Best African Books

23,342 members

460 reviews

3.8

20 Members: timspalding, kidzdoc, rebeccanyc, SilentInAWay, kleo, thorold, Soupdragon, sjmccreary, kootibkiteer, manupaulose, souloftherose, LisaMaria_C, alex68, cej1027, banjo123, ahef1963, LadyReadA, ManWithAnAgenda, steller0707, BondGrl008,

2

Cry, the Beloved Country

by Alan Paton

10,585 members

194 reviews

4

10 Members: hailelib, kageeh, inge87, aulsmith, kootibkiteer, manupaulose, souloftherose, Dilara86, ahef1963, steller0707,LisaMaria_C

3

Purple Hibiscus

5,332 members

191 reviews

4

8 Members: SilentInAWay, Samantha_kathy, souloftherose, elkiedee, JuliaMaria, cej1027, banjo123, steller0707
Explanations: JuliaMaria: Nigeria

4

Half of a Yellow Sun

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

7,905 members

317 reviews

4.2

10 Members: rebeccanyc, Soupdragon, sjmccreary, souloftherose, elkiedee, LisaMaria_C, Dilara86, banjo123, ahef1963, steller0707

5

by Alexander McCall Smith

15,272 members

426 reviews

½ 3.7

9 Members: hailelib, kleo, sjmccreary, souloftherose, elkiedee, LisaMaria_C, cej1027, ahef1963, ArtieVeerle,banjo123

6

Nervous Conditions

by Tsitsi Dangarembga

2,396 members

51 reviews

4

7 Members: rebeccanyc, bonsam, souloftherose, elkiedee, ManWithAnAgenda, steller0707, BondGrl008

7

The Famished Road

by Ben Okri

2,641 members

43 reviews

½ 3.6

5 Members: SilentInAWay, deebee1, Dilara86, banjo123, abbarabs1501

8

The Grass Is Singing

by Doris Lessing

2,429 members

79 reviews

3.9

6 Members: thorold, DorsVenabili, LisaMaria_C, alex68, JuliaMaria, steller0707

9

Cutting for Stone

by Abraham Verghese

10,593 members

566 reviews

½ 4.3

5 Members: kidzdoc, SugarCreekRanch, elkiedee, LisaMaria_C, steller0707

10

Disgrace

11,839 members

298 reviews

3.9

5 Members: kidzdoc, alex68, JuliaMaria, ahef1963, steller0707
Explanations: JuliaMaria: Südafrika

11

In the Country of Men

by Hisham Matar

1,400 members

64 reviews

½ 3.7

5 Members: SqueakyChu, kidzdoc, elkiedee, LisaMaria_C, ahef1963

12

Wizard of the Crow

A Girl Is a Body of Water

1,055 members

20 reviews

½ 4.3

4 Members: kidzdoc, rebeccanyc, Dilara86, alex68

13

by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

496 members

21 reviews

4.1

3 Members: proserpinarex, gust, ManWithAnAgenda

14

An Elegy for Easterly

by Petina Gappah

278 members

32 reviews

3.8

4 Members: teckelvik, Soupdragon, souloftherose, elkiedee

15

Arrow of God

1,467 members

29 reviews

½ 3.7

4 Members: rebeccanyc, aulsmith, Dilara86, banjo123

16

A Grain of Wheat

1,124 members

26 reviews

½ 3.7

4 Members: kidzdoc, rebeccanyc, thorold, ManWithAnAgenda

17

Americanah

The Palm-Wine Drinkard and his Dead Palm-Wine Tapster in the Deads' Town

9,557 members

343 reviews

4.2

4 Members: gust, alex68, JuliaMaria, steller0707

18

The Poisonwood Bible

by Barbara Kingsolver

28,665 members

539 reviews

4.2

5 Members: Samantha_kathy, SugarCreekRanch, souloftherose, steller0707, BondGrl008, ,LisaMaria_C ,banjo123

19

July's People

by Nadine Gordimer

1,999 members

47 reviews

½ 3.5

4 Members: aulsmith, alex68, ahef1963, steller0707

20

by Amos Tutuola

584 members

18 reviews

½ 3.5

4 Members: SilentInAWay, thorold, alex68, banjo123

21

By the Sea

by Abdulrazak Gurnah

465 members

13 reviews

½ 3.7

4 Members: kidzdoc, rebeccanyc, alex68, ahef1963

22

No Longer at Ease

Life and Times of Michael K

1,730 members

32 reviews

½ 3.7

4 Members: thorold, LisaMaria_C, Dilara86, banjo123

23

3,058 members

75 reviews

3.8

3 Members: kidzdoc, belgrade18, ahef1963

24

Petals of Blood

The Thing Around Your Neck

877 members

15 reviews

3.9

3 Members: kidzdoc, rebeccanyc, SilentInAWay

25

The Boy Next Door

by Irene Sabatini

179 members

13 reviews

4

3 Members: Soupdragon, souloftherose, elkiedee

26

The Memory of Love

by Aminatta Forna

751 members

47 reviews

3.9

