Say You're One of Them Audiobook

" The stories start alright but the endings are awful. Just leaves you hanging. The only stories I liked were the last couple. "

" TOO bleak for me. "

" This book is terrible .... I had to struggle to read 10%. I don't know how many pages this represented since I was on my Kindle reader and it does not show page count, only %. I will usually give a book 75-100 pages to "capture me" and if it fails by then, well, I have better things to do. "Say Your're One of Them" is the worst reading experience I have had since ..... I can't remember one worse. I am moving on. "

" wow - this is a tough one... don't know if i can get through it, it's so raw and real. a very rough look at poverty and survival in the third world. "

" It's an Oprah Book Club selection. It got three stars from many reviewers. I couldn't take it. I read only one and a half stories. The first was about a 12 year old prostitute who supported her family. Stark, mean, distressing, ugly....a few of the words that come to mind in describing the story. The second started off a little easier. It's about an uncle who is preparing to sell his nephews, I think. I don't want to finish it. "

" I think all of these short stories about the dire circumstances of families, children and adults in the African countries of Gabon, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria as told by Uwem Akpan needs to be read by teens and adults the world over in order to feel their pain, their pride and their bitter, heartbreaking struggles in daily life and war. "

" I borrowed a copy of this from my Mom, who read it at the behest of Oprah, and read it a few months after I moved back to NY from California. It's an incredibly sad book, but well-written. Luxurious Hearses is by far the best story in the collection. "

" Couldn't get into.... "

" Very touching, I enjoyed reading it but for some reason I expected more from it. I was a bit disappointed. "

" Very interesting read - all the stories are from the perspective of children. I struggled with the dialogue, understanding what the characters were actually saying though. Maybe it's because I'm not used to all the dialects - but I did really struggle with that part of the book. Definitely made me appreciate the blessings we have here in the United States!! "

" These short stories written by an African priest offer an unsettling glimpse into the sorts of issues children on that continent are facing. Like the librarian friend who found this book on a "best books of 2008" list, I found the dialogue difficult to follow. Akpan mixes English, French, and African words; this lends authenticity to the stories but those African words, especially the ubiquitous "dey", were a stumbling block for this reader. Language aside, the stories are some of the most thought-provoking I have read in the past ten years. "

" Currently reading this book and have found it both interesting and upsetting at times. Especially since my trip to Kenya. These human rights atrocities have happened throughout the world and the author brings them alive in his book of short stories. Would definitely recommend. "

" I'm not always a fan of short stories -- these were amazing. I had a couple late nights up reading because I couldn't put it down. "

" I thought I would enjoy this much more. It's a collection of short stories, very sad and disturbing stories of war-torn africa. Some of the stories were way too long, to the point of being a little boring. I generally like it when authors write accents into their work but in this case I thought it made it very hard to understand, especially when he blended accented words, with french and african dialects. It was sad and tragic, especially the terrible lives of the children of conflict. Worth the read, but not my favorite "

" This book was really hard to read. Even if you are in touch with the politics and poverty of Africa, it's still hard to read about children suffering. "

" An awesome read about suffering that plagues some parts of Africa. I liked that the author gave several different vantage points for the reader to look through and he did an excellent job painting vivid pictures of his characters. Plus, he's a Jesuit author. Nuff said "

" Unspeakably depressing. I guess that makes it real or something, but I need at least one happy ending. Or at least an ending that doesn't make me want to shoot myself. "

" Brilliant. Brutal. "

" The book was well written but extremely sad. I struggled with whether or not to finish it. On one hand it was effecting me a lot and on the other hand I shouldn't ignore what is happening in the world. "

" Captivating, horrifying, heartbreaking. Recommended for anyone suffering even the mildest case of complacency. "

" Beautifully written, heartbreaking stories. "

" I didn't really enjoy it. The written expression of accent / dialect was really challenging. "

" this book is heartbreaking. can't bring myself to finish this book. it's too painful. "

" It held my attention, but I started reading more for academic reasons than for pleasure. I'll write my paper on it though. "

" How I see it, Uwem Akpan is an exceptional writer and "Say You're One of Them" is an exceptional book. This is one of those great works that touch you in a way that changes you forever. I was enlightened, blessed and shocked all at the same time. Well done, Uwem. "

" gripping, distressing, some of the stories were VERY hard to read because of thir brutality. An important book to be read "

" Amazing compilation of short stories about children in Africa, from Ghana to Kenya. Be prepared though, these are not easy stories to read- poverty and cruelty are even more harsh when viewed through the eyes of a child. "

" I was still thinking about the stories a week after I had finished the book. Haunting and heart breaking. And one of my favorite book covers. "

" Lots of sad stories, but overall good to read. "

" Harrowing! "

" Composed of four(i think) short stories, I found only one that I really became attached to, the others I thought were hard to get into. "

" Wonderful book- extremely harsh and depressing! "

" This book was extremely difficult for me to finish, tale after tale of brutality to children. It burdens me to know that this is happening all day, every day and so little progress is being made. Mans' inhumanity to man is terrifying. I don't think I could ever forget these stories. "

