Happy weekend Book Friend!
I hope you had a wonderful week. I hope you're picking up knowledge that will help you improve personally. I'd like to formally welcome all new "Reading with Chris" subscribers. I appreciate you joining me on this reading adventure. There are a lot of things planned for you, including freebies, book recommendations, and high-quality content. I'm also open to suggestions, criticism, and fresh ideas. I hope that as we read, we will develop as a people and learn a lot.
This week, I read two books - " My Father and Myself " by J. R. Ackerley and "Born on a Tuesday" by Elnathan John. The book I'll be reviewing is "Born on a Tuesday," Elnathan John's first book. Novelist, satirist, and Lawyer, Elnathan John is from Nigeria. His works have twice made the Caine Prize for African Writing shortlist. This fictitious book was released in 2016 and is set in Northern Nigeria (from 2003 - 2010). It is broken up into five parts and written as first-person narrative and diary entries (an eye witness account). This magnificent book explores how a society may devolve into anarchy as well as the emergence of Islamic fundamentalism in Northern Nigeria, which eventually gave rise to Boko Haram.
In "Born on a Tuesday," Ahmad Dantala (whose name translates as Born on a Tuesday), a young Almajiri, is introduced. At a very young age, his father sends him away to attend a distant Islamic school (Dogon Icce). He first appears to us in Bayan Layi in 2003, when he attends a Sufi Quranic school before joining a street gang commanded by the political thug Banda. They are hired by one political party (the small party) to set fire to the headquarters of an opposition party (the big party), which sparks a wave of violence in which the police are called in. Dantala must flee in order to save his life.
He eventually makes it to Sokoto state, where he comes under the tutelage of an imam by the name of Sheikh Jamal. Here, he finds some sense of stability, goes through puberty, experiences sexuality and love, and develops a friendship with Jibril, who teaches him English, a language that “sounds soft and easy like one does not need to open one’s mouth a lot or use a lot of air or energy” – unlike Arabic, where “one uses everything, the neck, the jaws, the tongue”.
However, the emergence of hardline Islamic movements in Sokoto that aim to overthrow one another in quest of puppet supporters and funding from both state and non-state actors flipped Dantala's once stable world on its head. Izalas and Dariqas are only mentioned briefly as Elnathan John introduces the Mujahideens and Shiites. In the book, conflicts between Sunni and Shiite Muslims are described, as well as the development of the Mujahideen and their leader, Malam Abdul Nur, a former student of Shiekh Jamal and Jibril's brother. Extreme views that Malam Abdul Nur adopted were counter to the principles taught by The Shiekh, his guru. He gets a sizable following among the city's angry young men. The Mujahideens developed into a threat to the city, drawing the attention of the police, the government, and other security organizations. Shiekh Jamal was brutally murdered by Mujahideens, and his supporters' response to this led to anarchy in the city. Dantala attempted to flee this tumultuous situation, but was apprehended by soldiers and held captive for nine months.
The book "Born on a Tuesday" is filled with deep insights. For me, Elnathan John's portrayal of a human story that included the good, the bad, and the ugly went beyond the media's coverage of the growth of extreme Islamic movements in Northern Nigeria. We witness people's generosity and kindness toward complete strangers, making it a story of goodness. It also dispels the myth that all Muslims are fanatics who refuse to coexist peacefully with those who disagree with them.
It is a story about change and resilience. Dantala transformed from a young boy sleeping under a tree and hanging out with street kids to a guy who learned to read and write English on his own, rose to the position of second in command to the local Islamic sect leader, and was thereafter deemed a good man.
It is also the horrifying story of Almajiri children, who suffer from unbalanced families, excruciating poverty, and social exclusion. As a result of their vulnerability to political actors who seek them out for their political usefulness, as well as religious leaders who use them as human shields in religious conflicts and for grants from Arab foreign donors, these children's prospects in life are severely limited. It is also a tale that illustrates the many issues that Nigeria is currently dealing with, including eroding economic progress, elements of governmental failure, and corruption among political and religious leaders. There are instances of beheadings, amputations, human burnings, torture, and other horrible acts of brutality throughout the narrative.
The narrative in "Born on a Tuesday" is compelling. Language has a crucial role in the telling of a human story, as Elnathan John demonstrates. The book is simple to read, the topics covered were thoroughly studied, and it is also full of humor and insight. The book brings you into Northern Nigeria. Nigerians should read this book, in my opinion. I believe we ought to have open discussions on the problems Elnathan John brought up in this book. The novel transported us to the past, brought us to the present, and raised issues regarding the nation's future.
I find inspiration in some authors, like Elnathan John. I've read his satire "Be(com)ing Nigerian," and I like how it tells the truth without regard for political correctness. I'm on the lookout for more of his writing.