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Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree
Based on interviews with young women who were kidnapped by Boko Haram, this poignant novel by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani tells the timely story of one girl who was taken from her home in Nigeria and her harrowing fight for survival. Includes an afterword by award-winning journalist Viviana Mazza.
A new pair of shoes, a university degree, a husband—these are the things that a girl dreams of in a Nigerian village. And with a government scholarship right around the corner, everyone—her mother, her five brothers, her best friend, her teachers—can see that these dreams aren’t too far out of reach.
But the girl’s dreams turn to nightmares when her village is attacked by Boko Haram, a terrorist group, in the middle of the night. Kidnapped, she is taken with other girls and women into the forest where she is forced to follow her captors’ radical beliefs and watch as her best friend slowly accepts everything she’s been told. Still, the girl defends her existence. As impossible as escape may seem, her life—her future—is hers to fight for.
A new pair of shoes, a university degree, a husband—these are the things that a girl dreams of in a Nigerian village. And with a government scholarship right around the corner, everyone—her mother, her five brothers, her best friend, her teachers—can see that these dreams aren’t too far out of reach.
But the girl’s dreams turn to nightmares when her village is attacked by Boko Haram, a terrorist group, in the middle of the night. Kidnapped, she is taken with other girls and women into the forest where she is forced to follow her captors’ radical beliefs and watch as her best friend slowly accepts everything she’s been told. Still, the girl defends her existence. As impossible as escape may seem, her life—her future—is hers to fight for.
330 pages, Hardcover
First published September 4, 2018
138 people are currently reading
9778 people want to read
About the author
Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
3 books228 followersAdaobi Tricia Obinne Nwaubani (born in 1976) is a Nigerian novelist, humorist, essayist and journalist. Her debut novel, I Do Not Come to you by Chance, won the 2010 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (Africa), a Betty Trask First Book award,and was named by the Washington Post as one of the Best Books of 2009. Nwaubani is the first contemporary African writer on the global stage to have got an international book deal while still living in her home country.
(from Wikipedia)
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 727 reviews
July 12, 2018
Y'all, I'm shook. This is the kind of story that feels like it should be happening in a completely different time period, not in the present. I don't know how exactly to convey just how hard-hitting this book is but I will try. Also, TRIGGER WARNING for non-graphic sexual violence.
This book was ADDICTIVE. Like, the short chapters and short length allowed me to fly through this story. But it also allows for savoring it, if you know what I mean.
I love how the author sets everything up - the world our main character lives in, her relationships, her dreams. It makes everything all the more impactful and hard hitting.
Baobab trees are magnificent and ought to be treated as such.
Life is different. It honestly feels like a different world, a different time but no. This is how it is right now in other parts of the world.
I will say this right now: this book is emotional. It's not afraid to showcase the horrors and ruthlessness of the Boko Haram men.
The author did an AMAZING job of writing her characters. The metaphors are so distinct from ours, everything is so tragic and real.
It did an excellant job of showing this event that happened yet we have either forgotten or don't know about it. It puts a face on the faceless.
What Makes This Book Unique?
Everything. How it tackles a topic that otherwise gets passed over by all of us alike. How genuine the narrator is. And the afterword is enlightening and heartbreaking.
I'd highly recommend this to anyone who's looking for a poignant, moving story that will hopefully open your eyes to what's really going on in the world, as it did mine. What are some stories that have changed the way you view the world? Can't wait to talk with you, au revoir!
Thank you to HarperCollins, who provided me with an e-ARC via Edelweiss.
This book was ADDICTIVE. Like, the short chapters and short length allowed me to fly through this story. But it also allows for savoring it, if you know what I mean.
I love how the author sets everything up - the world our main character lives in, her relationships, her dreams. It makes everything all the more impactful and hard hitting.
Baobab trees are magnificent and ought to be treated as such.
Life is different. It honestly feels like a different world, a different time but no. This is how it is right now in other parts of the world.
I will say this right now: this book is emotional. It's not afraid to showcase the horrors and ruthlessness of the Boko Haram men.
The author did an AMAZING job of writing her characters. The metaphors are so distinct from ours, everything is so tragic and real.
It did an excellant job of showing this event that happened yet we have either forgotten or don't know about it. It puts a face on the faceless.
What Makes This Book Unique?
Everything. How it tackles a topic that otherwise gets passed over by all of us alike. How genuine the narrator is. And the afterword is enlightening and heartbreaking.
I'd highly recommend this to anyone who's looking for a poignant, moving story that will hopefully open your eyes to what's really going on in the world, as it did mine. What are some stories that have changed the way you view the world? Can't wait to talk with you, au revoir!
Thank you to HarperCollins, who provided me with an e-ARC via Edelweiss.
September 6, 2018
Wow, I learnt so much reading this. The world can be such a horrible place :(
Read
September 22, 2018This is a really powerful story that avoids a lot of clichés we see in most American-penned stories about foreign tragedies, almost certainly because the author is Nigerian, and also because a person who was her partner in research had a deep understanding of what it means to be a white person on the ground who is trying to help but be mindful of her whiteness at the same time, and that came through in the really powerful, hour-long afterword. There is no sensationalizing, no infantilizing of the protagonist, no simplifying of the issues but no reveling in gore, either. We see a really complex protagonist and get a feel for how hard it is to resist adjusting to a new life as a hostage even while being well aware that one is a hostage. The vignette style will bring to mind books like The House on Mango Street, and honestly I think this could replace that in many curricula and be a little more current and relevant. I'll be recommending this a lot.
March 17, 2024
Khaled Hosseini had written in The Kite Runner, "Some stories don't need telling." A corollary to that would be that some stories need to be told. Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree (BBBT) is one of them.
BBBT tells the story of a brave young girl, whose name and age aren't revealed throughout the story. You can guess from the writing that she might be in her teens, possibly around 15-16 years of age. At first, she seems to be a typical girl of that age, a clever girl with dreams, a girl intent on education to ensure future success, a girl worried about class tests and menstrual leaks while in school, a girl harbouring a secret crush on a local boy, a girl who loves spending time with her friends,... But as the chapters move ahead, you see that this girl is much stronger, much more intelligent, and much more responsible than an average teen. And all of this is tested on one fateful day when the Boko Haram militants invade her village and kidnap her along with many other girls from the village. How does this young girl face the uncertainty of living with militants? Is there a happy ending for her? Is any ending truly happy in such a scenario?
