumstances. The real focus in all of the stories is the resilience of the children no matter how bleak the settings and relationships may be. If you can’t read the entire book, read at least one of these stories. Owem Akpan has listened to the voices of children and asks through his writing that we listen, too. Owem Akpan was born in Nigeria, became a Jesuit priest in 2003 and received his MFA from the University of Michigan in 2006.