La Petite Famille

by Ishmael Beah, Ishmael Beah

Dans un pays d’Afrique qui n’est jamais nommé, cinq orphelins s’improvisent un foyer dans une carcasse d’avion abandonnée, relique du chaos et de la guerre qui a ensanglanté la région, et élèvent la survie au rang d’art, subsistant grâce à de menus larcins et des missions douteuses. Mais l’équilibre de cette « petite famille » est sérieusement ébranlé lorsque leur aîné, Elimane, fait la connaissance d’un mystérieux protecteur et que la jeune et franche Khoudiemata se laisse envoûter par les gens des beaux quartiers et leurs habitants fortunés... Avec ce portrait tendre mais sans concession des liens que l’on tisse pour tenter d’échapper à son destin, Ishmael Beah fait entendre la voix des plus vulnérables à travers ces inoubliables héros du quotidien. Originaire de Sierra Leone, Ishmael Beah s’est fait connaître grâce à son autobiographie, traduite dans plus de quarante langues, où il racontait son passé d’enfant soldat ( Le Chemin parcouru, Presses de la Cité, 2007). Aujourd’hui ambassadeur pour l’Unicef et membre engagé de Human Rights Watch, il intervient à travers le monde pour défendre les enfants victimes de la guerre. La Petite Famille est son deuxième roman après Demain le soleil .

Genres: Fiction, Africa, Literary Fiction, Sierra Leone, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Adult

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 28, 2020

About the author

Ishmael Beah was born in Sierra Leone in 1980. He moved to the United States in 1998 and finished his last two years of high school at the United Nations International School in New York. In 2004 he graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in political science.

He is a member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Advisory Committee and has spoken before the United Nations, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities (CETO) at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, and many other NGO panels on children affected by the war. His work has appeared in VespertinePress and LIT magazine. He lives in New York City.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/ishmae...

Reviews

[Angela M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is one of the best books I’ve read this year for a number of reasons. I was sad when it ended because I didn’t want to leave these characters behind. It’s one of those books that is so beautifully written that I was compelled to reread paragraphs for the pure pleasure of reading them again. What lovely language! I woke up thinking about this story and realized how little I paid attention to the real stories of children who are displaced and struggling to survive, victims of the politics and history of their country, in this case an unnamed African country. These fictional characters represent so many. I was grateful to Ishmael Beah once again. His first novel, Radiance of Tomorrow is a powerful and impactful story and this, his second novel, left me wishing there were more stars to give.

This is a beautiful story about young people who have lost their families and their previous lives and have come together creating a new family. The bonds between them will move you, how they care for each other, how they work together communicating when necessary with the language of their whistles and body movements. Living in an airplane, they steal food to survive and are clever out of necessity. Just as all families, while they share food and love for each other, these are individuals with their own memories of their past lives, which they mostly keep from each other. We do get glimpses of their pasts reflecting the trauma hidden in those memories.

Khoudiemata at 18 is the mother figure caring for everyone especially ten or eleven year old Namsa, yet needing some sense of herself and time alone, wanting to be a part of another life with people her own age, with beautiful hairstyles, clothes and painted nails. Elimane is 20, always reading or writing, is the sole survivor of a privileged family and knows the history of this country well. Ndevui, one of the younger boys, runs on the beach every day with earphones connected to nothing, singing the songs he has in his head. Kpindi is always alert and aware of his surroundings and I was pulled in to this story when I first met him at the beginning. I loved each of them. The world around them goes on - the shops, the restaurants, the rich people on the beaches, the corrupt government and those involved in more dire criminal activity than the petty theft of food they steal to survive each day. It was only a matter of time that this outside world would enter theirs and nothing would be the same again for this beautiful little family. I plan to listen to his self narrated memoir, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.

I received a copy of this book from Riverhead Books through Edelweiss.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A family, not of blood but one put together by circumstances not in their control. They live in an abandoned airplane, in a unnamed country in Africa. How they came to be here we only learn from veiled hints throughout the story. They take care of each other, have learned to survive by shoplifting, taking food and other opportunities that present. Living on the margins of life, they are the unseen, or those that are so nondescript they can fit in anywhere. We are provided a few clues on the state of their country, what is happening within. All goes along well until one received a special opportunity and Khouda finds herself with the moneyed and yearns for a new, better life.

