Black Mamba Boy
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Product Description
Review
‘Mixing startling lyricism and sheer brutality, Mohamed plunges into the chattering, viscous heat and 'hyena darkness' of Aden…this is a significant, affecting book’ Guardian
‘The most exciting, original new fiction is coming out of Africa. Nadifa Mohamed has produced a first novel of elegance and beauty…Watch out for this one during prize season; it’s a stunning debut’ The Times
‘Just as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun drew out the little documented dramas of the Biafran war, Mohamed describes an East Africa under Mussolini's rule…such an accomplished first novel’ Independent
Product Description
Longlisted for the Orange Prize and winner of the Betty Trask Award. For fans of Half of a Yellow Sun, a stunning novel set in 1930s Somalia spanning a decade of war and upheaval, all seen through the eyes of a small boy alone in the world.
Aden, Yemen, 1935; a city vibrant, alive, and full of hidden dangers. And home to Jama, a ten year-old boy. But then his mother dies unexpectedly and he finds himself alone in the world.
Jama is forced home to his native Somalia, the land of his nomadic ancestors. War is on the horizon and the fascist Italian forces who control parts of East Africa are preparing for battle. Yet Jama cannot rest until he discovers whether his father, who has been absent from his life since he was a baby, is alive somewhere.
And so begins an epic journey which will take Jama north through Djibouti, war-torn Eritrea and Sudan, to Egypt. And from there, aboard a ship transporting Jewish refugees just released from German concentration camps, across the seas to Britain and freedom.
This story of one boy's long walk to freedom is also the story of how the Second World War affected Africa and its people; a story of displacement and family.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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This is the story of Jama, and details his journey from being a young boy to an adult. I enjoyed this book. The writing style is highly descriptive, but easy to read, and it is easy to conjure up the reality of Jama's hard life. His tales of losing his mother, life as a homeless orphan, and eventually becoming a responsible married man, with a family, are described in detail, and you do transport yourself to Somaliland and watch as Jama lives his life. Sections of the book are traumatic, others are uplifting, as we learn about the pain mankind can inflict, as well as the generosity and kindness often given without a thought.
My only wish about this book is that it was a bit longer, and described Jama's homecoming. It would have rounded the book off and I would have understood how Nadifa, Jama's daughter and the author of the book, came to be writing the story.
My only wish about this book is that it was a bit longer, and described Jama's homecoming. It would have rounded the book off and I would have understood how Nadifa, Jama's daughter and the author of the book, came to be writing the story.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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Unfortunately I was one of those who didn't particularly get on too well with this book. The synopsis/storyline has been given by almost every other reviewer so I won't repeat it.
I was initially drawn to this book because reading the back cover I thought it would be `A Thousand Splendid Suns' type of story and although it does give an harrowing account of a young boy's struggle through grief, hunger, war, and indeed East Africa, it seems to lack a certain emotion or humanness. I didn't really find Jama a likeable character - he was feral, aggressive, dirty, a thief, didn't even know where the mother he loved so much was when she was dying and hadn't lived with or even seen his mother for months. There seemed to be little care or love between the family members. It also seemed too amazing to be true that a young under nourished teenage boy can travel on foot through 200 miles of desert, from province to province and country to country avoiding death all the way, and the first bar/shop he walks into at each place he just happens to meet his mates he grew up with.
This book has been likened to The Kite Runner and Half Yellow Sun but I think this book just misses and if you're expecting the delights of books such as those you may be disappointed.
I was initially drawn to this book because reading the back cover I thought it would be `A Thousand Splendid Suns' type of story and although it does give an harrowing account of a young boy's struggle through grief, hunger, war, and indeed East Africa, it seems to lack a certain emotion or humanness. I didn't really find Jama a likeable character - he was feral, aggressive, dirty, a thief, didn't even know where the mother he loved so much was when she was dying and hadn't lived with or even seen his mother for months. There seemed to be little care or love between the family members. It also seemed too amazing to be true that a young under nourished teenage boy can travel on foot through 200 miles of desert, from province to province and country to country avoiding death all the way, and the first bar/shop he walks into at each place he just happens to meet his mates he grew up with.
This book has been likened to The Kite Runner and Half Yellow Sun but I think this book just misses and if you're expecting the delights of books such as those you may be disappointed.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
With comparisons made to The Kite Runner and Half of a Yellow Sun I had very high hopes for Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed. I knew it was going to be an inspirational story as it introduced Jama, a ten year old boy, and his family on his journey from Somalia during the 1930's and 40s but reinforced by the narrator that although this would be documenting Jama's journey it was for all those attempting to make the same journey and didn't survive.