You need to keep two things in mind while reading BBBT:
1. Despite its subject matter, it is quite tame in its writing.
2. It has very short chapters.
Some people have reviewed these two issues as shortcomings of the book but for me, both of these factors were points in favour of BBBT.
The gory content is missing because BBBT is primarily Young Adult fiction. So though there are many traumas that the girls undergo, most of it is implied and not explicitly written. Of course, what is implied is pretty shocking, but at least you don't need to read grotesque content in case you are squeamish about that. That said, your imagination can play havoc with your peace of mind at what the girls go through.
Secondly, the short chapters help you in racing through the book with ease. You don't feel like you are reading a novel but as if you are peeking in someone's diary. Every word is from the heart. The chapters relate not just incidents but also thoughts and dreams and disappointments. You can feel every emotion that the young girl experiences in the course of the 330 pages. The brevity also lends a kind of jumpiness to the narrative, almost as if you were watching a projector that reveals the whole presentation but a single frame at a time.
BBBT ends with some answers and many questions. It is not a book you'll not be able to brush aside easily after you are done with the last page. Adaobi Nwaubani, the Nigerian author who narrates the tale of the unnamed protagonist, crafts a storyline that sucks you within its vortex. Though using simple words appropriate to the young protagonist, Nwaubani conveys the pathos of the situation deeply. One line from the book says, "Their Islam is from inside their heads, not from the holy Quran." This is so stark and truthful that I felt like giving her a standing ovation.
Of course, there are some situations in the book that seem totally unrealistic to you, especially related to some of the kidnapped girls becoming radicals, even willing to be suicide bombers. And this is where Viviana Mazza, the Italian journalist, steps in to slap sense into your head with her brilliant afterword at the end of the story. The afterword details out the actual Boko Haram incidents that inspired the book, the lives of the girls who were kidnapped and of some of those who were able to make their way back alive. And that's when the sad fact makes itself clear: what is unrealistic to you is a daily reality to someone else.
The dedication of the book reads: "To the girls and women of Nigeria, in the hope that they may know brighter times than these."
I sincerely pray that this happens soon.
********************************************
Join me on the Facebook group, " Readers Forever! ", for more reviews and other book-related discussions and fun.
BBBT tells the story of a brave young girl, whose name and age aren't revealed throughout the story. You can guess from the writing that she might be in her teens, possibly around 15-16 years of age. At first, she seems to be a typical girl of that age, a clever girl with dreams, a girl intent on education to ensure future success, a girl worried about class tests and menstrual leaks while in school, a girl harbouring a secret crush on a local boy, a girl who loves spending time with her friends,... But as the chapters move ahead, you see that this girl is much stronger, much more intelligent, and much more responsible than an average teen. And all of this is tested on one fateful day when the Boko Haram militants invade her village and kidnap her along with many other girls from the village. How does this young girl face the uncertainty of living with militants? Is there a happy ending for her? Is any ending truly happy in such a scenario?
You need to keep two things in mind while reading BBBT:
1. Despite its subject matter, it is quite tame in its writing.
2. It has very short chapters.
Some people have reviewed these two issues as shortcomings of the book but for me, both of these factors were points in favour of BBBT.
The gory content is missing because BBBT is primarily Young Adult fiction. So though there are many traumas that the girls undergo, most of it is implied and not explicitly written. Of course, what is implied is pretty shocking, but at least you don't need to read grotesque content in case you are squeamish about that. That said, your imagination can play havoc with your peace of mind at what the girls go through.
Secondly, the short chapters help you in racing through the book with ease. You don't feel like you are reading a novel but as if you are peeking in someone's diary. Every word is from the heart. The chapters relate not just incidents but also thoughts and dreams and disappointments. You can feel every emotion that the young girl experiences in the course of the 330 pages. The brevity also lends a kind of jumpiness to the narrative, almost as if you were watching a projector that reveals the whole presentation but a single frame at a time.
BBBT ends with some answers and many questions. It is not a book you'll not be able to brush aside easily after you are done with the last page. Adaobi Nwaubani, the Nigerian author who narrates the tale of the unnamed protagonist, crafts a storyline that sucks you within its vortex. Though using simple words appropriate to the young protagonist, Nwaubani conveys the pathos of the situation deeply. One line from the book says, "Their Islam is from inside their heads, not from the holy Quran." This is so stark and truthful that I felt like giving her a standing ovation.
Of course, there are some situations in the book that seem totally unrealistic to you, especially related to some of the kidnapped girls becoming radicals, even willing to be suicide bombers. And this is where Viviana Mazza, the Italian journalist, steps in to slap sense into your head with her brilliant afterword at the end of the story. The afterword details out the actual Boko Haram incidents that inspired the book, the lives of the girls who were kidnapped and of some of those who were able to make their way back alive. And that's when the sad fact makes itself clear: what is unrealistic to you is a daily reality to someone else.
The dedication of the book reads: "To the girls and women of Nigeria, in the hope that they may know brighter times than these."
I sincerely pray that this happens soon.
********************************************
Join me on the Facebook group, " Readers Forever! ", for more reviews and other book-related discussions and fun.
October 4, 2025
Before the extremist group Boko Haram came to her village in northeast Nigeria, a teenage girl dreamed of winning the Borno State government scholarship to further her education. She's the only girl from a large family with many brothers, and is fondly called "Ya Ta" (my daughter) by her parents. Her village has a sacred baobab tree (pictured on the cover) which provides shade for socializing, food, and medicine. It also has Nigerian folk tales connected to it.