Such tenderness in the language, understanding in the portrayal of her characters.as i read the dread i was feeling and the tension mounted. I knew the book had to end and I was so afraid for this little family. How many of us don't look past the visual, deciding a person is one way because of how they dress or talk? I really think is all countries, as this book makes clear, a little more kindness and understanding would not go amiss. How easy is it to dismiss, to not let oneself see, the people behind the front.

ARC from Edelweiss

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

’If you are to walk toward a field that lies at the edge of the small town of Foloiya when the sun is awake in the sky, you will hear the breeze whistling through the grasses, parting the dry and green strands as it makes its way to you. Or maybe you will think it is the rustling of someone hiding under the bast shrubs. At the end of the field, your eyes will light upon the face of a boy among the grasses, peering intently at something. You try to see what it is by following the trail of his gaze, but you see nothing.’

A rag tag group of young people have joined together, living in the wreckage of an old plane that had crashed and is now covered by the plant life that surrounds it.

’But Elimane never spoke about his earlier life, any more than the rest of them did. They knew only that, of the twenty years of his life, he had spent four living in the plane, the first year all alone. Kpindi had arrived next, then Khoudi, then Ndevui, and last of all little Namsa, only six months before.’

They are not related biologically, but they form their own family out of their common goal – to survive. And although they may be still young, they are no longer innocent in terms of how the world, their world, is run. They set out each day with each one having a goal in mind of what they need to accomplish that day, what they plan to pilfer, and most often end each day back inside their makeshift ‘home.’

’Poverty has a great appetite for eating one’s dignity, but Elimane was one of those people who fought to keep his, even when that was the only battle he was winning.’

Heartbreakingly real, my heart broke from them all, but the star of this story for me was Khoudi, whose inner strength made her shine above the rest, and I loved, of course, Elimane for his love of literature and that despite having so little in terms of comfort he has a collection of books that he cherishes.

This is a book that deserves to be read and experienced, rather than to be read about. Tackling racism, malice, corruption in government, poverty and the meaning of family, a story I won’t soon forget.



Many thanks, once again, to the Public Library system, and the many Librarians that manage, organize and keep it running, for the loan of this book!

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I meet Ismael Beah when he spoke at our local university about his memoir “A Long Way Gone”, years ago.

Beah’s memoir was the most talked about book in the Bay Area, at the time.
Teachers in our local High Schools and Colleges were reading it with students.
Parents, young adults .... everywhere you went around town....
people were talking about it.
It’s it’s one of those stories a reader never forgets.

I later read “Radiance of Tomorrow”....Ishmael’s first novel.
The book wasn’t well written in my opinion (had some problems)....
but, regardless, it’s hard not to be a huge fan Ishmael Beah.
His childhood was horrendous. A nightmare.
But - his story needed to be told!!! And people all over the world - stood behind him. Me too!

Which now brings me to his current book “Little Family”.
It’s a fantastic book!!!

There are - already - many wonderful reviews ( read Angela’s).... ‘thanks Angela’!!!
I can’t express anything better!!!

I’m only going to add one thing….
.....I’m blown away.....inspired.....moved and impressed by the maturity and skill in Ishmael’s writing. WOW!!! Growth beyond growth!!!
To be a witness of such *grand improvement* of Beah’s writing skills of this beautiful and tragic story — just makes me want to stand up and cheer for him.
The improvement in his writing is AMAZING!!

I’m so happy that Ishmael came to our country -
that great people and educators invested time and money supporting him.
I don’t think anyone expected him to become such a powerful voice - an advocate for anyone being treated unfairly.

He writes about people’s struggles.
Ishmael (a survivor himself) writes about others ....
survival and resilience being the important themes!!

Soooo proud of him!
This was an intelligent - emotionally felt - wonderful novel.

