Thanks, Chris Abani

People often ask me what I’m reading, and this year, I’ve been reading works by Chris Abani.
I met this gifted Nigerian-born novelist in Switzerland in January. He shared his story of becoming a teenage novelist and later a young activist, being imprisoned and tortured by the corrupt dictatorship there, escaping to England, beginning to write again, and coming to the US. On top of being an excellent writer and speaker, he was a delightful person.
First I read Song for Night, the story of a boy soldier. It’s haunting, hypnotic, and at once humanizing and disturbing.
Then I read Abani’s poetry – Kalakuta Republic, a testament to surviving imprisonment and torture.
Today I finished Graceland – one of the best novels I’ve read in many years.
If you’re looking for a worthwhile summer read from a gifted writer … check out Chris Abani here.