(N.B. click on the images to go to the product page at betterworld.com):

10. A Long Way Gone (Sierra Leone)

9. Unbowed (Kenya)

8. Ake: The Years of Childhood (Nigeria)

7. What is the What (Sudan)

6. Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight (Zimbabwe)

5. King Leopold’s Ghost (Congo)

4. We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families (Rwanda)

3. Cry Beloved Country (South Africa)

2. Things Fall Apart (Nigeria)

1. Long Walk to Freedom (South Africa)

The empirical process – there was a rigorous selection process that I went through to arrive at this top ten which included moving to South Africa for a year and a half and reading a lot. What would you add?

Honorable mention:
Unheard, Heart of Darkness, The Power of One, I Write What I Like, Country of My Skull, Spud

[Bonus: If you're more interested in traditional storytelling in Africa, rather than these great stories about Africa, read My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (the book from which David Byrne and Brian Eno got the name of their first record).  It's amazing.]

This book piqued my interest not because of the obvious timeliness of the release with the election, but because Dave Eggers contributed the writing for Illinois. I don’t recognize any of the other authors, but What is the What and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius were both great reads.

I just ordered my copy and I am interested to check this book out. So far I’ve only seen 32 states and this book might be a way to check some others out. Look for a review in future posts…

From the site:

826 National is a family of seven nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping students, ages 6-18, with expository and creative writing at seven locations across the country.

Our mission is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.

Each chapter offers drop-in tutoring, field trips, workshops, and in-schools programs — all free of charge — for children, classes, and schools with particular interests or particular needs.

826 is especially committed to supporting teachers, offering services and resources for English language learners, and publishing student work. Several locations offer unique retail experiences as well.

What is the What? tells the true story of Valentino Achak Deng, who was part of the group known as the Lost Boys of Sudan. This group of more than 27,000 boys traveled across Southern Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya in search of refuge during the Second Sudanese Civil War in the 1980s and 1990s. What is the What is the novelized version of Mr. Deng’s autobiography.”

“One Book, One Philadelphia,” a program in its sixth season, “carefully chooses one book each year to dissect and celebrate. The program aims to unify and educate Philadelphians through reading.”  What is the What was chosen “…in part because of its relevance to the current situation in Darfur, which mimics the recent war in Sudan. The city hopes that the book’s candid representation of violence will resonate with readers and help them to reflect on issues of violence worldwide and within our city. Mr. Eggers praised the “One Book” program, admiring the city’s desire to promote reading on such a large scale.”

(original story and quotes from The Bulletin, Philly’s free newspaper)

Click on the photos for more info on the books and to buy them at BetterWorld.com!