Chike and the River
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by Chinua Achebe
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Anchor; Original edition (August 9, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307473864
ISBN-13: 978-0307473868
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches
Book Review by Kam Williams
"Chike was now 11 years-old, and he had never left his village. Then one day his mother told him that he would be going to Onitsha in the new year to live with his uncle…
At first Chike was full of joy. He was tired of living in a bush village and wanted to see a big city… But when the time actually came for Chike to leave his mother and sisters, he began to cry.
His sisters cried too, and even his mother had signs of tears in her eyes… ‘Stop crying,' said his mother. ‘Remember, you are now a big boy, and big boys don't cry.'"
--Excerpted from Chapter One "Chike Leaves His Village (pgs. 3-5)
Nigerian author Chinua Achebe came to fame in 1958 upon the publication
of Things Fall Apart, which remains to this day the best-selling piece of
literature by an African author. He went on to write a sequel, No Longer at
Ease and to enjoy an enduring career writing not only more novels, but
poetry, short stories, essays and political commentary as well.