Praise Song for the Butterflies

Posted on 23 February 2018 by Bernice L. McFadden

Abeo Kata lives a comfortable, happy life in West Africa as the privileged nine year old daughter of a government employee and stay at home mother But when the Katas idyllic lifestyle takes a turn for the worse, Abeo s father, following his mother s advice, places her in a religious shrine, hoping that the sacrifice of his daughter will serve as religious atonement for the crimes of his ancestors Unspeakable acts befall Abeo for the fifteen years she is enslaved within the shrine When she is finally rescued, broken and battered, she must struggle to overcome her past, endure the revelation of family secrets, and learn to trust and love again.In the tradition of Chris Cleave s Little Bee, Praise Song for the Butterflies is a contemporary story that offers an educational, eye opening account of the practice of ritual servitude in West Africa Spanning decades and two continents, Praise Song for the Butterflies will break and heal your heart. Read Praise Song for the Butterflies – kino-fada.fr It was 1985 Abeo was nine years, seven months, and three days old It was 1987 and Abeo was eleven years, six months and twenty two days old It was 1998 and Abeo was twenty two years, eight months, and seventeen days old It is 2009, and Abeo is thirty three years, seven months, and twenty four days old Seemingly simple statements of fact the year and exact age of Abeo, the main character in this novel at various times in her life, yet these were some of the most powerful sentences in th It was 1985 Abeo was nine years, seven months, and three days old It was 1987 and Abeo was eleven years, six months and twenty two days old It was 1998 and Abeo was twenty two years, eight months, and seventeen days old It is 2009, and Abeo is thirty three years, seven months, and twenty four days old Seemingly simple statements of fact the year and exact age of Abeo, the main character in this novel at various times in her life, yet these were some of the most powerful sentences in the book for me as Bernice McFadden gives the reader a moment to absorb what is happening to Abeo, what has happened to Abeo and to imagine what may happen to her, so heartbreaking she was a little girl In the beginning we are introduced to a fictional African country, Ukemby, but it could be real, a real country by another name where the tradition of trokosi is practiced See the links below and be forewarned that the videos of...West Africa, Abeo is a happy nine year old, living a priviledged life of two parents who love each other Her father has a steady job working for the government and Abeo is soon graced with a baby brother Her happy home life begins to crumble when her father is suspended from his job, while an investigation into theft is completed After this trouble after trouble begins to haunt this family His mother, still believing in the old Gods, convinces her son to take Abeo to a shrine, leaving her th West Africa, Abeo is a happy nine year old, living a priviledged ...There is something completely unique about Bernice McFadden s writing style There is not a spare word anywhere People get sick and die in half a sentence Years pass simply in the next paragraph when there comes a declarative sentence stating how much older a character has become since the paragraph preceding it To tell the truth I absolutely love this way of storytelling it gets to the point, and then to the next point, and it keeps on that way until I get to the end The story isn t spare, There is something completely unique about Bernice McFadden s writing style There is not a spare word anywhere People get sick and die in half a sentence Years pass simply in the next paragraph when there comes a declarative sentence stating how much older a character has become since the paragraph preceding it To tell the truth I absolutely love this way of storytelling it gets to the point, and then to the next point, and it keeps on that way until I get to the end The story isn t spare, though it s rich in allusion and emotion It just doesn t beat around the bush.This particular novel introduced me to the trokosi tradition in West Africa, which I m ashamed to say I had not heard of before Bernice McFadden s novel center...WOW, just WOW Just when you think she couldn t get any better Full review coming.I was shocked to find I was at the end This book took over me To say I was engrossed isn t enough I will write a review later.So many emotions to process before I can come back and write a review What I will say is Ms McFadden has done it again Brilliant Update Where do I begin This is a brilliantly written novel by Bernice McFadden shook me to my core Ritual servitude is something I knew little about until reading this novel I had heard of the awful and horrendous practice years ago in my reading but I didn t know the depths Ms McFadden does an amazing job of weaving together the affects of th...A short story that was very straight and to the point I m giving it a 3 because the 2nd half of the story seemed rushed I wanted a lotdetail about Abeo s recovery process I did enjoy the subject matter which made this story very unique I never heard of t...I read My Name Is Butterfly a few years back and felt like something was missing This book brings everything full circle.That was SO good I m not crying, you re crying Shut up.Filled with heartache, yet ending on a high note, beautifully written and compelling to the point that I didn t want to put it down, this is a wonderful book Nine year old Abeo lives in her wealthy family s compound in Africa When Abeo s grandfather dies, her mother and father move her grandmother into the home with them When her baby brother falls ill, and her father is accused of embezzlement and is suspended from his job, rendering them without enough income to maintain their lifestyle, Ab Filled with heartache, yet ending on a high note, beautifully written and compelling to the point that I didn t want to put it down, this is a wonderful book Nine year old Abeo lives in her wealthy family s compound in Africa When Abeo s grandfather dies, her mother and father move her grandmother into the home...

English
23 February 2018

Bernice L. McFadden