The Girl With The Louding Voice

What’s it about? Adunni is just fourteen years-old and living in a small town in Nigeria.  All she has ever wanted was to go to school and become a teacher. Her dreams of school end when her mother suddenly dies.  Her father decides to marry her off as the third wife to an old man in exchange for food and rent money.  The old man  has hopes of Adunni bearing him a son.  When a sudden tragedy strikes, Adunni runs away to the big city of Lagos. She feels lucky to get work as a domestic servant until she realizes she is not getting paid, and as always her voice is being silenced by those in power.What did it make me think about? I loved that this story showed not only the cruelty , but also the kindness in Nigerian culture.Should I read it? This was an interesting story about Nigeria.  It has a cast of bigger than life characters.   Some you will hate and some you will love.  Adunni is a great narrator- don’t miss meeting her! Quote- “She cough a little, shift herself on the floor mat, keep talking.  ‘In this village, if you go to school, no one will be forcing you to marry any man.  But if you didn’t go to school, they will marry you to any man once you are reaching fifteen years old.  Your schooling is your voice, child.  It will be speaking for you even if you didn’t open your mouth to talk.  It will be speaking till the day God is calling you to come.’ That day, I tell myself that even if I am not getting anything in this life, I will go to school.  I will finish my primary and secondary and university schooling and become a teacher because I don’t just want to be having any kind of voice… ​       I want a louding voice.”