[Ron Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ishmael Beah’s 2007 memoir, “A Long Way Gone,” was hard to ignore and impossible to forget. News reports about children conscripted into Sierra Leone’s civil war had shocked the world, but then came this indelible testimony from one of the soldiers describing the horrors he had witnessed and committed as a teenager. Beah’s survival, his recovery and his eloquence made him an international symbol of hope, and he has worked passionately since then to bring attention and resources to saving children traumatized by wars.

Now almost 40 years old, Beah has published his second deeply affecting novel, “Little Family.” Although set in an unnamed African nation, the story speaks to the plight of extremely poor people in all countries riddled with corruption and violence. Distressingly, the experiences of Beah’s characters are the experiences of the powerless everywhere.

Inspired by his extensive travels and interviews, Beah has imagined a group of five homeless orphans living together on the edge of a bustling city. As victims of abuse or calamity, they care for each other gently, warding off memories of better — and worse — times. “They had an unspoken understanding not to press one another about the past and its pain,” Beah writes, “but to keep trying to. . . .

To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...

[Jenna ❤ ❀ ❤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out engrossing but unfortunately failed to hold my attention. It's a story of five young people who, having lost their families, create one of their own together, living in an abandoned airplane in the jungle. They use their wits to survive, working odd jobs when they can and stealing food and other supplies when the opportunity arises. Their ingenuity was fun to witness, their creativity in survival knowing no end. 

Unfortunately, what started out as interesting and a story about all of the youth became centered around Khoudi who longs to be what she thinks of as a normal woman - hanging out with friends, going out for drinks, dating. And this, predictably, morphs into a romance. A female/male romance. And that was the end of my interest in the story. 

A few things happen in the last half of the book concerning the others, but not enough to hold my attention. It felt like a chore to reach the end. The author writes very well but I just didn't like the story.  It would have been nice to learn more about each of the characters' history in order to understand them more though perhaps the author has his reasons for not going into their backgrounds.

5 stars for the first few chapters.... but those twinkling stars just kept fading, their light down to just one dim star by the end.  I'll average the rating out to 3.

[luce (cry bebè's back from hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

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“Almost everything in this country is on its way to losing itself.”

Little Family is a deeply felt novel. Set in an unnamed African country, the narrative revolves around five young people whose makeshift home is a derelict airplane.
Ishmael Beah’s paints a sobering landscape: government corruption, extreme social divide, the malignant vestiges of colonialism, colourism, military/police brutality. The ‘little family’ at the heart of his novel do their best to survive, pouring their different skills and strengths into clever swindles. Beah’s illuminating prose gracefully renders their day to day activities.
The first half of the novel follows each member of the family without delving into their pasts. I really loved these early chapters. In spite of the dangers they face, the members of this family are brave beyond belief. Beah clearly has a wonderful ear for the rhythm of children’s conversations: there is silliness and the kind of banter that teeters between playful and not-so-playful. Unlike the adults in his novel Beah never dismisses the voices of his young characters. Although they are painfully aware of being “the ones society had no use for”, and that each day may bring a new form of dehumanization, they unanimously wish for change (for safety, for their poverty to end, for their country to rid itself of corruption and the inequalities brought by colonialism).
Elimane and Khoudi, the older members of this little family, are not only incredibly self-aware (of their role in their society, of their country’s fraught history, of the different degrees of inequality within their community) but often encourage others to question established norms. As we follow them during their daily routines we gain an impression of the dynamics within this family. It was Namsa, the youngest one in the family, who stood out to me in this first half of the novel. She approaches her family’s excursion with a sense of buoyant adventure, and although she worries that she won’t be able to keep up with the others, she’s just as, if not more, quick-witted.
While outside of their home the group often has to keep apart from each other, as not to draw suspicion, the depth of their bond, their mutual ease and trust, is clear.
The tempo in the latter half of the novel is far less absorbing. The story focuses almost exclusively on Khoudi and her ‘awakening’. What follows is rather predictable: she learns the power of her own body, becomes intrigued and eventually entangled with a group of privileged young people, and distances herself from the ‘self’ she is within the ‘little family’. While I can appreciate a ‘coming of age’ tale or a story that charts a quest for one’s identity, I did find Khoudi’s journey to be clichéd and clearly written by a man. There are a few scenes that seem straight out of a boy’s fantasy of a girl who is on the cusps of womanhood (discovering her beauty and sexual desire, becoming close to another beautiful young woman...and of course, although each one of them is interest/infatuated with a man, when they are alone together they kiss...but it means nothing). The tonal shift too, left me wanting. The little family is sidelined in favour of a love story, one that was particularly uninspired (if anything the whole star-crossed lovers thing made Khoudi’s early characterisation somewhat redundant). The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying.
As much as I loved the first half, Khoudi’s half was bland. I also felt annoyed that the characters we grown to know in the early chapters are more or less abandoned by the narrative in favour of a romance.
Still, the author treats his characters and the issues they face with empathy so I would probably recommend this one to those readers who don’t mind when novels change the direction of their story.

