Author: Abi Daré
Year Published: 2020
Category: Adult fiction
Pages: 384
Rating: 5 out of 5
Location (my 2021 Google Reading map): Nigeria
Summary (from Amazon): The unforgettable, inspiring story of a teenage girl growing up in a rural Nigerian village who longs to get an education so that she can find her “louding voice” and speak up for herself, The Girl with the Louding Voice is a simultaneously heartbreaking and triumphant tale about the power of fighting for your dreams. Despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in her path, Adunni never loses sight of her goal of escaping the life of poverty she was born into so that she can build the future she chooses for herself – and help other girls like her do the same. Her spirited determination to find joy and hope in even the most difficult circumstances imaginable will “break your heart and then put it back together again” (Jenna Bush Hager on The Today Show) even as Adunni shows us how one courageous young girl can inspire us all to reach for our dreams…and maybe even change the world.
Summary (from Amazon): The unforgettable, inspiring story of a teenage girl growing up in a rural Nigerian village who longs to get an education so that she can find her “louding voice” and speak up for herself, The Girl with the Louding Voice is a simultaneously heartbreaking and triumphant tale about the power of fighting for your dreams. Despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in her path, Adunni never loses sight of her goal of escaping the life of poverty she was born into so that she can build the future she chooses for herself – and help other girls like her do the same. Her spirited determination to find joy and hope in even the most difficult circumstances imaginable will “break your heart and then put it back together again” (Jenna Bush Hager on The Today Show) even as Adunni shows us how one courageous young girl can inspire us all to reach for our dreams…and maybe even change the world.
Review: I tried to read this book in print a couple months back and had a difficult time with the dialect so put it aside. Then I heard other bloggers say how wonderful the audio version is. Normally, I don't do well with the audio since I am such a visual person, but I requested the audio from my local library and it showed up this week so I dove right in.
The narrator did a wonderful job and it really helped me follow the story hearing it the way it should be spoken. She also evokes the emotions of the main character's experiences as a young wife who doesn't want to be married and who at age 14 deals with issues that are far beyond her years and experience.
Adunni has an intense ride as a young wife, house maid, and education-seeker throughout this book, much of which is sad and made me angry. But, Adunni keeps a good attitude, keeps pursuing her dream of an education, and finds a mentor and protector who is supportive. This woman gives Adunni confidence, inspiration, and keeps at her to believe in herself. I love that the story shows the power of having someone in your corner and that it just takes one or two people to turn a life around, or at least to give hope.
Challenges for which this counts:
- Diversity: black author and characters
- Literary Escapes: Nigeria
- Popsugar: a DNF from my TBR pile
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