Reading: The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born

 I love books. 

I have about 700 books ( about 250 of which are cookbooks), alot of which I have not read. So many books that I had to get 2 large shelving units, and I still have about 20 books stacked by my nightstand. Because my fulltime job allows for alot of free time to do nothing (while getting paid), I decided to do some reading. So I closed my eyes, and chose this book:

The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born is a novel by Ghanaian author Ayi Kwei Armah, published in 1968. The book is set in post-independence Ghana and follows the story of an unnamed railway clerk who resists the rampant corruption and moral decay of his society.

The novel explores the conflict between the protagonist's personal integrity and the societal pressure to conform to corrupt practices in order to achieve material success. The title of the book comes from a line in a poem by Nigerian poet Christopher Okigbo, which reads "The beautiful ones are not yet born". This phrase is used to describe the idea that a better society is possible, but it has not yet been realized.

Through the protagonist's struggles, Armah provides a powerful critique of postcolonial African society, its failures and the way in which individuals can strive to uphold their values and integrity despite the challenges they face. Overall, The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born is a powerful and poignant work that explores the human cost of corruption and the importance of personal integrity in a society grappling with the legacy of colonialism.     

I recommend it. I rank this book up there with Things Fall Apart as one of postcolonial African literature’s high points. I was a bit naive; this book changed my perception of Africa as much as Things Fall Apart. I was startled to realize, through these books, that I had never imagined everyday life for people in Ghana, had only thought of Africa through adverse news reports and famine relief appeals, and had never considered the possibility that Africans might live in cities, go to work in intelligent clothes and drive really nice cars. 

currently listening to Move on, by George Michael