4 Members: kidzdoc, Soupdragon, elkiedee, steller0707,LisaMaria_C

27

The Story of an African Farm

2,215 members

76 reviews

4.1

3 Members: Soupdragon, elkiedee, steller0707

28

God's Bits of Wood

by Ousmane Sembene

760 members

11 reviews

4

3 Members: rebeccanyc, Dilara86, banjo123

29

by Olive Schreiner

1,194 members

29 reviews

½ 3.4

2 Members: southernbooklady, teckelvik

30

Desert

by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio

769 members

21 reviews

½ 3.7

3 Members: kidzdoc, kleo, alex68

31

Waiting for the barbarians

4,891 members

83 reviews

4

3 Members: LisaMaria_C, alex68, ahef1963

32

The River Between

The Cairo Trilogy: Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street

828 members

22 reviews

½ 3.7

3 Members: kidzdoc, rebeccanyc, kootibkiteer

33

by Naguib Mahfouz

1,265 members

18 reviews

½ 4.3

2 Members: gust, alex68

34

Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

by Nelson Mandela

5,599 members

72 reviews

½ 4.3

3 Members: LisaMaria_C, banjo123, ahef1963

35

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

by Ishmael Beah

8,065 members

318 reviews

4

2 Members: SqueakyChu, ahef1963

36

The Heart of the Matter

by Graham Greene

5,559 members

91 reviews

3.9

3 Members: LisaMaria_C, ahef1963, steller0707

37

The Dark Child

by Camara Laye

792 members

23 reviews

½ 3.4

2 Members: Dilara86, banjo123

38

Baking Cakes in Kigali

by Gaile Parkin

813 members

84 reviews

3.9

2 Members: aulsmith, sjmccreary

39

Infidel

by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

4,937 members

202 reviews

4.2

2 Members: kootibkiteer, LisaMaria_C

40

What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng

by Dave Eggers

7,252 members

173 reviews

4.1

3 Members: SqueakyChu, kidzdoc, LisaMaria_C,banjo123

41

Heart of Darkness

by Joseph Conrad

26,362 members

431 reviews

½ 3.6

4 Members: souloftherose, ahef1963, jeffza, steller0707, ,Dilara86 ,banjo123

42

The Lying Days

by Nadine Gordimer

193 members

2 reviews

3.9

2 Members: Soupdragon, elkiedee

43

An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography

by Paul Rusesabagina

802 members

27 reviews

½ 4.3

2 Members: SqueakyChu, LisaMaria_C

44

The Good Doctor

by Damon Galgut

733 members

27 reviews

½ 3.5

2 Members: kidzdoc, manupaulose

45

Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War

by Mark Bowden

5,034 members

69 reviews

4.2

2 Members: LisaMaria_C, ahef1963

46

A Bend in the River

by V. S. Naipaul

3,475 members

58 reviews

½ 3.7

2 Members: LisaMaria_C, alex68

47

Matigari

The Race for Timbuktu: In Search of Africa's City of Gold

293 members

5 reviews

3.8

2 Members: rebeccanyc, alex68

48

So Long a Letter

by Mariama Bâ

1,522 members

49 reviews

3.8

2 Members: Dilara86, ahef1963

49

by Frank T. Kryza

220 members

8 reviews

3.9

2 Members: LisaMaria_C, John_Vaughan

50

Tomorrow I'll Be Twenty

by Alain Mabanckou

93 members

5 reviews

4

2 Members: thorold, Dilara86
Explanations: thorold: Congo

51

The Map of Love

by Ahdaf Soueif

1,771 members

35 reviews

½ 3.6

2 Members: elkiedee, steller0707

52

Houseboy

by Ferdinand Oyono

392 members

9 reviews

½ 3.5

2 Members: rebeccanyc, thorold

53

Lyrics Alley

by Leila Aboulela

210 members

14 reviews

½ 3.7

2 Members: kidzdoc, elkiedee

54

Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad

by Waris Dirie

1,525 members

34 reviews

3.8

Member: kleo

55

Ancient Egyptian Literature: Volume III: The Late Period

by Miriam Lichtheim

336 members

4 reviews

3.9

Member: prosfilaes

56

Tales From the Dark Continent

by Charles Allen

128 members

3 reviews

½ 3.4

Member: John_Vaughan

57

The Shadow of the Sun

by Ryszard Kapuściński

2,315 members

54 reviews

4.2

2 Members: alex68, ahef1963

58

Notes from the Hyena's Belly: An Ethiopian Boyhood

by Nega Mezlekia

244 members

5 reviews

½ 3.7

