A Moonless, Starless Sky

Posted on 03 May 2018 by Alexis Okeowo

In the tradition of Behind the Beautiful Forevers and Nothing to Envy, this is a masterful, humane work of literary journalism by New Yorker staff writer Alexis Okeowo a vivid narrative of Africans, many of them women, who are courageously resisting their continent s wave of fundamentalism.In A Moonless, Starless Sky Okeowo weaves together four narratives that form a powerful tapestry of modern Africa a young couple, kidnap victims of Joseph Kony s LRA a Mauritanian waging a lonely campaign against modern day slavery a women s basketball team flourishing amid war torn Somalia and a vigilante who takes up arms against the extremist group Boko Haram This debut book by one of America s most acclaimed young journalists illuminates the inner lives of ordinary people doing the extraordinary lives that are too often hidden, underreported, or ignored by the rest of the world. Read A Moonless, Starless Sky By Alexis Okeowo – kino-fada.fr Liberty, that precious, delicate right, is fleeting in so much of the world Sometimes it is there for you to take and enjoy other times it suddenly and violently disappears, as if it never existed in the first place But there are always people who go looking for that freedom, even at personal risk They are not only activists and vigilantes, but also ordinary people Alexis Okeowo interviews citizens of four African countries to showcase acts of rebellion, both big and small These courageou Liberty, that precious, delicate right, is fleeting in so much of the world Sometimes it is there for you to take and enjoy other times it suddenly and violently disappears, as if it never existed in the first place But there are always people who go looking for that freedom, even at personal risk They are not only activists and vigilantes, but also ordinary people Alexis Okeowo interviews citizens of four African countries to showcase acts of rebellion, both big and small These courageous people of faith have seen their communities terrorized by extremist groups, but they refused to let those extre...As I read this book it dawned on me how my continent can be so beautiful and seductive to anyone who visit it but it also had another side which is dark and it could explain why many horrific things seems to happen only in AfricaThis book moves through four countries two eastern African countries and two western African countries This countries are Uganda Somalia Mauritania and Nigeria.Each of these countries have it is difficulties and obstacles but also brave activists who also tries to surpas As I read this book it dawned on me how my continent can be so beautiful and seductive to anyone who visit it but it also had another side which is dark and it could explain why many horrific things seems to happen only in AfricaThis book moves through four countries two eastern African countries and two western African countries This countries are Uganda Somalia Mauritania and Nigeria.Each of these countries have it is difficulties and obstacles but also brave activists who also tries to surpass those obstacles and hardships and improve their countries.In Uganda we read LRA which is C...2.5 stars Review below I was so absorbed by the personal stories of some of the people in Alexis Okeowo s book, thatthan once, I almost missed my stop on the subway whilst reading it Her subjects traverse the continent Uganda in the East, Nigeria to the West northward to Mauritania and Somalia in the Horn of Africa Okeowo is a seasoned journalist, having moved to Uganda straight out of college to intern for a newspaper for a year and she s focused her beat on the continent ever s 2.5 stars Review below I was so absorbed by the personal stories of some of the people in Alexis Okeowo s book, thatthan once, I almost missed my stop on the subway whilst reading it Her subjects traverse the continent Uganda in the East, Nigeria to the West northward to Mauritania and Somalia in the Horn of Africa Okeowo is a seasoned journalist, having moved to Uganda straight out of college to intern for a newspaper for a year and she s focused her beat on the continent ever since The people she follows in her book are living through atrocities that most of us have learned about through the Western media The LRA, remember Kony 2012 , the Boko Haram kidnappings BringBackOurGirls , al Shabbab see recent terror attacks in Mogadishu and Arab enslavement of Black Africans in the deserts of the Sahel and Northern Africa I d venture to say the West is less familiar with this scourge, but I digress I recommend watching a 2009 Aust...What a beautiful, eye opening collection of stories This nonfiction book from Alexis Okeowo was impossible to put down She effortlessly weaves together stories from four different countries in modern day Africa Uganda, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Somalia , detailing atrocious experiences with frankness, simplicity, and above all humanity She showcases the courage and resilience of everyday people, painting a picture of countries we usually only hear about through a very imperialistic lens My o What a beautiful, eye opening collection of stories This nonfiction book from Alexis Okeowo was impossible to put down She effortlessly weaves together stories from four different countries in modern day Africa Uganda, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Somalia , detailing atrocious experiences with frankness, simplicity, and above all humanity She showcases the courage and resilience of everyday people, painting a picture of countries we usually only hear about through a very imperialistic lens My own perception of Africa as a whole was radically challenged, and I m positive that yours will be too I found the set up of the book inter...Too often in the American media, Africa is depicted as a continent marred by political extremism, poverty, and war crimes And certainly all these things exist in Africa But what this image does not capture is the resilience and everyday courage of the many ordinary men and women who envision for their countries and themselves a different path forward In short, the image that too often