Graceland (Paperback)
| Author: Chris Abani |
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Product Details:
Publish Date: 1/30/2005
Dimensions:
(in Inches) 8.25H x 5.5L x 1.5T
Pages:
336
Age Range:
NA
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| Originally published in hardcover in 2004. |
|
From the Publisher:
"A richly detailed, poignant, and utterly fascinating look into another culture and how it is cross-pollinated by our own. It brings to mind the work of Ha Jin in its power and revelation of the new."--T. Coraghessan Boyle The sprawling, swampy, cacophonous city of Lagos, Nigeria, provides the backdrop to the story of Elvis, a teenage Elvis impersonator hoping to make his way out of the ghetto. Nuanced, lyrical, and pitch perfect, this is a remarkable story of a son and his father, and an examination of postcolonial Nigeria, where the trappings of American culture reign supreme. |
Annotation:
The first novel by an award-winning Nigerian poet, GRACELAND is about an Elvis impersonator in Lagos whose only way out of his hopeless life with an abusive father is the streets. As he navigates through the Nigerian underclass and faces imprisonment and torture, all that sustains him is his great love for Elvis, American movies, reggae, and rock--and the hope that they will help him find a better life, somewhere. The author, Chris Abani, is a Nigerian who spent time in prison when it was suspected that his first novel (written at age 16) contained the plans for a political coup.
The first novel by an award-winning Nigerian poet, GRACELAND is about an Elvis impersonator in Lagos whose only way out of his hopeless life with an abusive father is the streets. As he navigates through the Nigerian underclass and faces imprisonment and torture, all that sustains him is his great love for Elvis, American movies, reggae, and rock--and the hope that they will help him find a better life, somewhere. The author, Chris Abani, is a Nigerian who spent time in prison when it was suspected that his first novel (written at age 16) contained the plans for a political coup.
Praise
Kirkus Reviews
"Worth reading for its searing depiction of modern Africa...." 11/01/2003 New York Times Book Review
"This book works brilliantly in two ways. As a convincing and unpatronizing record of life in a poor Nigerian slum, and as a frighteningly honest insight into a world skewed by casual violence, it's wonderful." - Sophie Harrison 02/22/2004
"Worth reading for its searing depiction of modern Africa...." 11/01/2003 New York Times Book Review
"This book works brilliantly in two ways. As a convincing and unpatronizing record of life in a poor Nigerian slum, and as a frighteningly honest insight into a world skewed by casual violence, it's wonderful." - Sophie Harrison 02/22/2004
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