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Elnathan John
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Born on a Tuesday: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Elnathan John (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 265 ratings
Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction
“A Nigerian bildungsroman featuring Dantala, a street kid thrust calamitously into the arms of a gentle sheikh, who thereafter faces Islamic extremism.” —O, The Oprah Magazine, “10 Titles to Pick Up Now”
 
Winner of the 2017 Betty Trask Prize
A Finalist for the Nigeria Prize for Literature
Nominated for 2017 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award
An Indies Introduce Selection
An Amazon Best Book of the Month in Literature & Fiction
Longlisted for the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature
 
In far northwestern Nigeria, Dantala lives among a gang of street boys who sleep under a kuka tree. During the election, the boys are paid by the Small Party to cause trouble. When their attempt to burn down the opposition’s local headquarters ends in disaster, Dantala must run for his life, leaving his best friend behind. He makes his way to a mosque that provides him with food, shelter, and guidance. With his quick aptitude and modest nature, Dantala becomes a favored apprentice to the mosque’s sheikh. Before long, he is faced with a terrible conflict of loyalties, as one of the sheikh’s closest advisors begins to raise his own radical movement. When bloodshed erupts in the city around him, Dantala must decide what kind of Muslim—and what kind of man—he wants to be.
 
“An ambitious book that tackles modern Nigeria’s extremely complex religious landscape with great insight, passion, and humor by taking us deep into the mental and emotional space of the country’s most neglected.” —Uzodinma Iweala, author of Beasts of No Nation
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  1. Print length
    250 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Black Cat
  4. Publication date
    May 3, 2016
  5. File size
    3.0 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

After leaving his Koranic training, Dantala is sidetracked and lives on the streets with friends who provide him with "wee-wee" (marijuana). But when his world erupts in violence, Dantala takes shelter in a mosque. The imam, Sheikh Jamal, informally adopts him, and Dantala spends years working with his mentor, learning English, calling prayers, and becoming his official assistant. Northern Nigeria is a violent place—different factions of Islam are at war with one another, and the only constancy is political corruption and savagery. Dantala's naive, sincere teen voice will ring true with young adults, especially as he falls in love and confronts the death of loved ones. Ultimately, this novel, based on the author's award-winning short story, "Bayan Layi," is about the terrors of war and the children who suffer. Dantala may wander down the wrong path, but his religious faith serves as his guide when all hope is lost. Fundamentalism is the antagonist here, and Nigerian author John's beautiful, literary coming-of-age debut will resonate with readers; teens will also come away with a strong understanding of Nigeria and Islam. Pair with Alex Award winner Ishmael Baeh's child soldier memoir A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier for a discussion about choices and redemption. VERDICT A rich and nuanced work for school libraries needing quality contemporary fiction.—Sarah Hill, Lake Land College, Mattoon, IL

Review

Elnathan John is a Nigerian lawyer who quit his job in 2012 to write full-time. In 2013, he was short-listed for the Caine Prize for African Writing for his story “Bayan Layi” and was again named a finalist in 2015. He is a 2015 Civitella Ranieri Fellow, writes a satiric column about politics and life for a Nigerian weekly newspaper, and has had work published in Per Contra, Financial Times, Le Monde Diplomatique, Chimurenga's Chronic, Hazlitt, and the Evergreen Review. He lives in Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01AGZ8LPO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Black Cat (May 3, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 3, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.0 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 250 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 265 ratings

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Elnathan John

Elnathan John

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
265 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enlightening and well-written. They appreciate its readability, with one customer noting it's more eye-opening than a newspaper article.

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10 customers mention "Enlightened content"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enlightening, with one describing it as a powerful and engrossing read.

"This book has been an enlightening experience...." Read more

"...The story line is very interesting and enlightening, and it is worth reading again." Read more

"This is such a good book! I absolutely enjoyed reading every page." Read more

"I haven't finished the book yet, but it's engrossing, compelling, and provides western readers with valuable insights into how a group like Boko..." Read more

9 customers mention "Story quality"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book incredibly well-written and worth the read, with one customer describing it as a superb story that explores themes of religion and values.

"...It is totally worth the read as long as the reader sees this book for what it is a learning experience rather than a joyride to a different world." Read more

"I would definitely recommend this book. The story line is very interesting and enlightening, and it is worth reading again." Read more

"...that I could take Dantala, the first person narrator of this amazing story, to Disneyland. He's just a kid, but a kid without a childhood...." Read more

"...This Nigerian man has written a superb story that rings true, and will definitely educate all who read it. I loved this novel." Read more

6 customers mention "Readability"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, with one customer noting it provides valuable insights and is more eye-opening than a newspaper article.