The peace of the village is destroyed when members of Boko Haram violently attack the residents. The men are shot, the girls and women are kidnapped to be slaves, and the young male children are captured to be later trained as soldiers. Ya Ta and her best friend, Sarah, are among the women brought to the interior of the Sambisa forest where they are faced with hunger, extreme religious indoctrination, abuse, threats of death, and marriage to the Boko Harem terrorists. Ya Ta's Muslim friend, Aisha, tells her that the extremists were twisting religion to justify their violence. Ya Ta and Sarah were shocked to discover that Boko Haram buried dead bodies underneath another baobab tree, an area that is considered sacred.
The author, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, based her fictional characters and situations on many interviews with survivors who were rescued. Italian journalist, Viviana Mazza, wrote the afterword and told about the abducted girls whose lives were shattered by Boko Haram, including the girls who were captured from their school dormitory in Chibok in 2014. I was left wondering how these girls could ever recover from the trauma.
The book is written in short chapters and is labeled YA, but most adults would find it fascinating too. "Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree" is a well-written book that I would highly recommend.
The peace of the village is destroyed when members of Boko Haram violently attack the residents. The men are shot, the girls and women are kidnapped to be slaves, and the young male children are captured to be later trained as soldiers. Ya Ta and her best friend, Sarah, are among the women brought to the interior of the Sambisa forest where they are faced with hunger, extreme religious indoctrination, abuse, threats of death, and marriage to the Boko Harem terrorists. Ya Ta's Muslim friend, Aisha, tells her that the extremists were twisting religion to justify their violence. Ya Ta and Sarah were shocked to discover that Boko Haram buried dead bodies underneath another baobab tree, an area that is considered sacred.
The author, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, based her fictional characters and situations on many interviews with survivors who were rescued. Italian journalist, Viviana Mazza, wrote the afterword and told about the abducted girls whose lives were shattered by Boko Haram, including the girls who were captured from their school dormitory in Chibok in 2014. I was left wondering how these girls could ever recover from the trauma.
The book is written in short chapters and is labeled YA, but most adults would find it fascinating too. "Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree" is a well-written book that I would highly recommend.
October 23, 2025
On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls. Some managed to escape. Many are still missing.
This book explores what may have happened to some of these girls.
This book explores what may have happened to some of these girls.
March 13, 2019
This young-adult novel tells the story of the “stolen girls” of northern Nigeria, where the militant terrorist group Boko Haram has been burning villages, kidnapping the young girls, and slaughtering the rest of the residents.
The author gives the reader a vivid picture of life in a small Nigerian village. The unnamed narrator is a young girl who excels at school, and dreams of new shoes, going to university, marrying a good husband – the kinds of things most girls dream of. She helps her mother keep the house, chatters with her best friend, and joins in village celebrations centered around the church. Christians and Muslims co-exist and work together for the good of the village and one another.
But when Boko Haram attacks the village and she is kidnapped, taken deep into the jungle to the militant group’s camp, it seems her dreams are shattered.
Forced to adopt a new name, to study to become “a good Muslim woman”, she learns to keep her thoughts to herself. Worried about her family and her friends, she must rely on herself – her intelligence, her prior education, her powers of observation – to survive with the hope of rescue or escape. How difficult to choose between escape and fear for your friends and family. How terrifying to witness your friend beheaded on the spot for refusing to swear allegiance to your captor’s beliefs. How easy it feels to succumb to the promise of better food and better housing that comes with adopting the “proper” demeanor and marrying a fighter. How impossible it is to maintain hope in these circumstances.
Nwaubani’s writing is poetic and lyrical, with vivid descriptions and heart-wrenching scenarios. This is the first of her books that I have read; it will not be the last.
The afterword is written by Viviana Mazza, an Italian journalist who has worked in several countries including Syria and Nigeria. The 2014 Boko Haram raid on a private school in Chibok where 276 girls were kidnapped captured world-wide attention – for a time. Since then most of the world has forgotten, if they ever knew, the names of these women (and many others taken in less widely reported raids). Mazza wanted to report on the continuing war, to document the real stories of women/girls who have been kidnapped by and rescued from Boko Haram. Her writing is more journalistic and suffers in comparison to the raw emotion of Nwaubani’s novel. However, it serves to educate the reader about the real atrocities being committed, the real challenges faced by those who escape Boko Haram. I applaud the courage of these girls and women who have come forward to tell their stories.
The author gives the reader a vivid picture of life in a small Nigerian village. The unnamed narrator is a young girl who excels at school, and dreams of new shoes, going to university, marrying a good husband – the kinds of things most girls dream of. She helps her mother keep the house, chatters with her best friend, and joins in village celebrations centered around the church. Christians and Muslims co-exist and work together for the good of the village and one another.
But when Boko Haram attacks the village and she is kidnapped, taken deep into the jungle to the militant group’s camp, it seems her dreams are shattered.
Forced to adopt a new name, to study to become “a good Muslim woman”, she learns to keep her thoughts to herself. Worried about her family and her friends, she must rely on herself – her intelligence, her prior education, her powers of observation – to survive with the hope of rescue or escape. How difficult to choose between escape and fear for your friends and family. How terrifying to witness your friend beheaded on the spot for refusing to swear allegiance to your captor’s beliefs. How easy it feels to succumb to the promise of better food and better housing that comes with adopting the “proper” demeanor and marrying a fighter. How impossible it is to maintain hope in these circumstances.
Nwaubani’s writing is poetic and lyrical, with vivid descriptions and heart-wrenching scenarios. This is the first of her books that I have read; it will not be the last.
The afterword is written by Viviana Mazza, an Italian journalist who has worked in several countries including Syria and Nigeria. The 2014 Boko Haram raid on a private school in Chibok where 276 girls were kidnapped captured world-wide attention – for a time. Since then most of the world has forgotten, if they ever knew, the names of these women (and many others taken in less widely reported raids). Mazza wanted to report on the continuing war, to document the real stories of women/girls who have been kidnapped by and rescued from Boko Haram. Her writing is more journalistic and suffers in comparison to the raw emotion of Nwaubani’s novel. However, it serves to educate the reader about the real atrocities being committed, the real challenges faced by those who escape Boko Haram. I applaud the courage of these girls and women who have come forward to tell their stories.
