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Sankofa

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Sankofa

By: Chibundu Onuzo
Narrated by: Sara Powell
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About this listen

A Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick

A BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club pick

Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction Futures Prize

An Amazon Best Book of the Year

Shortlisted, The Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, 2022

Anna is at a stage of her life when she's beginning to wonder who she really is. She has separated from her husband, her daughter is all grown up and her mother—the only parent who raised her—is dead.

Searching through her mother's belongings, she finds clues about the West African father she never knew. Through reading his student diary, chronicling his involvement in radical politics in 1970s London, she discovers that he eventually became the president—some would say the dictator—of a small nation in West Africa. And he is still alive.

She decides to track him down and so begins a funny, painful, fascinating journey, and an exploration of race, identity and what we pass on to our children.

©2021 Chibundu Onuzo (P)2021 Hachette Audio UK
Family Life Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature

Critic Reviews

"A fantastic novel about a woman's search for her personal, familial and national identity." (Sefi Atta)

"Wonderful. Poignant and powerful and so timely and the beautiful ending had me in tears, reminding me to look within as well as without for my answers." (Stella Duffy)

"Slick pacing and unpredictable developments keep the reader alert right up to the novel's exhilarating ending." (Guardian Book of the Day)

What listeners say about Sankofa

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyable bit different family tangle

Slow start but I got into it. Having lived in Kenya and Rhodesia for several years in the 70’s I thought the fictitious East African country plausible. A thought provoking but easy listen

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Diary contents and Anna needing to know more

I liked it all. our human need to belong as well as mid life crisis when one seeks themselves.
cross cultural diversity

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Very engaging

I liked the storyline and the way it was narrated. Very good book worth a listen. I almost hope there is a part 2! I want to know what happens next!

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