My Heart Will Cross This Ocean: My Story, My Son, Amadou

This story is beautifully written and you can taste and feel what the West African nation of Guinea was like when the author was growing up. Her life story would have been worth writing about even if it were not for the death of her son. Married off at thirteen, a mother for the first time at sixteen, Kadiatou Diallo raised four children virtually alone, lived in four or five countries, and became a very successful businesswoman by her own efforts.

If you are looking for a true-crime book about the tragic shooting of Amadou Diallo, look elsewhere -- only the last couple of chapters deal with his death and the aftermath. But if you're looking for a lyrical memoir about growing up in Africa, you'll love this.