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August 24, 2018Told through vignettes, this book gives voice to the girls who've been kidnapped by the radicalist group Boko Haram in Nigeria. The narrator is an unnamed girl -- later given a name that isn't her birth name by the kidnappers -- and it follows as she pursues her passion for education and feels deeply the crush she has on a local boy. But when Boko Haram charges into the village, she's ripped from her family, taken into their fold, and forced to marry a ban who uses her for her body; she is to become one of them.
But she can't allow herself to be brainwashed, and we're taken into her heart and soul throughout and her deep longing to keep her friendships, her dream of education, and her need to be reunited with her family.
There's a lengthy and powerful note at the end about the backstory of the incident that inspired this story and it provides some necessary context. We only ever know what we're told via our own media, and this allows further insight into the real tragedy going on in Nigeria and why girls are being taken as ransom by Boko Haram.
Necessary, but challenging, reading. We too rarely get YA books that focus on a story taking part in the non-Western world. This is one of those books, and it's a gem.
But she can't allow herself to be brainwashed, and we're taken into her heart and soul throughout and her deep longing to keep her friendships, her dream of education, and her need to be reunited with her family.
There's a lengthy and powerful note at the end about the backstory of the incident that inspired this story and it provides some necessary context. We only ever know what we're told via our own media, and this allows further insight into the real tragedy going on in Nigeria and why girls are being taken as ransom by Boko Haram.
Necessary, but challenging, reading. We too rarely get YA books that focus on a story taking part in the non-Western world. This is one of those books, and it's a gem.
November 6, 2021
I don’t even know where to begin with this emotionally charged and powerful story. I was at a complete loss for words after finishing this book, it completely took my breath away. It’s both beautiful and horrifying at the same time and I won’t soon forget it. Shame on me but I knew very little about Boko Haram and the kidnapping of many Nigerian women and children by them before reading this book and it’s just appalling that such things are still happening in this day and age. I know it’s a fictional novel but it is based on interviews with actual women who escaped the clutches of Boko Haram and were brave enough to share their stories so there is a certain element of truth to it. Just thinking about those women and the horrifying things they went and are going through is absolutely devastating. And yet throughout all the despair you can still feel the girls hope that never quite dies and it’s truly inspiring. The way the author shines a light on these girls and their stories is just stunning and though it broke my heart I’m glad it also opened my eyes to all of it because this is something that everyone should know about and a book everyone should read.
October 30, 2021
Review Update: 30 Oct 2021
I have now decided to give the book the highest rating possible... 5-stars, because in this circumstance, nothing less will do.
Original Review: 27 Oct 2021
This book is more than fiction. More so, it's a fictionalized account of a real-life tragedy, and I'm quite stumped as to how that can be rated? It shook me to my core and, in truth, I wish I hadn't read it.
The book begins with a sweet, young Nigerian girl—Ya Ta. She has just learned she's won a highly coveted scholarship to attend University. But her happiness bubble quickly bursts when her village is quite suddenly invaded by the noisy, roving militants of Boko Haram. They slaughter indiscriminately. Men, boys, old women—if they run, they are shot or their necks are slashed. Young boys and girls are thrown into trucks and sped away into the forest where they are held as slaves. Ya-Ta's friend, Aisha—whose husband was killed and whose childbirth was imminent at the time of the kidnapping—dies soon after giving birth to a daughter. The child is taken by one of the female fighters. The girls are given new Islamic names, then brutalized, starved, and forced to convert to Islam. They sleep on the ground without even a mat—often in the rain. Ya Ta and her best friend, Sarah, are selected to marry Boko Haram soldiers. Life in the forest is brutal, and improves only slightly after marriage. All Ya-Ta wants is to run away. They've been told the forest is laden with explosives so if they try to run, they'll be blown to bits. She thinks death might be preferable to marrying one of these filthy, reeking men! Each day is worse than the last and now food is running out. Then, one day (after two years in captivity), the noise of approaching trucks and tanks is heard. The women are told to pack up and take everything to the trucks. The Nigerian Army, with the assistance of UNICEF and several international NGOs, have come to the forest encampment to rescue them! Most of the soldiers—now cowardly and running scared—grab their slave wives and make their escape. Luckily, while the men were trying to flee, many of the women found their opportunity to run, dodging the rocks being pelted at them by the escaping soldiers. Ya-Ta hides in the forest until she's found by her rescuers, and finally, the ordeal is coming to an end.
Like most of the world, I'd heard about Boko Haram in the news, but not until reading this book did I learn that they are, in effect, the Nigerian wing of the Taliban—radical Muslim extremists, claiming to be waging "jihad" in the name of Allah. Such rubbish; they are savage, brutish barbarians. To date they've killed more than 300,000 children and displaced 2.3 million people from their homes. Boko Haram loosely translates to “Western education is forbidden”; aside from the Quran, books are not allowed.
By the time the story ended at 85% in, I'd had all my heart could handle, and only briefly skimmed the final 15% of the book—the 'Afterword'. Here the two authors explain how and why they decided to document the tragedy in the way they did. Nothing can ever compare to the nightmare these young girls experienced—NOTHING! After reading this story I may have my own nightmares, but the girls' nightmare will traumatize them for the rest of their lives. I have only to awaken to end mine.
This is a story that HAD to be told and, although on one hand I'm glad to have read it, I wish I had not, on the other.
I have now decided to give the book the highest rating possible... 5-stars, because in this circumstance, nothing less will do.
Original Review: 27 Oct 2021
This book is more than fiction. More so, it's a fictionalized account of a real-life tragedy, and I'm quite stumped as to how that can be rated? It shook me to my core and, in truth, I wish I hadn't read it.
