Uwem Akpan was born in Ikot Akpan Eda in southern Nigeria.
After studying philosophy and English at Creighton and Gonzaga
universities, he studied theology for three years at the
Catholic University of Eastern Africa. He was ordained as a
Jesuit priest in 2003 and received his MFA in creative writing
from the University of Michigan in 2006. "My Parents' Bedroom,"
a story from his short story collection, "Say You're One of
Them," was one of five short stories by African writers chosen
as finalists for The Caine Prize for African Writing 2007. Say
You're One of Them won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best
First Book (Africa Region) 2009 and PEN/Beyond Margins Award
2009, and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Art
Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. In 2007, Akpan taught at a
Jesuit college in Harare, Zimbabwe. Now he serves at Christ the
King Church, Ilasamaja-Lagos, Nigeria.
Winner of the Regional Award for Africa, in the
category of Best First Book, was Nigerian Jesuit Priest, Father
Uwem Akpan. His book was called Say Youre One of Them,
and it was a series of short stories about the resilience of
children, under the most difficult situations. Set in Rwanda,
the book has a raw edge to it, but as Father Uwem explained, it
could have been written about children in any country.
Say
You're One Of Them (Oprah's Book Club) Click to order
via Amazon
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Back Bay Books (September 18, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316086371
ISBN-13: 978-0316086370
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.7 x 1 inches
Each story in this jubilantly acclaimed
collection pays testament to the wisdom and resilience of
children, even in the face of the most agonizing circumstances.
A family living in a makeshift shanty in urban Kenya scurries to
find gifts of any kind for the impending Christmas holiday. A
Rwandan girl relates her family's struggles to maintain a facade
of normalcy amid unspeakable acts. A young brother and sister
cope with their uncle's attempt to sell them into slavery.
Aboard a bus filled with refugees'a microcosm of today's
Africa'a Muslim boy summons his faith to bear a treacherous ride
across Nigeria. Through the eyes of childhood friends the
emotional toll of religious conflict in Ethiopia becomes
viscerally clear.
Uwem Akpan's debut signals the arrival of a breathtakingly
talented writer who gives a matter-of-fact reality to the most
extreme circumstances in stories that are nothing short of
transcendent.
Say You're One of Them
is Oprah's 63rd selection, and also an Oprah's Book Club first!
Watch Oprah's video blogs to learn more about why this
collection of short stories by first-time author Uwem Akpan made
her list.
Say
You're One Of Them (Oprah's Book Club)