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How Beautiful We Were
- Narrated by: Allyson Johnson, Prentice Onayemi, Janina Edwards, Dion Graham, JD Jackson
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
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How Beautiful We Were
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Publisher's summary
Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, How Beautiful We Were tells the story of a people living in fear amidst environmental degradation wrought by an American oil company. Pipeline spills have rendered farmlands infertile. Children are dying from drinking toxic water. Promises of clean-up and financial reparations to the villagers are made-and ignored. The country's government, led by a brazen dictator, exists to serve its own interest only. Left with few choices, the people of Kosawa decide to fight back. But their fight will come at a steep price, one which generation after generation will have to pay.
Told through the perspective of a generation of children and the family of a girl named Thula, How Beautiful We Were is a masterful exploration of what happens when the reckless drive for profit, coupled with the ghost of colonialism, comes up against one community's determination to hold onto its ancestral land and a young woman's willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of her people's freedom.
Critic reviews
"A formidable storyteller." (Jonathan Franzen)
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What listeners say about How Beautiful We Were
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bookamoso
- 10-28-23
Absolutely brilliant
What a beautiful yet painful story. I thoroughly enjoyed the different perspectives in the form of chapters.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Baje Bookclub (@baje_bookclub)
- 10-21-22
An Amazing Story
This is the first book of Imbolo Mbue that I read. This story was beautifully written and narrated. Imbolo Mbue had me hocked from the beginning. So much emotion, pain, love, commitment, tradition.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 05-01-24
Beautifully written, beautifully read
Yes this is an important story- of our time- but more importanly it is delivered excellently. I have never read such beautifully articulated female characters, especially older 'widowed' women. Some passages were so beautiful I am prompted to buy a hard copy of the book so that I can read and reread them.
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