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News from Home: Short Stories
Winner of the 2009 NOMA Award for Publishing in Africa From Zamfara up north to the Niger delta down south, with a finale in Lagos, this collection of stories and a novella respond to and amplify the newspaper headlines in a range of Nigerian voices. Men, women, and children speak out to us from these stories, from immigration centers and police barracks, from street corners and maternity wards. Ghanaian writer Mohammed Naseehu Ali says, Sefi Atta "writes like one who has lived the life of each single character in her dazzling collection of short stories."
294 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 20, 2009
8 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
About the author
Sefi Atta
23 books184 followersSefi Atta was born 1964 in Lagos, Nigeria. She was educated there, in England and the United States. Her father Abdul-Aziz Atta was the Secretary to Federal Government and Head of the Civil Service until his death in 1972, and she was raised by her mother Iyabo Atta.
A former chartered accountant and CPA, she is a graduate of the creative writing program at Antioch University, Los Angeles. Her short stories have appeared in journals like Los Angeles Review and Mississipi Review and have won prizes from Zoetrope and Red Hen Press. Her radio plays have been broadcast by the BBC. She is the winner of PEN International's 2004/2005 David TK Wong Prize and in 2006, her debut novel Everything Good Will Come was awarded the inaugural Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa.
Her short story collection, Lawless, received the 2009 Noma Award For Publishing in Africa. Lawless is published in the US and UK as News From Home.
She lives in Mississippi with her husband Gboyega Ransome-Kuti, a medical doctor, and their daughter, Temi.
A former chartered accountant and CPA, she is a graduate of the creative writing program at Antioch University, Los Angeles. Her short stories have appeared in journals like Los Angeles Review and Mississipi Review and have won prizes from Zoetrope and Red Hen Press. Her radio plays have been broadcast by the BBC. She is the winner of PEN International's 2004/2005 David TK Wong Prize and in 2006, her debut novel Everything Good Will Come was awarded the inaugural Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa.
Her short story collection, Lawless, received the 2009 Noma Award For Publishing in Africa. Lawless is published in the US and UK as News From Home.
She lives in Mississippi with her husband Gboyega Ransome-Kuti, a medical doctor, and their daughter, Temi.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 5, 2025
News From Home is a collection of ten short stories of varied lengths, set in different states in Nigeria as well as the England and the US.
Having read and loved most of Sefi Atta’s full length novels, I found most of these stories to be average but with traces of the elements I have enjoyed in the past of her writing such as humor, well-developed characters, a strong sense of place, commentary on the state of the Nigerian Nation, poverty, the plight of women in both and racism. Thus, the strength of this collection lies in the versatility of its themes and the diversity of its narratives.
Some of my favorites from it are: Lawless, Twilight Trek, Last Trip and to an extent ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ which was so slow, it almost sent me into a reading slump.
Having read and loved most of Sefi Atta’s full length novels, I found most of these stories to be average but with traces of the elements I have enjoyed in the past of her writing such as humor, well-developed characters, a strong sense of place, commentary on the state of the Nigerian Nation, poverty, the plight of women in both and racism. Thus, the strength of this collection lies in the versatility of its themes and the diversity of its narratives.
Some of my favorites from it are: Lawless, Twilight Trek, Last Trip and to an extent ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ which was so slow, it almost sent me into a reading slump.
December 16, 2012
'last trip' is truly a good story .it really interests me...
July 3, 2010
This was a very good collection of 10 short stories and one novella by the Nigerian author Sefi Atta, which was awarded the 2009 Noma Award for Publishing in Africa. The stories involve the lives of contemporary Nigerians living within the country or abroad in the United States or Britain. My full review appears in issue 6 of Belletrista:
http://www.belletrista.com/2010/issue...
http://www.belletrista.com/2010/issue...
July 16, 2014
Really nice diversity of characters - varied socio-economic strata; male and female; Lagos, London and America.
November 23, 2019
In News from Home, AttaSefi Atta showcases what, to me, is her finest work.