[SheLovesThePages · Rating 4 out of 5]

🔹BOOK REVIEW🔹

Little Family by Ishmael Beah
On Sale: April 28, 2020

-DESCRIPTION-
Ishmael Beah does not disappoint. This little family includes five kids that, for whatever reason, have brought them together where they live in an abandoned airplane hidden away from the world. They have developed very sophisticated ways to survive and keep themselves safe. This story really focused on, Khoudi, a young lady who is being pulled in two directions and still unsure of her past. While she longs for the comfort of the 'colonial" life in Africa, she despises the utter devastation it continues to have.

-THOUGHTS-
Beah could not have been more brilliant when it came to the descriptions. I felt like I was there, the sights, the scents, the weather, the people. The reader really gets a sense of the struggle this little family has with wanting the comforts that money can bring, but also rebelling against those that have all the money and power. I do wish that we had a better understanding of what brought each character to the airplane. What was their background and their circumstances?

-RATING-
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 stars
I recommend this read!

-SIMILAR RECOMMENDED READS-
A Long Way Gone
The Handmaid's Take
Cutting for Stone

[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Family, Ishmael Beah's second novel, is both haunting and powerful. It follows a group of five street smart youths (roughly ages 8 to 20) living on their own in a crashed airplane. They try to survive scavenging for the next meal and sharing with each other the very little they have and using their imaginations to make up for everything they are missing.

The entire story depicts the political climate of high corruption, the marginalized people struggling with unfairness and judgements, and the growing gap between the rich and the poor where crossing the economic divide and social class will yield unintended consequences.

Beah’s storytelling is such that he will transport you to their lives - see their hopeless situation, and feel the pangs of hunger as this little family try to survive another day. The novel is told in amazing detail. You will get to know the characters, and will want to join in their fight for a hope that tomorrow will be a little better than today. Beah opens our eyes and hearts to what is going on in the other side of the world where violence, hardships and struggle is a way of life.

I highly recommend this novel for a life changing read that will move you to tears and all kinds of emotions.

[Mainlinebooker · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gentle and tender book that had the rhythmic nature of an African lullaby.Five young people have banded together to create their own life, living hand to mouth, hiding in a crashed airplane that they call home. Despite their struggles, materially and psychologically, resting inside their virtual home was like slipping on an old sweater, warm and comforting. Beah's characters are so well developed that I felt I could point them out on the street. What indeed makes up a family? Piercing observations about colonialism, with spot on pacing, makes this quiet thoughtful novel a tour de force.

[Never Without a Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Family by Ishmael Beah is set in an unnamed place but could also be anywhere. Five homeless orphans take refuge in an abandoned airplane camouflaged by a maze of vegetation. Day in and day out these young people struggle for food, security and a sense of belonging, but don’t be fooled, these kids are observant and disciplined.

Throughout this character driven novel, Beah, interweaves the stories of each youth and he gives the reader just enough of a backstory to get your imagination going. As you read, you’ll get to see how each member of the family start to become their own. Beautifully written and memorizing, these characters will stay with you for a long time.

