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Song for Night
Song for Night
Author: Chris Abani
"Not since Jerzy Kosinski's The Painted Bird or Agota Kristof's Notebook Trilogy has there been such a harrowing novel about what it's like to be a young person in a war. That Chris Abani is able to find humanity, mercy, and even, yes, forgiveness, amid such devastation is something of a miracle."-Rebecca Brown, author of The End of...  more » "The moment you enter these pages, you step into a beautiful and terrifying dream. You are in the hands of a master, a literary shaman. Abani casts his spell so completely-so devastatingly-you emerge cleansed, redeemed, and utterly haunted."-Brad Kessler, author of Birds in Fall Part Inferno, part Paradise Lost, and part Sunjiata epic, Song for Night is the story of a West African boy soldier's lyrical, terrifying, yet beautiful journey through the nightmare landscape of a brutal war in search of his lost platoon. The reader is led by the voiceless protagonist who, as part of a land mine-clearing platoon, had his vocal chords cut, a move to keep these children from screaming when blown up, and thereby distracting the other minesweepers. The book is written in a ghostly voice, with each chapter headed by a line of the unique sign language these children invented. This book is unlike anything else ever written about an African war. Chris Abani is a Nigerian poet and novelist and the author of The Virgin of Flames, Becoming Abigail (a New York Times Editor's Choice), and GraceLand (a selection of the Today Show Book Club and winner of the 2005 PEN/Hemingway Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award). His other prizes include a PEN Freedom to Write Award, a Prince Claus Award, and a Lannan Literary Fellowship. He lives and teaches in California.
ISBN-13: 9781933354316
ISBN-10: 1933354313
Publication Date: 9/2007
Pages: 164
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 3
3.8 stars, based on 3 ratings
Publisher: Akashic Books
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
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 reviewed Song for Night on + 2 more book reviews
A lyric fantasy that is chilling, brutal and yet, beautifullly written. This is the story of a young African boy conscripted into a rebel fighting army as a mind diffuser. His journey will captivate you. Abani is a master at weaving a great tale about the atrocities of war and yet manages to pull your heart at the same time.


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