" A really unique set of short stories told through the viewpoint of 5 different African children/teenagers. "

" Well written, gruelling to read. Amazing insight into another reality for me. "

" I couldn't even finish this book. I had seen it recommended and read an excpert thinking it looked alright. Ugh, so not the case! I found it really hard to get into and boring. Tried forcing my way through it and finally just said forget it. "

" Great book of short stories. Kind of depressing, but a good read. "

" Very good read but good god Oprah what is the matter with you liking all this extremely depressing, awful, incest filled, murderous, literature? Anyhow well written but I think I have PTSD after reading this! "

" this book was excellent!! very sad and depressing, but a must read. 3 different stories about children in africa and their hardships....need to read something light afterwards though...some parts were tough to read. "

" I am not sure I should even add this to my read shelf, but I can't get through it so I'm moving on. The content has potential to be powerful, but I just can't get through the writing style and language references with no translations. "

" Each story is about children in horrendous circumstances. Very sad and difficult to read. "

" Another one of the best books I've ever read. I am still in shock about the things that happen in our world. These book is fiction, but it's based on things that really happen. It will make you want to help change things in Africa. I just don't know where to start. "

" I had a very hard time understanding the writing in this book. Not enjoyable at all. "

" This book was very intense but well worth the read... "

" Interesting, very disturbing. Cannot even get my head around the lives lived in this book. Why is there so much hate and greed? I did appreciate the education. I was a bit confused by the three separate stories in one book and was hoping they would be joined somehow at the end. "

" This book was all over the place. Very drawn out and repetitive. Sometimes the writing wasn't relevant to the story. "

" Difficult book to read - subject matter and use of foreign words was confusing at times. "

" Captivating, horrifying, heartbreaking. Recommended for anyone suffering even the mildest case of complacency. "

" I think this was an Oprah Book Club pick. "

" Wonderful book- extremely harsh and depressing! "

" Just didn't find this to be very compelling. Unremittingly bleak, but I just wasn't into it. The characters were wooden and generally portrayed with an over-saccharine vulnerability and Oprah-ready "cuteness". Meh. "

" Tough. Very tough. "

" Series of short stories all in the voice of youth in Africa. I read this book in the mist of the Haitian Earthquake. All of which broke my heart. "

" I hated this - didn't read all of it and thought the ones I read were SO depressing. "

" This book was very interesting and educational, but it was really hard to get through. At times I felt as if I was reading it out of necessity and not because it was captivating. That's not to say that the stories weren't well written and honest. It just wasn't one of my favorites. "

" This book was over my head. The writer is a Jesuit priest, so I know he knows the goodness of God, but in the 3 stories I read children experienced horrible things in Africa and ran off at the end. Not sure where he is trying to go with his writing. "

" This book was over my head. The writer is a Jesuit priest, so I know he knows the goodness of God, but in the 3 stories I read children experienced horrible things in Africa and ran off at the end. Not sure where he is trying to go with his writing. "

" Harsh...and hard to imagine that people's lives are that horrendous...I look around my pretty little suburban neighborhood and think...many thanks for the where and when of my birth... "

" Harsh...and hard to imagine that people's lives are that horrendous...I look around my pretty little suburban neighborhood and think...many thanks for the where and when of my birth... "

" Some of the stories where difficult to read. "

" Some of the stories where difficult to read. "

" It held my attention, but I started reading more for academic reasons than for pleasure. I'll write my paper on it though. "

" It held my attention, but I started reading more for academic reasons than for pleasure. I'll write my paper on it though. "

" The book was well written but extremely sad. I struggled with whether or not to finish it. On one hand it was effecting me a lot and on the other hand I shouldn't ignore what is happening in the world. "

" The book was well written but extremely sad. I struggled with whether or not to finish it. On one hand it was effecting me a lot and on the other hand I shouldn't ignore what is happening in the world. "

" Shocking. Amazing what people live through. Couldn't stop reading it. "

" Shocking. Amazing what people live through. Couldn't stop reading it. "

" Very depressing stories. I did not finish this book. "

" Very depressing stories. I did not finish this book. "

" I think what made this book difficult for me to read was the English dialog with an African slant. The stories are eye opening to the conditions for African children. However, I think it would have been a more powerful book had the stories been true and not fictional representations. "

" I think what made this book difficult for me to read was the English dialog with an African slant. The stories are eye opening to the conditions for African children. However, I think it would have been a more powerful book had the stories been true and not fictional representations. "

" The stories start alright but the endings are awful. Just leaves you hanging. The only stories I liked were the last couple. "

" The stories start alright but the endings are awful. Just leaves you hanging. The only stories I liked were the last couple. "

" Did not enjoy this book at all. Language was hard to read. "

" Did not enjoy this book at all. Language was hard to read. "

" Everything I'd expect from an Oprah bookclub selection; horrible tales of horrific crimes against children with little to no hope that anything is ever going to change in Africa. "

" Everything I'd expect from an Oprah bookclub selection; horrible tales of horrific crimes against children with little to no hope that anything is ever going to change in Africa. "