Say You're One of Them

A Jesuit priest from Nigeria and recent graduate of the MFA program at the University of Michigan, Akpan has already enjoyed a success that most writers only dream of: The first two stories he ever submitted for publication landed in The New Yorker, one in their 2005 Debut Fiction Issue, the other in their 2006 War Issue. The collection, comprised of two novellas and three short stories, takes us into the world of African children caught up in impossible situations. Whether telling the stories of child slaves, child prostitutes, street children, child soldiers or genocide orphans, Akpan's steady, unpretentious voice vividly and heart-wrenchingly captures the tragedies, ironies, humor and hope of these characters.

"...a tour de force that takes readers into the lives glimpsed in passing on the evening news...These are stories that could have been mired in sentimentality. But the spare, straightforward language--there are few overtly expressed emotions, few adjectives--keeps the narratives moving, unencumbered and the pages turning to the end."
-The Associated Press

"Awe is the only appropriate response to Uwem Akpan's stunning debut...a collection of stories so ravishing and sad that I regret ever wasting superlatives on fiction that was merely very good."
-Entertainment Weekly

"Fictional debuts accompanied by a ballyhoo of critical plaudits are likely to arouse suspicion....This time the ballyhoo is real: Akpan is an important writer."
-The Times UK

"Haunting prose. Unrelenting horror. An almost unreadable must-read."
-Kirkus Reviews (starred)

"Say You're One of Them is a beautiful, bitter, compelling read. The savagely strange juxtapositions in these stories are grounded by the loving relationships between brothers and sisters forced to survive in a world of dreamlike horror. Open the book at any page, as in divination, and a stunning sentence will leap out. Newspaper facts are molded by Akpan's sure touch into fictional works of great power.
-Louise Erdrich, author of Love Medicine and The Plague of Doves

"Here is a truly unforgettable book. Say You're One of Them is an important, well-crafted, and ultimately devastating collection, and Akpan is a writer of rare gifts and deeply humane vision. I can't recommend these stories more highly.
-Peter Orner, author of The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo

"Say You're One of Them is not only good advice for surviving ethnic conflict; it's also, in Uwem Akpan's hands, an exercise in empathetic speculation--an exercise that, in this collection's case, seems nearly sacramental in the sobriety and miraculousness of its reach. Repeatedly these stories quietly enable us to imagine the unimaginable, and offer up to our view the unspeakable rendered with clarity and grace.
-Jim Shepard, author of Like You'd Understand, Anyway, National Book Award Finalist, 2007, and winner of the Story Prize, 2008

"Say You're One of Them gives voice to Africa's children in beautifully crafted prose and stunning detail. Uwem Akpan is a major new literary talent.
-Peter Godwin, author of When a Crocodile Eats the Sun

"Uwem Akpan writes with a political fierceness and a humanity so full of compassion it might just change the world. His is a burning talent."
-Chris Abani, author of GraceLand and The Virgin of Flames

"Uwem Akpan's stories are extraordinary not just for the sheer power of their narratives and the sympathy and affection he lavishes on his child protagonists, but also for their importance in communicating the chaotic, strife-ridden world of Africa today. What an original, graceful, and necessary talent Akpan is!"
-Ron Hansen, author of Mariette in Ecstasy