2 Members: LisaMaria_C, ahef1963

59

The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood

by Elspeth Huxley

1,170 members

18 reviews

4

2 Members: LisaMaria_C, ahef1963

60

When Rain Clouds Gather

by Bessie Head

388 members

7 reviews

3.8

2 Members: LisaMaria_C, Dilara86

61

Out of Africa / Shadows on the Grass

by Isak Dinesen

2,348 members

24 reviews

4

Member: LisaMaria_C

62

At the Still Point

by Mary Benson

63 members

2 reviews

½ 4.4

Member: inge87

63

Too Late to Turn Back

by Barbara Greene

60 members

2 reviews

3.8

Member: John_Vaughan

64

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

by Trevor Noah

8,113 members

412 reviews

½ 4.4

Member: cej1027

65

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood

by Alexandra Fuller

3,761 members

113 reviews

3.9

Member: LisaMaria_C

66

A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali

by Gil Courtemanche

788 members

22 reviews

3.9

Member: SqueakyChu

67

The Zanzibar Chest

by Aidan Hartley

516 members

9 reviews

½ 3.7

Member: John_Vaughan

68

God or Nothing: A Conversation on Faith with Nicolas Diat

by Robert Cardinal Sarah

367 members

6 reviews

½ 4.5

Member: inge87

69

Green Hills of Africa

by Ernest Hemingway

2,567 members

18 reviews

½ 3.5

Member: John_Vaughan

70

Mother Comes of Age

by Driss Chraïbi

141 members

7 reviews

4.1

Member: thorold
Explanations: thorold: Morocco

71

The African Equation

by Yasmina Khadra

125 members

13 reviews

½ 3.7

Member: inge87

72

Boyhood: Scenes From Provincial Life

1,234 members

29 reviews

3.9

Member: thorold

73

Devil on the Cross

There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra

458 members

7 reviews

3.8

Member: rebeccanyc

74

In Search of South Africa

412 members

11 reviews

½ 3.6

Member: inge87

75

WOESTIJNNOMADEN

by Arita Baaijens

13 members

4

Member: kleo

76

Abiku

by Debo Kotun

10 members

½ 2.5

Member: SilentInAWay

77

Martha Quest

by Doris Lessing

1,153 members

14 reviews

½ 3.6

Member: thorold
Explanations: thorold: Zimbabwe / Southern Rhodesia

78

Segu

by Maryse Condé

671 members

10 reviews

4

Member: Dilara86

79

The Radiance of the King

by Camara Laye

398 members

6 reviews

½ 3.7

Member: rebeccanyc

80

Zulu Victory

by Ron Lock

67 members

4

Member: John_Vaughan

81

Travelling with Djinns

by Jamal Mahjoub

54 members

3 reviews

½ 3.6

Member: kidzdoc

82

Brief an meine Mutter

by Waris Dirie

45 members

3.9

Member: kleo

83

by H. V. Morton

59 members

½ 3.3

Member: John_Vaughan

84

Mr. Myombekere and His Wife Bugonoka, Their Son Ntulanalwo and Daughter Bulihwali: The Story of an Ancient African Community

by Aniceti Kitereza

21 members

2 reviews

3

Member: thorold
Explanations: thorold: Crazily detailed novel explaining the culture of Ukerewe Island, Tanzania, written in the local language in the 1940s and not translated until very recently.

85

Out of Africa

by Isak Dinesen

5,813 members

111 reviews

3.9

Member: alex68

86

Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown

by Paul Theroux

2,329 members

62 reviews

3.9

Member: John_Vaughan

87

Other Lives

by André Brink

48 members

4 reviews

½ 3.6

Member: kidzdoc

88

Aké: The Years of Childhood

by Wole Soyinka

809 members

14 reviews

3.9

Member: thorold

89

Weep Not, Child

The Belly of the Atlantic

688 members

9 reviews

½ 3.6

Member: rebeccanyc

90

by Fatou Diome

203 members

6 reviews

½ 3.7

Member: Dilara86

91

The Book of Chameleons

by Jose Eduardo Agualusa

564 members

36 reviews

3.9

Member: Dilara86

92

Memoirs of a Porcupine

by Alain Mabanckou

204 members

15 reviews

½ 3.5

Member: rebeccanyc

93

You Must Set Forth at Dawn: A Memoir

by Wole Soyinka

199 members

1 review

½ 4.3

Member: alex68

94

Season of Migration to the North

by Tayeb Salih

1,994 members

56 reviews

3.8

Member: alex68

95

Summertime: Fiction