How Beautiful We Were

Name: How Beautiful We Were
Brand: Allen & Unwin
SKU: 9781838851378
Price: 27.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

By Imbolo Mbue

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3.95

( 18,932 ratings, 2,743 reviews)

Summary

How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue is a thought-provoking novel set in a fictional African village that grapples with environmental devastation caused by an American oil company. The narrative, which spans several decades, explores the community's struggle for justice and their fight to regain control over their land. It intricately weaves personal and collective stories, capturing the resilience and hope of the villagers facing immense challenges.
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Format: Paperback / softback

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How Beautiful We Were

$27⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This compelling narrative may appeal to you if you are drawn to stories about the resilience and courage of communities facing environmental and corporate devastation. Set in a fictional African village, the novel explores themes of family, sacrifice, and the relentless pursuit of justice, capturing both the beauty and the struggles of a people fighting for their land and future.

How Beautiful We Were

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Behold the Dreamers comes a sweeping story about the collision of a small African village and an American oil company.

Description

'Sweeping and quietly devastating' - New York Times

'A David and Goliath story for our times' - O, the Oprah Magazine

Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, this is the story of a people living in fear amidst environmental degradation wrought by an American oil company. Pipeline spills have rendered farmlands infertile. Children are dying from drinking toxic water. Promises of clean-up and financial reparations are made - and broken.

Left with few choices, the people of Kosawa decide to fight back. But it will come at a steep price - one which generation after generation will have to pay.

How Beautiful We Were is a masterful exploration of what happens when the reckless drive for profit, coupled with the ghost of colonialism, comes up against one community's determination to hold onto its ancestral land and a young woman's willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of her people's freedom.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

How Beautiful We Were is lauded for its sweeping narrative and emotional depth, portraying a fictional African village's struggle against corporate exploitation. Critics highlight its powerful storytelling and the moral questions it raises about Western greed. The novel is described as both devastating and enthralling, offering a contemporary fable centred on resilience and justice.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781838851378

Publisher: Canongate Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 March 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Canongate Books

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 246g

Pages: 368

Collections

Education & Reference Fiction General Fiction Imbolo Mbue Literary Fiction

About the Author

Imbolo Mbue is the author of the New York Times bestseller Behold the Dreamers, which won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and was an Oprah's Book Club selection. The novel has been translated into eleven languages, adapted into an opera and a stage play, and optioned for a miniseries. A native of Limbe, Cameroon, Mbue lives in New York.

imbolombue.com