The book begins with a sweet, young Nigerian girl—Ya Ta. She has just learned she's won a highly coveted scholarship to attend University. But her happiness bubble quickly bursts when her village is quite suddenly invaded by the noisy, roving militants of Boko Haram. They slaughter indiscriminately. Men, boys, old women—if they run, they are shot or their necks are slashed. Young boys and girls are thrown into trucks and sped away into the forest where they are held as slaves. Ya-Ta's friend, Aisha—whose husband was killed and whose childbirth was imminent at the time of the kidnapping—dies soon after giving birth to a daughter. The child is taken by one of the female fighters. The girls are given new Islamic names, then brutalized, starved, and forced to convert to Islam. They sleep on the ground without even a mat—often in the rain. Ya Ta and her best friend, Sarah, are selected to marry Boko Haram soldiers. Life in the forest is brutal, and improves only slightly after marriage. All Ya-Ta wants is to run away. They've been told the forest is laden with explosives so if they try to run, they'll be blown to bits. She thinks death might be preferable to marrying one of these filthy, reeking men! Each day is worse than the last and now food is running out. Then, one day (after two years in captivity), the noise of approaching trucks and tanks is heard. The women are told to pack up and take everything to the trucks. The Nigerian Army, with the assistance of UNICEF and several international NGOs, have come to the forest encampment to rescue them! Most of the soldiers—now cowardly and running scared—grab their slave wives and make their escape. Luckily, while the men were trying to flee, many of the women found their opportunity to run, dodging the rocks being pelted at them by the escaping soldiers. Ya-Ta hides in the forest until she's found by her rescuers, and finally, the ordeal is coming to an end.
Like most of the world, I'd heard about Boko Haram in the news, but not until reading this book did I learn that they are, in effect, the Nigerian wing of the Taliban—radical Muslim extremists, claiming to be waging "jihad" in the name of Allah. Such rubbish; they are savage, brutish barbarians. To date they've killed more than 300,000 children and displaced 2.3 million people from their homes. Boko Haram loosely translates to “Western education is forbidden”; aside from the Quran, books are not allowed.
By the time the story ended at 85% in, I'd had all my heart could handle, and only briefly skimmed the final 15% of the book—the 'Afterword'. Here the two authors explain how and why they decided to document the tragedy in the way they did. Nothing can ever compare to the nightmare these young girls experienced—NOTHING! After reading this story I may have my own nightmares, but the girls' nightmare will traumatize them for the rest of their lives. I have only to awaken to end mine.
This is a story that HAD to be told and, although on one hand I'm glad to have read it, I wish I had not, on the other.
September 19, 2018
Kidnapped in the middle of the night by the Boko Haram, a Nigerian terrorist group, young men and young women were ripped from the safety of their homes to be catapulted into a horrifying nightmare. While the boys are whisked away to begin life anew as soldiers, the girls are forced to become wives, religiously convert and submit-comply or be killed. A courageous look at this tragic scenario, collected from countless interviews with the surviving victims.
May 25, 2018
Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
Rating: 3.5/5
Release date: September 4, 2018
Note: Special thanks to Harper Collins for providing an ARC for review.
Despite being fully aware of what I was getting myself into with the tragic and outrageous occurrence, I was still caught off-guard by the powerful narrative and careful depictions of the protagonist growing up in a Nigerian village and then thrust into a terrifying nightmare as Boko Haram uprooted her home. I love a good story that incites the urge to research more about current affairs or topics, and that's what happened with Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree.
One of the most vivid scenes that are repeated throughout the book is the juxtaposition of Hollywood and western news with the happenings of the Boko Haram terrorizing Nigeria. If you take a look at the timeline of these lawless events, you'll see that it has been occurring for many years now, and yet much like the author's point with these contrasting news clippings, it's incredibly easy to overlook this senseless tragedy in favour of box office reports. This for me created such a powerful reminder to become more aware and less ignorant of global news and to put myself out there to constantly learn what I can.
While the subject matter is extremely heartbreaking, particularly after searching up news articles while I was reading through this book, the short chapters felt a little disruptive to the narrative; although it was a quick read through, I felt like I was being interrupted every time I was getting settled into a scene and it would end abruptly. This made me feel like I couldn't properly grasp the mind of our nameless narrator.
Despite that minor flaw, this is still a worthy read and one that might be suitable for younger high school readers.
April 18, 2020
Buried beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani is one book that will forever stay with me, it covers the harrowing experience girls who have been captured by the extremist group Boko Haram face. Giving them life, making them more than just a number, stories in the news or movements like Bring Back Our Girls, sharing their stories, making them real people, not just tragic stories that are so out of touch from most of our own realities.
This story isn't for the lightest of hearts because it includes all the terrible things we women are constantly afraid would happen to us. I heard Adaobi talk about this book, the pain of writing it, talking to dozens of families who had been torn apart due to Boko Haram, to hear their stories and give them a voice. How there's more going on than is brought to light by the news, I learnt a lot just by listening to her talk and reading this book than I have ever learnt from the media.
The writing style of this book makes it a personal read because each chapter gives us full access to the thoughts of our protagonist, we vividly get to experience her life with her from start to finish of the book, starting with a time before she was abducted. Sharing her joy in the little things that made her happy, the love that she was surrounded by and her little worries before the fear started to creep in and infiltrate her little village right before the greatest of their fears came to life.
Our protagonist is a brave young girl and is now my beacon of hope. Adaobi paints a vivid picture of life in captivity, which made my soul ache because of all the evilness. This story makes me more than thankful for my sheltered little life and I hope to never experience or come across people who are so inhumane. For the people who are currently trapped in this life, right now I can only hope the people in power retrieve them sooner rather than later and for them to find peace.
The afterword by Viviana Mazza is one of the most remarkable pieces of writing I have ever read, so yes, this is a book everyone should read.
This story isn't for the lightest of hearts because it includes all the terrible things we women are constantly afraid would happen to us. I heard Adaobi talk about this book, the pain of writing it, talking to dozens of families who had been torn apart due to Boko Haram, to hear their stories and give them a voice. How there's more going on than is brought to light by the news, I learnt a lot just by listening to her talk and reading this book than I have ever learnt from the media.
The writing style of this book makes it a personal read because each chapter gives us full access to the thoughts of our protagonist, we vividly get to experience her life with her from start to finish of the book, starting with a time before she was abducted. Sharing her joy in the little things that made her happy, the love that she was surrounded by and her little worries before the fear started to creep in and infiltrate her little village right before the greatest of their fears came to life.
