Michael Holman
Independence Days
There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra
By Chinua Achebe
Allen Lane/The Penguin Press 333pp £20
The author is one of Africa’s finest novelists, his subject is one of Africa’s greatest tragedies, the accusations he makes could not be more serious, and his prognosis for Nigeria is grim indeed. This combination should make for a compelling read. Instead the result is a quirky mix of opinion, autobiography, history and polemic, uneven in quality and partisan in perspective.
It has been more than forty years since Nigeria’s civil war over the breakaway state of Biafra ended. Chinua Achebe, its best-known son, has at last broken his silence on the subject: ‘It is for the sake of the future of Nigeria, for our children and grandchildren, that I feel
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
Twitter Feed
Are iPhones ruining children's lives? A prominent American psychologist thinks so.
@tiffanyjenkins is not so sure:
Tiffany Jenkins - The Smartphone Pandemic
Tiffany Jenkins: The Smartphone Pandemic - The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an...
literaryreview.co.uk
India's 'festival of democracy', or general election, begins next month. Like every good festival, it looks likely to have its fair share of murders and arrests.
@OwenBennettJon probes the state of democracy in India:
Owen Bennett-Jones - New Delhi Confidential
Owen Bennett-Jones: New Delhi Confidential - The Incarcerations: BK-16 and the Search for Democracy in India by Alpa Shah
literaryreview.co.uk
Where is the world's newest narcostate and why is it thriving?
@AdamBrookesWord investigates Asia's meth mecca.
Adam Brookes - Meth Comes to Myanmar
Adam Brookes: Meth Comes to Myanmar - Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel That Outwitted the CIA by Patrick Winn
literaryreview.co.uk