[Nancy]

Khoudi was invisible in her beanie and boy's clothes. Elimane was the intellectual, always with a book, his past life a secret; he is also street-smart, a hustler. Young Namsa suffers sleep terrors rooted in some unspoken past while Khoudi watches over her. Ndevui and Kpindi play marbles for ganja.

These bright young people have been dealt horrible blows. They have banded together as a little family to survive life on the streets. They know how to blend into the crowd, tag along with a family to pass, and pocket food which they share at their secret hideout.

This makeshift family will break your heart.

Through these characters, Ishmael Beah's novel Little Family paints a picture of the social and economic disparity of Sierra Leone.

Eliname assists a stranger who then employs him and the family for undercover operations. The money they earn changes their lives.

Khoudi is a beautiful girl blossoming into womanhood. She uses her money at a hair salon and steals clothes from the beach. Self-contained and independent, her beauty attracts the attention of a wealthy girl who unknowingly helps her pass into the upper echelons of society.

Survival comes at a cost. Feelings make you weak. When the family allows jealousy in, a series of events destroys the family and Khoudi's fantasy of a different life.

The setting is specific and foreign, full of local color, the exotic foods and the red caps daily inventing another "exercise in dehumanization."

Yet this is a story that is repeated across the world, in every city. How many children are unprotected, how many fine minds are untapped, what beauty lies hidden beneath rags? Every state holds these lost children.

I will be haunted by this little family.

I received a free book through Goodreads. My review is fair and unbiased.

[Nadine in California · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars, rounded up. There are elements of a book I could love in here, but ultimately it didn't do enough with them. The members of this young found family all engaged me, as did their ingenious cons and strategies to keep themselves fed and clothed, day by day. Their unnamed West African beach city vividly came to life for me too. But I wish the author had dug more deeply into these characters, especially their previous lives and how they came to be homeless. This would also have given the author a richer opportunity to explore the post-colonial scars on African life, which are touched on, but get eclipsed by a corny romance, a move that surprised and disappointed me.

[Aisling Foley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this but.... there was something missing. Maybe exposition? A defined beginning,middle and end. Normally I love books where nothing much happens and the whole novel turns out to be a character study. But, with this, from the moment the book begins it is an explosion of movement and action, no pause for character exploration.

Even the books quieter moments which centred around Khoudi felt a little flat. I didn’t connect with the character maybe because I didn’t truly know her intentions. How had she grown up? Was she internally conflicted about her relationship with Elimane? I just needed more.

The ending crept up with questions unanswered. It almost felt like the book was part of a series. I could almost sense the writers impatience to finish the book, skipping over the enigmatic Manga Sewa, Mahawa,Frederick, Ophelia and William Handkerchief.

Ultimately, I enjoyed the sense of place, the relationship between the characters and several plot points. The writing had an ease that aided my enjoyment and ultimately led to my four stars. I’m glad I read this one although I’m not quite sure about the hype.

[Martha☀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wonder if Beah sat in front of his computer and thought 'how can I teach the world about the corruption, colonialism, class system and poverty in Sierra Leone?' and then came up with the story of Khoudi and the little family. The story is a thought-provoking snapshot of a life lived in survival mode with the big themes of government corruption, inordinate wealth and systemic poverty at its heart. The story is one that hints at the Sierra Leone's reality then pushes you to ask deeper questions but you must search out those answers yourself.

Khoudi and her little family of 4 other homeless orphans have formed a bond of care, secrecy and interdependency, living in an abandoned plane on the outskirts of town. They each have their strengths in finding food and supplies and have mastered the art of becoming invisible when needed. They pick up odd jobs and take advantage of situations that can help them make ends meet.

Khoudi falls into a friendship with a wealthy teenager and begins to play at living the beautiful life. She is included in soirees, parties and a weekend away at a resort. She gets to see how the other half lives and pretends that she belongs. She explores the power she holds within her body and, more importantly, in her mind. But, when her two worlds orbit too closely, she has to make choices between them.