Our protagonist is a brave young girl and is now my beacon of hope. Adaobi paints a vivid picture of life in captivity, which made my soul ache because of all the evilness. This story makes me more than thankful for my sheltered little life and I hope to never experience or come across people who are so inhumane. For the people who are currently trapped in this life, right now I can only hope the people in power retrieve them sooner rather than later and for them to find peace.
The afterword by Viviana Mazza is one of the most remarkable pieces of writing I have ever read, so yes, this is a book everyone should read.
September 28, 2020
This was so heavy and hard to read. It was heart breaking, gut wrenching, sorrowful, and tear jerking. Based on the tragic kidnapping of the Chibok girls, this was so so much. The Chibok girls were kidnapped in 2014 by Boko Haram, a religious extremist sect. Till date, not all of the girls have been recovered.
This book focuses on Yata, a young school girl with dreams and so much life. Yata is the only daughter, with 4 brothers in a patriarchal society (many instances of this were all over the story). She's lucky enough to have a father who's invested in her education. Yata is such an amazing and lovable girl and I fell in love with her immediately. I kept reading this with so much trepidation, because of what the book is based on and I kept waiting for tragedy to strike.
Tragedy did strike, and it shattered my heart when it did. There was so much heartache contained in the chapters of this book. There were graphic accounts of abuse, suicide bombing, terrorism, rape, kidnapping, murder, and grief. The women and girls kidnapped along with Yata went through so much. They ate the worst food, slept on twigs in the forest, and just suffered horrible conditions.
Religion played a major part in this book, and I love hoe the author used the characters of Mallam Isa and Aisha to portray what true Muslims are. Yata used them in their argument against the brand of Islam Boko Haram claims to practice. Feminism is also an undertone in this book, and I loved how it was written in. Other topics covered in this book include period stigma, Nigerian politics, pregnancy, and so on.
The afterword by Vivian Mazza is one of my favorite parts of the book, and it showcased the creation process, and also served as an expose of sorts. It showed that a lot of research and legwork went towards this book, and I really appreciate that. Robin Miles, the narrator of this book, did an amazing job.
I highly recommend this book, but you need to get ready for some heavy reading and a lot of crying.
This book focuses on Yata, a young school girl with dreams and so much life. Yata is the only daughter, with 4 brothers in a patriarchal society (many instances of this were all over the story). She's lucky enough to have a father who's invested in her education. Yata is such an amazing and lovable girl and I fell in love with her immediately. I kept reading this with so much trepidation, because of what the book is based on and I kept waiting for tragedy to strike.
Tragedy did strike, and it shattered my heart when it did. There was so much heartache contained in the chapters of this book. There were graphic accounts of abuse, suicide bombing, terrorism, rape, kidnapping, murder, and grief. The women and girls kidnapped along with Yata went through so much. They ate the worst food, slept on twigs in the forest, and just suffered horrible conditions.
Religion played a major part in this book, and I love hoe the author used the characters of Mallam Isa and Aisha to portray what true Muslims are. Yata used them in their argument against the brand of Islam Boko Haram claims to practice. Feminism is also an undertone in this book, and I loved how it was written in. Other topics covered in this book include period stigma, Nigerian politics, pregnancy, and so on.
The afterword by Vivian Mazza is one of my favorite parts of the book, and it showcased the creation process, and also served as an expose of sorts. It showed that a lot of research and legwork went towards this book, and I really appreciate that. Robin Miles, the narrator of this book, did an amazing job.
I highly recommend this book, but you need to get ready for some heavy reading and a lot of crying.
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January 1, 2019
Trigger Warning: sexual assault, rape, assault, murder, forced starvation, slavery, poverty, suicide bombing, brainwashing, extremist religion
For the Chosen Generation of girls in Nigeria, life appeared to be everything better than what their mothers had had. Now they had a chance to attend university, to wear new, shiny shoes, a decent job, enough food and a husband.
Then Boko Haram came and took it away.
~
Inspired by the abduction of 276 girls a boarding school in Chobik, this story was compiled from interviews of Boko Haram survivors, told in their words.
This book is heartbreaking, eye-opening and somber. The main character (who is given a false name but does not have a name of her own) watches her family slaughtered before her, her toddler brother forced into child slavery and her best friend brainwashed into an extremist. She’s enslaved and forcibly married to a Boko Haram fighter.
And yet she still has hope.
She wants more.
She deserves more.
As horrific as the events in the book are, they pale in comparison to the real life events, some of which are featured in the Afterward, which takes the personal narrative of Boko Haram as seen from one person’s eyes and puts it into context with recent and current events.
Read this book.
I received this ARC from the publisher for an honest review.
For the Chosen Generation of girls in Nigeria, life appeared to be everything better than what their mothers had had. Now they had a chance to attend university, to wear new, shiny shoes, a decent job, enough food and a husband.
Then Boko Haram came and took it away.
~
Inspired by the abduction of 276 girls a boarding school in Chobik, this story was compiled from interviews of Boko Haram survivors, told in their words.
This book is heartbreaking, eye-opening and somber. The main character (who is given a false name but does not have a name of her own) watches her family slaughtered before her, her toddler brother forced into child slavery and her best friend brainwashed into an extremist. She’s enslaved and forcibly married to a Boko Haram fighter.
And yet she still has hope.
She wants more.
She deserves more.
As horrific as the events in the book are, they pale in comparison to the real life events, some of which are featured in the Afterward, which takes the personal narrative of Boko Haram as seen from one person’s eyes and puts it into context with recent and current events.
Read this book.
I received this ARC from the publisher for an honest review.
May 17, 2021
Truly heart-wrenching book, right up there with the worst stories to come out of the 20th Century holocausts in Europe and Cambodia - except that at least with those events, we know how they ended; with Boko Haram, there sadly remains no end in sight.
Nwaubani's story takes up the bulk of the book, but it is Mazza's afterward that is the most depressingly informative. She argues (convincingly) that while BH is to bear the full blame for its atrocities, this situation would not have arisen without the long-term corruption and incompetence of the Nigerian government. So once again, we have two bad forces fighting for the title of "lesser of two evils," while it is the innocent people caught in the middle - a people, remember, who had survived for decades in multi-ethnic, multi-religious (relative) harmony - who suffer so greatly.
