Overview

In the tradition of Behind the Beautiful Forevers, this is a masterful, humane work of literary journalism by New Yorker staff writer Alexis Okeowo-a vivid narrative of Africans who are courageously resisting their continent's wave of fundamentalism. In A Moonless, Starless Sky, Okeowo weaves together four narratives that form a powerful tapestry of modern Africa: a young couple, kidnap victims of Joseph Kony's LRA; a Mauritanian waging a lonely campaign against modern-day slavery; a women's basketball team flourishing amid war-torn Somalia; and a vigilante who takes up arms against the extremist group Boko Haram. This debut book by one of America's most acclaimed young journalists illuminates the inner lives of ordinary people doing the extraordinary-lives that are too often hidden, underreported, or ignored by the rest of the world.

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9781478996996

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Reviews

Okeowo has wandered as a reporter into some of Africa's most difficult and dangerous corners and delivered something remarkable: real characters, women and men, fully rendered. -- Howard W. French, author of Everything under the Heavens Okeowo's in-depth, perceptive reporting gives a voice to ... extraordinarily courageous-and resilient-women and men. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Countless books have been written on the larger conflicts in these countries, but Okeowo succeeds in evoking empathy for real people living there. -- Library Journal Clear-eyed, lyrical, observant, and compassionate-reportage at its finest. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) The reporting is expert and empathetic, and Okeowo illuminates the people beyond the headlines. -- W magazine [Okeowo's] own status as a biological African born in America who straddles two continents and two sensibilities-at minimum-infuses this work with a real urgency. -- Ms. Magazine A rich and urgently necessary book...Okeowo has taken their stories, crafted them in all their courage and complexity, and placed them at the center of the story of what it is to be human. -- New York Times Riveting and so thoughtfully told. -- Vogue The portraits and voices she brings us from Africa are so vivid that the reader can easily forget the determination and bravery it must have taken to gather them in these unhappy corners of the continent. -- Adam Hochschild, New York Times bestselling author Spectacular reporting. Full of fresh, unexpected detail. -- William Finnegan, Pulitzer Prize-winning author One of the best records I have ever read of a world that has been made and remade time and again out of struggle and faith. -- Hilton Als, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Absolutely essential reading, period. -- Alexandra Fuller, New York Times bestselling author

Absolutely essential reading, period. -- Alexandra Fuller, New York Times bestselling author One of the best records I have ever read of a world that has been made and remade time and again out of struggle and faith. -- Hilton Als, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Spectacular reporting. Full of fresh, unexpected detail. -- William Finnegan, Pulitzer Prize-winning author The portraits and voices she brings us from Africa are so vivid that the reader can easily forget the determination and bravery it must have taken to gather them in these unhappy corners of the continent. -- Adam Hochschild, New York Times bestselling author Riveting and so thoughtfully told. -- Vogue A rich and urgently necessary book...Okeowo has taken their stories, crafted them in all their courage and complexity, and placed them at the center of the story of what it is to be human. -- New York Times [Okeowo's] own status as a biological African born in America who straddles two continents and two sensibilities-at minimum-infuses this work with a real urgency. -- Ms. Magazine The reporting is expert and empathetic, and Okeowo illuminates the people beyond the headlines. -- W magazine Clear-eyed, lyrical, observant, and compassionate-reportage at its finest. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Countless books have been written on the larger conflicts in these countries, but Okeowo succeeds in evoking empathy for real people living there. -- Library Journal Okeowo's in-depth, perceptive reporting gives a voice to ... extraordinarily courageous-and resilient-women and men. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Okeowo has wandered as a reporter into some of Africa's most difficult and dangerous corners and delivered something remarkable: real characters, women and men, fully rendered. -- Howard W. French, author of Everything under the Heavens

Author Information

Alexis Okeowo is a staff writer for the New Yorker and a fellow at the New America Foundation. Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, the Financial Times, Time, and Fortune, among many other publications. She is a graduate of Princeton University. Kamali Minter is a voice talent and audiobook narrator.

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