[Abbie | ab_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had some audiobook credits to use thanks to the lovely people at @librofm (#gifted) to choose whatever I fancied, and as soon as I saw Little Family on there I remembered Anna's @never_withouta_book review! She mentioned that it was character-driven, with five orphans banding together to survive. Those 'found family' vibes had me adding Little Family to my cart in a second!
.
And I wasn't disappointed. I fell for Ishmael Beah's Little Family of five. Their dynamics were lovely to read about. Khoudiemata and Elimane are like the big brother & sister, or maybe even more like mother & father, looking out for the others. Then there are Kpindi and Ndevui, who reminded me of cheeky twins although they're not related, and then Namsa. Namsa is the newest and youngest member of their family and the way they banded together to make sure she was always safe - my heart.
.
Like Anna mentioned, it's mainly character-driven, with the second half focused on Khoudiemata finding herself and realising there's a whole other world, where women her age live carefree lives, never having to worry about where their next meal is coming from. When Elimane begins accepting jobs from the mysterious 'William Handkerchief' for good, but dubious, pay, and Khoudiemata starts spending more time with 'the beautiful people' she meets at the beach, it seems their little family is drifting apart. But their newfound circumstances come full circle, bringing them back together in ways they couldn't have imagined.
.
It's set in an unnamed 'conflict-scarred' country, but Beah touches on themes such as the lasting effects of colonialism, corruption, and poverty. I enjoyed the audiobook narration by Dion Graham too, although I do still wish grown male narrators wouldn't attempt a little girl's voice 🙈
.
I'll definitely be picking up Beah's debut novel, Radiance of Tomorrow, at some point, and A Long Way Gone, which is his memoir about his time spent as a child soldier in Sierra Leone.

[Suzanne thebookblondie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Family by Ishmael Beah (#48 in 2020)

Elimane, Khoudiemata, Ndevui, Kpindi, and Namsa are five young people who have joined forces to create a shelter out of an abandoned airplane and who share life's struggles as they steal food and money for survival. As Elimane and Khoudi begin to experience different ways of life, the survival of the little family is put to the test. 

I love the character of Khoudi. She is incredibly dynamic in terms of her development, but she remained constant in her beliefs and opinions. Khoudi takes a chance on exploring a fancier way of life when given the opportunity. Khoudi is a chameleon and finds ways to adapt to situations in which she has to be the Khoudi her little family needs - a protector and provider, but at the same time she wants to grow into the woman she dreams of being- sophisticated and well-respected.

While this book is clearly contemporary fiction, I do feel like it has a legendary quality to it. The reader doesn't know how or why these five young individuals have come together, but that's not what really matters. Throughout the story, the reader is learning valuable lessons through the characters and their actions. At one point, Khoudi has her "Cinderella experience" in which she slightly alters her physical appearance to fit in with a society she would normally never associate with. All the while, the reader hopes for Khoudi's success but also hopes she realizes that "all that glisters is not gold." 4.5 stars

[Leah Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful little story, I wish it had been so much longer. Hopefully the author will choose to revisit the story and its rich characters. There was so much more to be told. I would love to know what led up to the story and hear more about their lives prior to the story’s opening

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sounded good in premise — the story of orphans in Sierra Leone who come together as a “little family” — but it felt a bit flat and repetitive. I liked the family’s camaraderie and creativity and the distinct personalities of each character in the beginning. But once they began to befriend and work for wealthier people, the plot became more trivial and predictable, skewing too much towards a romance for me.

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ishmael Beah's first book was a memoir of his life as a child soldier in Africa. Since then he's been an important human rights activist. He has also become a novelist.

Little Family, Beah's second novel, is both understated and powerful. It follows a group of five young people (roughly ages 8 to 20) living on their own in Zimbabwe in a derelict airplane hull near an airport. The pacing is slow because Beah observes their lives with the same detail with which they observe the world around themselves. They are always on full alert, looking for items to be "corrupted" (their slang for stolen), anticipating both threats and opportunities, hiding from soldiers, and seizing odd (sometimes questionable) jobs as they arise.

