Sad Books Say So Much

Yes, indeed, agha ojoka - war is very ugly.  Especially when the monsters win.

I hope I never, ever see a body in motion without a head.  I hope my nieces inherit a universe in which human beings are not tortured for daring to improve their minds.

What a book!  As a friend is fond of saying, one does not "enjoy" this type of book, because it is based on other people's tragedy.  But I fell in love with the Igbo people, with their language and their culture, and that sustained me through the horror of learning what was done to them.

I can quibble with the characters' choices, with their complacency, with their delusions.  But I wasn't there.  Others were, or their loved ones were.  I hope this book has brought them some clarity and some peace.  Our disconnected world could badly use it.