emerges in the press is one that is devoid of humanity, of the every day actions of ordinary people caught up Too often in the American media, Africa is depicted as a continent marred by political extremism, poverty, and war crimes And certainly all these things exist in Africa But what this image does not capture is the resilience and everyday courage of the many ordinary men and women who envision for their countries and themselves a different path forward In short, the image that too often emerges in the press is one that is devoid of humanity, of the every day actions of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events, and of the small ...Okeowo is a first generation daughter of Nigerian immigrants After college, she decided to experience Africa for herself Currently, she is a staff writer at The New Yorker A Moonless, Starless Sky is her debut book of literary journalism delving into experiences she had while living and working in Africa.Exploring the fight against extremism in Africa she focuses on the LRA in Uganda, modern day slavery in Mauritania, Boko Haram s reign of terror in Nigeria, and religious terrorism in S...A Moonless, Starless Sky Ordinary Women and Men Fighting Extremism in Africa, by by Alexis Okeowo.I knew about this book thanks to a Goodreads friend, Ina who also blogs here.The book writen by American journalist Alexis Okeowo, who grew up in Texas, and whose parents are from Nigeria, relates to us the lives of several men and women in these four countries Uganda, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Somalia.The book was published in October 2017, and the information is very current, which made itA Moonless, Starless Sky Ordinary Women and Men Fighting Extremism in Africa, by by Alexis Okeowo.I knew about this book thanks to a Goodreads friend, Ina who also blogs here.The book writen by American journalist Alexis Okeowo, who grew up in Texas, and whose parents are from Nigeria, relates to us the lives of several men and women in these four countries Uganda, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Somalia.The book was published in October 2017, and the information is very current, which mad...There were two quotes from the preface that set the tone for this book perfectly They are not only activists and vigilantes, but also ordinary people I became interested in subtler forms of resistance, ways of fighting that are not easy to notice Preserving your way of life amid extreme situations is also a vital struggle That is the thing about fighting extremism each victory, tiny and large, can feel monumental In this book, Alexis Okeowo frames the picture of resistance through this unde There were two quotes from the preface that set the tone for this book perfectly They are not only activists and vigilantes, but also ordinary people I became interested in subtler forms of resistance, ways of fighting that are not easy to notice Preserving your way of life amid extreme situations is also a vital struggle That is the thing about fighting extremism each victory, tiny and large, can feel monumental In this book, Alexis Okeowo frames the picture of resistance through this understanding in a manner that made each story relatable despite its extreme differences from the life I live Many of the stories recount moments of incredible strength and resilience On the flip side, so much of what they re fighting for, risking their lives for, and striving towards are ordinary and what many in the United States may see as a right This is a large part of why I t...This is a short nonfiction work by a Nigerian American journalist that goes behind the headlines in four conflict areas in Africa, telling the stories of people who range from victims to local leaders It is a very engaging book, a quick read that introduces readers to several countries and humanizes big events, although at only 236 pages for so many stories, it is very brief and therefore unable to treat its subjects with the depth I would have liked.Eunice is a teenage girl living in rural nor This is a short nonfiction work by a Nigerian American journalist that goes behind the headlines in four conflict areas in Africa, telling the stories of people who range from victims to local leaders It is a very engaging book, a quick read that introduces readers to several countries and humanizes big events, although at only 236 pages for so many stories, it is very brief and therefore unable to treat its subjects with the depth I would have liked.Eunice is a teenage girl living in rural northern Uganda when she is kidnapped by Kony s Lord s Resistance Army while visiting her sister at boarding school Once in the bush, she is forced to marry Bosco, a young man also kidnapped as a teenager, and both are forced to participate in acts of violence By the time both eventually escape, they have children together, and Eunice, like many young women whose futures are circumscribed by LRA ...RATING 4.5 Stars REVIEW I received this book for free from Hachette Books in exchange for an honest review.I love non fiction but there aren t a lot of non fiction books that interest me I m particular about my choices, mainly the author, because a great subject could be rendered completely boring in the wrong hands Still, when Hachette offered me a chance to read A MOONLESS, STARLESS SKY, I immediately said yes The synopsis may be small but the promise of this book was great and I RATING 4.5 Stars REVIEW I received this book for free from Hachette Books in exchange for an honest review.I love non fiction but there aren t a lot of non fiction books that interest me I m particular about my choices, mainly the author, because a great subject could be rendered completely boring in the wrong hands Still, when Hachette offered me a chance to read A MOONLESS, STARLESS SKY, I immediately said yes The synopsis may be small but the promise of this book was great and I knew I had to give it a chanceand I m so happy I did.A MOONLESS, STARLESS SKY is amazing Alexis Okeowo did an excellent job with the 4 stories she told of ordinary women and men fighting extremism in Africa The book was split into two...

English
03 May 2018

Alexis Okeowo