Over the few weeks the novel covers the "little family" builds new relationships that force them to question their status in the country and their relationships to one another. One of them begins working for a man clearly involved in illegal finance, drug trafficking, and human smuggling. Another finds herself being pulled into a social circle of upper-class youth, who mistakenly assume she comes from a background similar to their own.

One of the aspects of this novel I particularly appreciated was the way Beah lets us see the little family's philosophizing. This is never pretentious or didactic. It is just that, like most of us, they are seeking a narrative for their own lives that makes sense of the conditions they find themselves in.

I recommend this novel very highly.

I received a free electronic review copy of Little Family from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are my own.

[Basic B's Guide · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I finished LITTLE FAMILY and was left wanting more, I still loved the tenderness within the story. The daily fight to survive was so evident and heartbreaking. I look forward to chatting with the #mysterybookclub readers and the author.
⁣
“In Elimane’s days as an apprentice learning to navigate the blows of life, he would have been long gone by now, with William Handkerchief’s bag in his grip. But he had come to learn that he must always plan for the days on which his wits, cunning, and strength would be no match. For the days when nothing you did worked.”⁣


Note: After hearing from the author on his reasoning behind being vague on the specific location of the story and characters back stories I do appreciate it more. Just know as a reader that you will have to fill in the gaps with your imagination. There is much to think about in between the lines. The story can be a universal one and quite heartwarming at that.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew that Ishmael Beah had become such a great writer? Apparently this is his sophomore fiction effort, and I'm definitely going to find his first novel and read that.

The idea of family and how we create our own, how they can mutate over time and sometimes reach a breaking point is wonderfully illustrated by the five members of this "little family" and their life together. We never learn their back stories because they've never told each other about "before", although they hint at it. There's also a serious distance between classes illustrated, with Khoudi trying to bridge that distance (successfully? perhaps) and causing a rift in the family. The family's story is told with sensitivity and care, with just enough detail to let our imaginations fill in important blanks (like the ending).

ARC provided by publisher.

[Nikki (Saturday Nite Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up

I stayed up way past my bedtime one night so I could finish. When I was trying to find the words to describe my reading journey, I was having some difficulty in finding the right words to portray just how quietly beautiful the written words were. When this happens I usually re-read the book jacket for a spark and the word “tender” immediately jumped out at me. It is the perfect word to describe this book.

I was absorbed by the story and didn't fully know it: it’s one of those low key type books were you don’t realize how engrossed you are until you finish.

To read my reviews visit: www.saturdaynitereader.com

[Bradley Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. This was a very intriguing read. I really enjoyed Beah’s writing style and became incredibly invested in this group of friends during the second half of the book. The first part dragged a little for me, but once I got going this was a fun and philosophical read about how to move through the city visibly and invisibly.

[Shell (booksbythecup)]

Thank you @riverheadbooks for the gifted book.

“Poverty has a great appetite for eating one's dignity, but Elimane was one of those people who fought to keep his, even when that was the only battle he was winning."

“I don't want to choose between surviving and living.”

When I finished this book, I immediately said I will read Beah's other books. A Long Way Gone has lingered on my shelf for years but I'll get back to that in a moment.

Beah's writing is beautiful and transporting. I followed this little family of five—Elimane, Khoudiemata, Ndevui, Kpindi and Namsa—wondering what happened that brought them all together, but immediately being drawn to their determination to live and love the family they've become.

They have an unlikely home, the remains of an airplane that crashed, but they've turned it into a place all their own. After I stopped waiting for the back story, I began to understand there is much to be understood from the lives they live right now to consume my thoughts and emotions. I worried for them each day as "corrupted" for food and money, necessities for each day. I was relieved each night as they returned home.

Each character also had something that was their own. Elimane had his books; Khoudiemata her personal escape to 96 Degrees; Ndevui his morning runs with the music in his mind; Kpindi seems happiest when they all are together; Namsa, the youngest of the family who likes to go listen to Shadrach the Messiah on the beach front.

