Description: Each story in this jubilantly acclaimed collection pays testament to the wisdom and resilience of children, even in the face of the most agonizing circumstances. A family living in a makeshift shanty in urban Kenya scurries to find gifts of any kind for the impending Christmas holiday. A Rwandan girl relates her family's struggles to maintain a facade of normalcy amid unspeakable acts. A young brother and sister cope with their uncle's attempt to sell them into slavery. Aboard a bus filled with refugees-a microcosm of today's Africa-a Muslim boy summons his faith to bear a treacherous ride across Nigeria. Through the eyes of childhood friends the emotional toll of religious conflict in Ethiopia becomes viscerally clear.
Review Quotes: "Awe is the only appropriate response to Uwem Akpan's stunning debut, "Say You're One of Them", a collection of five stories so ravishing and sad that I regret ever wasting superlatives on fiction that was merely very good. A." -- Entertainment Weekly (EW Pick / Grade A) "Jennifer Reese" (01/01/2008)