"...the read as long as the reader sees this book for what it is a learning experience rather than a joyride to a different world." Read more

"This is such a good book! I absolutely enjoyed reading every page." Read more

"...book yet, but it's engrossing, compelling, and provides western readers with valuable insights into how a group like Boko Haram evolved and emerged." Read more

"...written a superb story that rings true, and will definitely educate all who read it. I loved this novel." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Kindle Customer Richard E. Moore
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes it would have been better to never have lived.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This book has been an enlightening experience. While no one on the outside looking in could ever fully understand the Islamic world, this book does provide some insight into the warring factions within the religion. The reader can get some understanding that there is no higher calling that to follow Allah's will. Man's inhumanity to man is secondary as long it accomplishes Allah's will. It is totally worth the read as long as the reader sees this book for what it is a learning experience rather than a joyride to a different world.
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  • Umar Mohammed sani
    4.0 out of 5 stars I found the book very interesting, as i like reading books centered on Nigeria. I think Nigeria is a very cultural place full of
    Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I would definitely recommend this book. The story line is very interesting and enlightening, and it is worth reading again.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2024
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    This is such a good book! I absolutely enjoyed reading every page.
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  • MJ Rosenberg
    5.0 out of 5 stars A book about children
    Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This is not only a story about the horrors inflicted on children in Nigeria but, just as much, on all children in war zones and, particularly, where religious extremism (no matter what religion) spreads like a malignancy.
    I recently read an article that told how Elie Wiesel, shortly after surviving the death camps, went to Disneyland on assignment for a newspaper. He absolutely loved it, saying that no one who actually had a childhood could imagine what it meant to him, who never had a childhood at all.
    This book left me wishing that I could take Dantala, the first person narrator of this amazing story, to Disneyland.
    He's just a kid, but a kid without a childhood.
    You must read this.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Read-A-Lot
    3.0 out of 5 stars Heady and Steady. 3.5 stars
    Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2016
    This book defies categorization. It is certainly a work of fiction, but where under the umbella would you put this enviable work? Is it a coming of age tale? Well yes shades of that genre exist. Is it a tale of religiosity and the directions that one can steer religion to when one takes a fundamental approach to scriptural interpretation? There is a bit of that in here also, how Islam can be factionalized based on Qurán interpretation is a prime undercurrent of this novel.

    The narrator is Dantala, also known as Ahmed who lives with the Sheikh, the leader of the local Islamic sect. Dantala transformed himself from a boy who was hanging out with the street types who slept under a tree. He details his rise from that condition to second in command, he came to be a trusted aide of the Sheikh, giving us a glimpse into the daily lives of those who choose religious compound life. Some of these boys may otherwise be homeless, if they didn't have this option. Some are actually there to devote their life to Islam.

    So a cornucopia of issues are touched upon, everything from sex, religious infighting to cholera. There are times in this book when the sentences don't seem related to one another, especially in the first quarter of this debut novel. It is as if the author, is trying to find his groove. Elnathan John does indeed find a comfortable rhythm and his prose becomes steady and heady.

    Through following the life of Dantala, we learn a little of Nigerian life for a Muslim. But ultimately, the reader is still wondering, what is all this about. Perhaps, like the Sheikh asks of Dantala after telling him a story, "Were you wondering what the moral of the story was?"Dantala of course is curious, the Sheikh's reply; "There is no moral. I just felt like telling you a story."

    I think that sums of the point of this novel, Elnathan John just wants to tell us a story and it turns out to be a pretty good one. 3.5 stars.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Shoe City Girl
    4.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended
    Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I haven't finished the book yet, but it's engrossing, compelling, and provides western readers with valuable insights into how a group like Boko Haram evolved and emerged.
    Helpful
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  • A. Schultz
    5.0 out of 5 stars I hope those of us whose story this is not see how easily it could become a story that is ours
    Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This is a very heavy but good read. You'll need a few weeks and something mindless afterwards to even begin to recover.
    There is much in the book that is difficult, but anything that makes us face our own empty humanness is difficult. So are things that tie tongues in knots. There’s a lot of Hausa and Arabic, and I cannot tell one from the other, written out in Latin script. The reviews on the back of the book compare Elnathan to Achebe. But Born on a Tuesday feels far more accessible to an outsider than Achebe.
    More: [...]
    3 people found this helpful
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  • annieb
    5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this novel
    Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    It was,a hard book in ways, because the situations are real and the struggles are true. West Africa is hard to capture, because for Westerners rarely catch all the facets. This Nigerian man has written a superb story that rings true, and will definitely educate all who read it. I loved this novel.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • kastner
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must read
    Reviewed in Canada on January 29, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    A wonderful book that offers a different perspective on faith and radicalism.
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  • Wangari Githaiga
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
    Reviewed in Australia on April 12, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I really enjoyed this book. Funny and witty but yet very raw reality. It has taught me alot about Islam faith, a definite page turner that kept it humorous but real.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in India on October 1, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Interesting
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  • haruna ngada
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the writing style is simple and captivating. The narration makes the emotions palpable. Quite funny and sad at the same time. I dare also add bold themes on religious divide explored by Elnathan in a sensitive yet interrogative way. A well written book.
    Customer image
    haruna ngada
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Brilliant book

    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2023
    I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the writing style is simple and captivating. The narration makes the emotions palpable. Quite funny and sad at the same time. I dare also add bold themes on religious divide explored by Elnathan in a sensitive yet interrogative way. A well written book.
    Images in this review
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!
    Reviewed in Canada on June 1, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Great book! Couldn't put it done, made me laugh, cry and just imagine! Born on a Tuesday is a must read!
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