DR CLAUDINE LEWIS
1 August Town by Kei Miller: Kei is a talented storyteller, his characters are well developed and the intricate details pull the reader in, while creating compelling satire about everyday Jamaican life and the complexities of colourism and classism in our society. For anyone who has been curious about the story of Alexander Bedward, and the history of August Town, this is required reading.
2 A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles: One of my most favourite reads of 2018. Amor Towles tells the story of a former Russian aristocrat who is sentenced to house arrest in the fabulous hotel Metropol (across from the Kremlin) by the Bolsheviks. It is an intricate look at life during the communist regime and the survival tactics and relationships that the protagonist has during the course of his “house arrest”. It is a historical novel that is anything but boring!
3 Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi: Kweku Sai is dead. A renowned surgeon and failed husband, he succumbs suddenly at dawn outside his home in suburban Accra. The news of Kweku’s death sends a ripple around the world, bringing together the family he abandoned years before. Ghana Must Go is their story. Electric, exhilarating, beautifully crafted, it is a testament to the transformative power of unconditional love, from a debut novelist of extraordinary talent. Ghana Must Go is at once a portrait of a modern family, and an exploration of the importance of where we come from and who we are. In a sweeping narrative that takes us from Accra to Lagos to London to New York, Ghana Must Go teaches that the truths we speak can heal the wounds we hide.
4 Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi: an intricately woven tale about the Atlantic slave trade, which follows the lives of three Ghanaian women from the Gold Coast to life in America and the complex issues surrounding the slave trade and identity.
5 We Should all be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Must-read for all women, even women who do not consider themselves feminists. This is a personal, eloquently-argued essay — adapted from her much-viewed TEDX talk of the same name. With humour and levity, Adichie offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the 21st century — one rooted in inclusion and awareness. She shines a light not only on blatant discrimination, but also the more insidious, institutional behaviours that marginalise women around the world, in order to help readers of all walks of life better understand the often-masked realities of sexual politics.