The BusinessDay CEO Magazine May 2017

The BusinessDay CEO, May 2017 | 12
fused emotions with great storytelling in a novel that readers can empathize with. Stay with
Mehas been shortlisted among 6 novels for the prestigious Bailey's Women Prize for Fiction
formerly known as The Orange Prize.
2. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
If you would like to read a year of history in every page of a novel, you will be at home with
Homegoing. This New York Times bestseller delves into 250 years' worth of history in 300
pages. In a sweeping tale that involves two sisters separated by slavery and colonialism in
18th Century Ghana, Yaa Gyasi lends readers a different pair of eyes. This much-talked about
novel is Yaa Gyasi's debut novel and has carved her a spot in Contemporary African
Literature. Readers have called it emotional, brilliant, and thought provoking. Homegoing was
a finalist for the 2017 Pen/Robert W. Bingham $25,000 Prize for Debut Fiction.
3. Black Moses by Alain Mabanckou
This is the 11th novel of prolific writer and professor of African Literature at UCLA, Alain
Mabanckou. A native of the People's Republic of Congo, Mabanckou has penned a comic tale
of a young man's quest to right the wrongs in this country. The main character is reminiscent
of Robin Hood and the backdrop is 1970s Congo on the brink of a revolution. Black Moses
has been long listed for the $50,000 ManBooker International Prize for Literature. If it wins, the
prize money will be split between the author and English translator, Helen Stevenson.
4. Long Throat Memoirs by Yemisi Aribisala
This collection of essays is a labor of love by Nigerian food connoisseur, Yemisi Aribisala.
Written over the span of 8 years, Long Throat Memoirs seeks to satisfy an insatiable appetite
of Nigerian food and storytelling. This is a great read not just for the Nigerian palate, but for
anyone whose senses come alive by aromas and well-told stories. Published by indigenous
press, Cassava Republic, Long Throat Memoirs was the 2017 recipient of the prestigious John
Avery Award. This award puts Yemisi Aribisala among a list of winners that includes renowned
chef, Jamie Oliver.
5. The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso
Writer, Yewande Omotoso has a distinct way of weaving heavy weight subject matters into
stories told calmly. In The Woman Next Door, readers meet two women, two races, and
apartheid South Africa broken into two. The nuances of aging and how women relate to each
other are explored in this novel that moves at its own pace. The Woman Next Door is
Yewande Omotoso's second novel was long listed alongside 15 other novels for the 2017
Bailey's Women Prize for Fiction.
6. Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie
Both Americanah and its author, Chimamanda Adichie need no introduction. Going on a
journey that spans race, hair, and feminist politics with its protagonist Ifemelu has been
likened to witnessing Adichie write unhindered. Americanah found its way to the New York
Times bestselling list, was called the first great African novel of the new century, and was
snatched up by the duo of Lupita Nyongo and Brad Pitt for a movie adaptation. Most recently,
Americanah beat out powerhouse novels to win the inaugural One Book, One New York
contest. This means that in addition to the over 500,000 copies this novel has sold,millions of
New Yorkers will be reading and discussing this story told like no other.