About this item
On the night of April 14, 2014, 276 girls from the Chibok Secondary School in northern Nigeria were kidnapped by the deadly terrorist group Boko Haram.Fifty-seven of them escaped over the next few months, but most were never heard from again.On April 14, 2014, 276 girls from the Chibok Secondary School in northern Nigeria were kidnapped by Boko Haram, the worlds deadliest terrorist group. Most were never heard from again. Acclaimed Nigerian novelist Helon Habila, who grew up in northern Nigeria, returned to Chibok and gained intimate access to the families of the kidnapped to offer a devastating account of this tragedy that stunned the world. With compassion and deep understanding of historical context, Habila tells the stories of the girls and the anguish of their parents; chronicles the rise of Boko Haram and the Nigerian governments inept response; and captures the indifference of the media and the international community whose attention has moved on.Employing a fiction writers sensibility and a journalists curiosity, The Chibok Girls provides poignant portraits of everyday Nigerians whose lives have been transformed by extremist forces. Habila illuminates the long history of colonialism - and unmasks cultural and religious dynamics - that gave rise to the conflicts that have ravaged the region to this day."In rescuing the Chibok tragedy from mythic status, Habilas unusual primer quietly yet powerfully revives the call to take notice." - The Atlantic
About the Author
Helon Habila was born in Nigeria. He has lived in Lagos, Norwich, New York, Washington DC, Berlin, and currently teaches creative writing at George Mason University in Virginia, USA. His writing has won the Caine Prize, the Commonwealth Prize (Waiting for an Angel) , the Emily Balch Prize, the Virginia Library Foundation Fiction Prize (Measuring Time) , and shortlisted for many others. In 2013 he edited the Granta Book of African Short Story. He is currently working on his fourth novel.