Jama's mother Ambaro is a strong woman who maintains her pride as she is left to look after Jama while her husband Guuer leaves for Sudan in the hope of earning more money. With Jama left to roam the streets most days it's no surprise he gets into a few fights while his relationship with his mother has its ups and downs. Jama's journey however begins when his mother dies and he is sent to live with relatives but has his mind made up he wants to find his father.
By the middle of the book Jama has only reached 11 years old, quickly having to grow up and become a man with much of his journey made alone. We are introduced to many different characters gaining an insight into different classes, cultures and religions. This is still a time where white people sit at the front of buses and everyone has a rank.
There were some fantastic descriptions given in this book (unfortunately I can't quote as I have an uncorrected proof). The book is written to shock with some very vivid and very literal blow by blow accounts of various incidents. This life of this Somali boy is rough and I'll admit I cried several times at the things this boy has to endure.
What surprised me most was the kindness that Jama is shown through his life. No matter where he goes people are willing to feed, water and clothe him but more importantly give him money which I can imagine was in short supply during the war. With all the bad that comes his way, faith is restored in the kindness of others.
The book also ends at just the right point I feel. Starting in 2008 I thought it may have ended in 2008 but in fact it ends in 1947 so there is still a 61 year gap. I would very happily have continued reading if the book had gone on though which just shows how much I enjoyed reading it. Looking forward to more from Nadifa Mohamed.
Jama's mother Ambaro is a strong woman who maintains her pride as she is left to look after Jama while her husband Guuer leaves for Sudan in the hope of earning more money. With Jama left to roam the streets most days it's no surprise he gets into a few fights while his relationship with his mother has its ups and downs. Jama's journey however begins when his mother dies and he is sent to live with relatives but has his mind made up he wants to find his father.
By the middle of the book Jama has only reached 11 years old, quickly having to grow up and become a man with much of his journey made alone. We are introduced to many different characters gaining an insight into different classes, cultures and religions. This is still a time where white people sit at the front of buses and everyone has a rank.
There were some fantastic descriptions given in this book (unfortunately I can't quote as I have an uncorrected proof). The book is written to shock with some very vivid and very literal blow by blow accounts of various incidents. This life of this Somali boy is rough and I'll admit I cried several times at the things this boy has to endure.
What surprised me most was the kindness that Jama is shown through his life. No matter where he goes people are willing to feed, water and clothe him but more importantly give him money which I can imagine was in short supply during the war. With all the bad that comes his way, faith is restored in the kindness of others.
The book also ends at just the right point I feel. Starting in 2008 I thought it may have ended in 2008 but in fact it ends in 1947 so there is still a 61 year gap. I would very happily have continued reading if the book had gone on though which just shows how much I enjoyed reading it. Looking forward to more from Nadifa Mohamed.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Passable, populist "ethnic" fiction
The title of this review might rise a few hackles, so I want to elucidate my position from the outset: I in no way denegrate or look down on fiction from other ethnic traditions. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. T. COLEMAN
This novel stinks ... in a good way
You can almost smell this powerful first novel. There is the stink of rotting goat meat, the sour odour of sweat and dust and the hot smoke in the boiler room of a British Navy... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Karen Triggs
Reads a little like a travelogue
Despite the map at the front I still found myself getting lost geographically as Jama makes his way through so many countries and it doesn't help that they have of course since... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Book chatter
A tale of desperation
This book is a very good read, painting a vivid picture of the desperate situation of people growing up in places like Somalia and Aden - I can now begin to understand why some... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Xoltan
Not what people want it to be
There is a fascinating story underlying this novel. However the writing does little to really bring that story to life. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Simon Tavener
This could have been a great book......
I am not going to give detail of the story of this book, as I always believe that this spoils the enjoyment for a future reader. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Pamie
Could have been much better
I did not enjoy this book as much as I had expected, the writing style was awkward and the narration lacked 'fill-in' detail. Read more
Published 21 months ago by DubaiReader
About a Boy
Jama is a young boy growing up in East Africa in the 1930s. His father left when he was a baby to earn more money elsewhere, so Jama lives with his mother in Aden, Yemen. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Essex Girl
Didn't really grab me...
The history of Somalia in the twentieth century is a fascinating saga of colonial and post-colonial clashes between modernity and millennia of deeply ingrained tradition. Read more
Published on 23 May 2010 by El Loro
A beautiful debut novel!!!
An engaging tale of a young man's almost fantastical life in East Africa that left me wanting to learn more. Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2010 by M. Mbema
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