Jollof Rice And Other Revolutions: Blog Tour

 

Author: Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi

Publisher: Trapeze Books

Publishing Date: 19th January 2023

Many Thanks to the publishing team for my copy and a spot on the blog tour

Blurb

Nonso, Remi, Aisha, and Solape forge an unbreakable bond at a Nigerian boarding school, where we meet them for the first time in the middle of a riot. The uprising triggers a chain of unforeseen events, forever altering their lives.

Through a set of interlocking stories - traversing seamlessly through different voices between Nigeria and the US - Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions provides a window into the past, present, and future for a generation of Nigerian women.

We meet Solape's mother, whose life was irrevocably altered by the fallout of the school riot years before. We see Nonso grapple with the world outside Nigeria when she moves to America having fallen in love with an African-American man. We meet Remi's future husband, Segun, in the Bronx as he becomes entangled with the police. Meanwhile, Aisha's overwhelming sense of guilt about what happened the night of the riot haunts her, until she sees a chance to save her son's life and, through her sacrifice, redefine her own.

My Thoughts

I wasn't sure how well the short stories would work  but they provided a wonderful insight to each of the characters through different times. It was interesting to read certain time points before we even get to me Nonso, Remi, Aisha, and Solape and that allowed more insight and gave some sustenance to the chapters. 

It was nice to read how each character stood out as their own and had a distinct personality, flaws and voice as we follow their journey through time. I liked the reflection POV when they relate back to their childhood but as adults. It changes your perspective as adults and gains some clarity on the complexity and depths of relationships and how they can alter you view later in time. 

Each chapter can be delved into further and some want you wanting more. We start off in 1897 and end at 2050! We meet other characters along the way and interesting each adds a new prescriptive or add depth to the journey. 

It was evident that the author intertwined their own culture into the stories because the chapters and characters ebbed and flowed in a wonderful way. Topics of love, grief, family, immigration, friendships, loss, community and relationships are explored and stories unfold. 

This book was most unlike anything I have read before but it was well executed and I throughly enjoyed it.