Beautifully written and well worth a read, but man, you are not going to feel good when you're done.
Nwaubani's story takes up the bulk of the book, but it is Mazza's afterward that is the most depressingly informative. She argues (convincingly) that while BH is to bear the full blame for its atrocities, this situation would not have arisen without the long-term corruption and incompetence of the Nigerian government. So once again, we have two bad forces fighting for the title of "lesser of two evils," while it is the innocent people caught in the middle - a people, remember, who had survived for decades in multi-ethnic, multi-religious (relative) harmony - who suffer so greatly.
Beautifully written and well worth a read, but man, you are not going to feel good when you're done.
February 18, 2024
this was such a beautiful, powerful story and i’m so glad i read it. it was heavy, it was sad, but it was such a necessary read. why isn’t this book talked about more.
February 14, 2019
This is a fictional account based on the Chibok school girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria in 2014. It's so sad and distributing to think that this happened so recently and that many of the girls are still missing. It was very well written and I thought the author did a good job of helping the reader understand why some of the girls would choose to stay with their kidnappers and not try to escape.
Popsugar 2019 Challenge - A book with a plant in the title or on the cover & A book written by an author form Asia, Africa, or South America
Popsugar 2019 Challenge - A book with a plant in the title or on the cover & A book written by an author form Asia, Africa, or South America
April 7, 2019
A solid 4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I had not kept up with the Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria since the Bring Our Girls Back campaign surfaced several years ago. This book, however, prompted me to do some additional research. The men loyal to the Boko Haram movement used tactics of starvation, physical and sexual assault, jealousy, and brainwashing to control the young girls and women they kidnapped, and at times were successful in radicalizing them. They used girls as young as 7 as suicide bombers. They trained young boys to be child soldiers and commit unspeakable atrocities. And they still have yet to be eradicated. 😞
This fictionalized account is told in short, vignette-style chapters by an unnamed narrator who represents the experiences of the girls kidnapped from Chibok back in 2014. This format doesn't always work for me, as I feel like it lends to cold narratives and a disconnectedness from the characters, but in this book I felt like it actually created a laser-sharp focus for the most part.
Although this was a "quick" read, the subject matter is heavy. I was left contemplating the levels of human depravity, martyrdom, brainwashing, and survival.
I picked this for a Litsy bookclub, and also to fulfill my PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge for the "own voices" prompt. I read it in tandem while listening to the audio, narrated by the great Robin Miles. I recommend both formats!
I had not kept up with the Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria since the Bring Our Girls Back campaign surfaced several years ago. This book, however, prompted me to do some additional research. The men loyal to the Boko Haram movement used tactics of starvation, physical and sexual assault, jealousy, and brainwashing to control the young girls and women they kidnapped, and at times were successful in radicalizing them. They used girls as young as 7 as suicide bombers. They trained young boys to be child soldiers and commit unspeakable atrocities. And they still have yet to be eradicated. 😞
This fictionalized account is told in short, vignette-style chapters by an unnamed narrator who represents the experiences of the girls kidnapped from Chibok back in 2014. This format doesn't always work for me, as I feel like it lends to cold narratives and a disconnectedness from the characters, but in this book I felt like it actually created a laser-sharp focus for the most part.
Although this was a "quick" read, the subject matter is heavy. I was left contemplating the levels of human depravity, martyrdom, brainwashing, and survival.
I picked this for a Litsy bookclub, and also to fulfill my PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge for the "own voices" prompt. I read it in tandem while listening to the audio, narrated by the great Robin Miles. I recommend both formats!
October 10, 2018
Thank you to Edelweiss for furnishing me with an e-arc of Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree for review and thank you to my friend Sarah for recommending it to me. All opinions are my own.
The purpose of this book is to humanize the Boko Haram crisis in Nigeria through partial fictionalization of actual interviews from the female victims of this terrorist organization. Boko Haram is a group that has caused mass relocations and deaths throughout Nigeria and into the surrounding countries in their attempt to create a government based on their bastardized version of the Muslim faith.
This book demands that we view these women as more than numbers on the lower third news crawl - by taking us through the experience of being abducted by the group. The chapters are short, almost diary entry style, so you can fly through this story- but the speed at which it can be read belies the impression this story makes.
This story doesn't shy away from the violence, sexual abuse, indoctrination, and loss that the citizens in Nigeria have been affected by.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone. It is an important and accessible read that makes sure to remind us of the human impact of the news snippets we hear every day.
The purpose of this book is to humanize the Boko Haram crisis in Nigeria through partial fictionalization of actual interviews from the female victims of this terrorist organization. Boko Haram is a group that has caused mass relocations and deaths throughout Nigeria and into the surrounding countries in their attempt to create a government based on their bastardized version of the Muslim faith.
This book demands that we view these women as more than numbers on the lower third news crawl - by taking us through the experience of being abducted by the group. The chapters are short, almost diary entry style, so you can fly through this story- but the speed at which it can be read belies the impression this story makes.
This story doesn't shy away from the violence, sexual abuse, indoctrination, and loss that the citizens in Nigeria have been affected by.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone. It is an important and accessible read that makes sure to remind us of the human impact of the news snippets we hear every day.
July 17, 2019
A book that highlights the horror of being stolen in the middle of the night with little warning or understanding. This is what happens to the young lady at the heart of the story.
I like how the radio segments between chapters indicate what is going on in the wider world.
A quick, but necessary read for young people to be aware of what is happening to young women, so they can advocate for change.
I like how the radio segments between chapters indicate what is going on in the wider world.
A quick, but necessary read for young people to be aware of what is happening to young women, so they can advocate for change.
March 12, 2019
2.5 Stars- I didn’t love the writing style with the very short and choppy chapters. But I did appreciate learning about this horrible event in Nigeria. So devastating. I would’ve liked a story that goes deeper into the details to feel more connected to the characters.
October 8, 2020
I recommend this book with a box of tissues
August 24, 2021
Buried Beneath the baobab tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani is a coming to age retelling of a teenage girl enslaved at the Sambisa Forest by the BOKO HARAM….
