Say You're One of Them.

• Author: Chang, Emily T.
• Position: Brief article - Book review

SAY YOU'RE ONE OF THEM

Uwem Akpan

(New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008), 354 pages.

Uwem Akpan's Say You're One of Them is a collection of short stories set in strife-ridden African environments. Told from the perspective of children, these tales describe the world in which they live and the harsh conditions of their surroundings. Dealing with circumstances involving child-trafficking and ethnic of religious conflicts, the stories delve into horrifying situations where the child's resilience shines through these heinous experiences.

Akpan's use of adolescent voices to describe these tragedies makes the stories even more heart-wrenching. He manages to capture the conflicting emotions of the protagonists, from the frustrating confusion of the younger characters to the ultimate desire for survival of the older ones, often pitting familial loyalty against survival. One of Akpan's keys to success in these...