Each character had a place in my heart Khoudi is who the book eventually centers on. Khoudi as a central figure in the little family, the big sister, wants more than that role in her life. We watch her study the people she comes in contact with to shed the identity, even briefly, of being part of her family. To wonder what it's like to go to school and hang out with friends but also blossoming into a young woman. It's a surprise to her each time she does this, since the majority of her time is spent with the littles family. Her beauty is hidden or made invisible in bulky men's clothes she and Namsa wear as a protection from unwelcome advances or dangers (as women).

I loved Khoudi and all of the little family. I laughed at times and I was stressed at times because I feared the worst for them.

Little Family is about the lives of young people, with more resilience, intelligence and resourcefulness than the people who overlook them, believe them to be.

The surprise in Beah's story telling, in the characters feels extraordinary but tackles so many themes that before you know it, the book has ended. One thing that resonated with me while reading is that there is a difference between surviving and living, one should not have to choose between them.


Next up, A Long Way Gone...

[Erin Wert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievable. I LOVE this author. His writing is beautiful and there is so much to think about here.

[Darcy Tanner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m struggling with rating this book. It took a while for me to read. I started and finished multiple books after I had already started this. I never felt the urge to read it other than I did want to finish it. I usually love stories that deal with cultures unlike my own, in this case Africa, and while that part of the book was interesting it was just really slow.

Little Family is the story of a “family” of orphans, the oldest being in his older teens and the youngest being elementary school age. We don’t know much of their history other than they all seem to want to forget their past. They are essentially street urchins living in an abandoned airplane in the brush. Their day to day lives are focused on getting food or money through any means possible. But things start coming to a head when the oldest girl of the family is attracted by the young and rich in the town and sees her opportunity to join them.

Part of what I didn’t like in the book was how long it took to figure out where the story was going. I was still feeling like there was no plot to the book and I was just getting day by day details of the families lives when I realized I was more than half done with the book. It wasn’t until the 75% point that I felt like a little more started to happen. And then finally when something did happen the book was over!

On the positive side, Little Family was written well. The language was beautiful and I was able to clearly see what was described. If you want a very thoughtful book that just meanders here and there this book is for you. But otherwise I’d look elsewhere.

Digital copy received from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[Heather // myinfinitetbr · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up

"I don't want to choose between surviving and living."

Little Family is a tender story about five young people living together on the fringes of society. They band together in their daily outings to provide for the group, but each have their own ambitions and desires.

I fell in love with these characters. Khoudi with her sacred alone space at a secluded beach, Elimane with his books, Ndevui who ran with disconnected headphones, Kpindi who was a jokester, and Namsa who liked to listen to the preacher on the beach.

The world Beah paints is one that makes you examine humanity. The way the little family interacted with each other and their world brought up important questions and observations. His beautiful prose had fairy tale qualities that make this book timeless. The more I think about this book the more it cements itself as one of my favorites.


Thank you Riverhead, Jordy and Carrie for the gifted copy and including me in April Mystery Book Club.

[Brittinee │ lifewithbrittinee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished Little Family and I have so many emotions!

I will admit I had a hard time getting into it at first with all of the different characters and names, but about 1/3 through it started to pick up. It is a beautiful and tragic story about family of 5 kids who live in an abandoned airplane. The kids are not related, but found each other along the way of their journey. Each day you learn about their struggles to get food, earn money, their clothes and shoes that are falling apart. All of the things we take for granted, they risked everything to make sure they had what they needed.
This book really put things in perspective for me. Especially with everything that is currently going on in the world. It could be so much worse!

I’m still conflicted on the ending though. I want more.

I received this copy in a giveaway for a book club on Instagram.

[Kala (ReaderthenBlogger) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story. This book packs punches and lands feelings where you least expect. This story shows that family doesn’t mean you have to be blood related to be there for one another. It means the situation that you are in and how you come together to protect, provide, and love each other. Each of the five members( Elimane, Khoudiemata, Ndevui, and Namsa) bring something to the table no matter how small it may have seemed to an outsider’s perspective. The sacrifices they each make in order to survive. The chances they take to be their own beings.

See full review:

http://readerthenblogger.com/2020/05/...