The setting of the story is in a village in the Borno state, where the villagers Christians and Muslims coexist peacefully together, but the town is attacked by Boko Haram, and the villagers are taken captive, with little hope of escape. While the boys are whisked away to begin life anew as soldiers, the girls are forced to become wives, religiously convert and submit-comply or be killed.
During captivity, time becomes meaningless, “I arise each morning with no strength to think of tomorrow morning or the morning after tomorrow” The Protagonist narrator questions the Boko Haram’s beliefs about Isam and western education and finally concludes that Boko Haram has nothing to do with Allah.
When they are finally liberated, most former captives find return to "normal" life extremely difficult, for a variety of reasons. In the chapter "Better Life" Salamatu wonders: "How will the mother of a child with bad blood lift her head high among normal human beings? Life in the forest might have been better for me."
This book covers loss, assault, child soldiers, the effects of Stockholm syndrome, and even suicide bombing...and it does in a way for young adult readers. Nwaubani has created a novel that is a hopeful call out to the resilient human spirit, showcasing young people and their communities who struggle to create a path forward from a place of violence and despair.
The setting of the story is in a village in the Borno state, where the villagers Christians and Muslims coexist peacefully together, but the town is attacked by Boko Haram, and the villagers are taken captive, with little hope of escape. While the boys are whisked away to begin life anew as soldiers, the girls are forced to become wives, religiously convert and submit-comply or be killed.
During captivity, time becomes meaningless, “I arise each morning with no strength to think of tomorrow morning or the morning after tomorrow” The Protagonist narrator questions the Boko Haram’s beliefs about Isam and western education and finally concludes that Boko Haram has nothing to do with Allah.
When they are finally liberated, most former captives find return to "normal" life extremely difficult, for a variety of reasons. In the chapter "Better Life" Salamatu wonders: "How will the mother of a child with bad blood lift her head high among normal human beings? Life in the forest might have been better for me."
This book covers loss, assault, child soldiers, the effects of Stockholm syndrome, and even suicide bombing...and it does in a way for young adult readers. Nwaubani has created a novel that is a hopeful call out to the resilient human spirit, showcasing young people and their communities who struggle to create a path forward from a place of violence and despair.
October 30, 2023
A heartbreaking story that needs to be told. 😢 This is a heavy story; it is written in short chapters told from the POV of one of the girls that is kidnapped.
September 25, 2021
A heartbreaking and compelling read inspired by the Boko Haram's abduction of 276 schoolgirls in Nigeria. Some of the girls are still missing.
https://bringbackourgirls.ng/
https://bringbackourgirls.ng/
January 10, 2022
akjshfkjsd i have no words
even though I couldn't relate it resonated so deep within me like-
seriously more people need to know about this t-t
THIS BOOK
is so unflinchingly painful
it's so powerful and heartbreaking
and the story is so necessary but it hits so hard
the fact that this is a reality- it makes it a story that I won't be able to forget
I'll just always be thinking about this
really though, this is a book that YOU should read. Everyone should read it ;-;
like I'm actually interested about the boko haram - THE SAD THING IS THAT I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW abOUT THIS AND I WOULDn'T EVER HAD IF IT WASN'T FOR THIS BOOK
I am literally so grateful for buried beneath the baobab tree
even though I couldn't relate it resonated so deep within me like-
seriously more people need to know about this t-t
THIS BOOK
is so unflinchingly painful
it's so powerful and heartbreaking
and the story is so necessary but it hits so hard
the fact that this is a reality- it makes it a story that I won't be able to forget
I'll just always be thinking about this
really though, this is a book that YOU should read. Everyone should read it ;-;
like I'm actually interested about the boko haram - THE SAD THING IS THAT I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW abOUT THIS AND I WOULDn'T EVER HAD IF IT WASN'T FOR THIS BOOK
I am literally so grateful for buried beneath the baobab tree
May 11, 2019
I’m glad I read this book, it opened up a perspective that I wasn’t privy too, so many things happen around the world and so many realities that are not our own get ignored that I think for anyone to read this book it is a a great accomplishment on its own . I also agree that not many teens will pick this one on their own and that beyond a “special school project “ this book might get ignored, maybe that’s enough reason for this book to be read by people more.
December 22, 2019
(9.4/10) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Well, ouch.
Based on the real-life experiences of Nigerian girls taken by Boko Haram, Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree centers around an unnamed girl who suffers that same faith.
By not specifying her name or exact age, our protagonist can be any or all of these girls, and it really sets a tone - especially since a whole lot of people have no clue what happened to these women and girls in 2014.
Through short and sober chapters, Nwaubani manages to convey this harrowing story without turning it into something sensationalized.
What's more, she does an excellent job of strongly differentiating between true Islam and the warped ideology that the members of Boko Haram share. In contrast to quite a few stories out there, there's a continuous exploration of the ways this terrorist organization goes against everything the Quran teaches, which is something I deeply appreciate.
As far as my reading experience goes, I can't say that I enjoyed this. There are plenty of scenes in here that turned my stomach, and it's not a book you pick up for fun. However, with numerous girls missing to this day, it is absolutely a story that deserves attention. Please do make sure to look up potential triggers before picking this up.
Well, ouch.
Based on the real-life experiences of Nigerian girls taken by Boko Haram, Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree centers around an unnamed girl who suffers that same faith.
By not specifying her name or exact age, our protagonist can be any or all of these girls, and it really sets a tone - especially since a whole lot of people have no clue what happened to these women and girls in 2014.
Through short and sober chapters, Nwaubani manages to convey this harrowing story without turning it into something sensationalized.
What's more, she does an excellent job of strongly differentiating between true Islam and the warped ideology that the members of Boko Haram share. In contrast to quite a few stories out there, there's a continuous exploration of the ways this terrorist organization goes against everything the Quran teaches, which is something I deeply appreciate.
As far as my reading experience goes, I can't say that I enjoyed this. There are plenty of scenes in here that turned my stomach, and it's not a book you pick up for fun. However, with numerous girls missing to this day, it is absolutely a story that deserves attention. Please do make sure to look up potential triggers before picking this up.
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