In the collection of ten short stories, we meet funny, engaging, some down-on-their-luck, characters and Sefi is deftly able to narrate the tales of illegal immigration, extra-marital affairs, homosexuality, religion, romance in a way that keeps you immersed in the literature.
We meet characters living in Zamfara, in Mississippi, in London, and in between. Already, I loved Atta, after reading three of her other novels (reviewed below) – but now, now truly I’m head over heels. My favourite story has to be Yahoo Yahoo, told through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy called Idowu, whose parents are quirky and rife with emotional baggage. What Atta gives you are human characters that will make you laugh and sigh.
In the collection of ten short stories, we meet funny, engaging, some down-on-their-luck, characters and Sefi is deftly able to narrate the tales of illegal immigration, extra-marital affairs, homosexuality, religion, romance in a way that keeps you immersed in the literature.
We meet characters living in Zamfara, in Mississippi, in London, and in between. Already, I loved Atta, after reading three of her other novels (reviewed below) – but now, now truly I’m head over heels. My favourite story has to be Yahoo Yahoo, told through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy called Idowu, whose parents are quirky and rife with emotional baggage. What Atta gives you are human characters that will make you laugh and sigh.
July 13, 2020
Finally a collection of short stories that really worked for me. It's been a while. And they may not work for everyone.
Atta has great range of style, setting and voice. Most of all, the writing has that way of seeming effortless and natural (regardless of how little or much work it may have taken). A lot of the time I was never quite sure what the angle or perspective really was, or where it was going. There's distance in a way that makes it more interesting instead of aloof.
There was social commentary and comments about people that didn't always feel good. The way things are written it's hard to tell whether that was real and coming from the author, or meant as critique and commentary.
Atta has great range of style, setting and voice. Most of all, the writing has that way of seeming effortless and natural (regardless of how little or much work it may have taken). A lot of the time I was never quite sure what the angle or perspective really was, or where it was going. There's distance in a way that makes it more interesting instead of aloof.
There was social commentary and comments about people that didn't always feel good. The way things are written it's hard to tell whether that was real and coming from the author, or meant as critique and commentary.
June 25, 2023
I've been looking forward to reading Sefi Atta for a long time
And I was so stuck in a reading rut because I couldn't find a good enough book for N
This book didn't do it for me at all
I finished it because I didn't want to resume the search for an N book. I was already exhausted
Out of the 11 stories in the book, I only liked 2. Madness in the family and Lawless. Some of the stories started out good but felt incomplete when they ended.
I'm so glad the book has ended and I can move on to something I'll enjoy
And I was so stuck in a reading rut because I couldn't find a good enough book for N
This book didn't do it for me at all
I finished it because I didn't want to resume the search for an N book. I was already exhausted
Out of the 11 stories in the book, I only liked 2. Madness in the family and Lawless. Some of the stories started out good but felt incomplete when they ended.
I'm so glad the book has ended and I can move on to something I'll enjoy
October 25, 2019
A remarkable collection of short stories. Sefi Atta speaks in many different voices, telling tales from all walks of life in Nigeria and the United States. No nonfiction work could do a better job explaining how people live, work, learn, leave, return, get by, whether legally or not.
The stories are from men, women, old, young, with widely varying points of view. And she nails them, every one. Beautifully written, absorbing, compelling. And often funny.
The stories are from men, women, old, young, with widely varying points of view. And she nails them, every one. Beautifully written, absorbing, compelling. And often funny.
May 18, 2024
There were three stunners: "Hailstones on Zamfara", "Twilight Trek" and "Madness in the Family". I would have been perfectly happy to have just read those three, perhaps even happier than I am, having finished the whole thing. That being said, the range of the stories was impressive.
March 3, 2019
The ending did it all for me.
December 16, 2022
Nothing yet
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January 20, 2024A perfect collection of stories 🤎
Sefi Attah is a phenomenal writer and I don’t think we read her enough! I don’t think we give her enough flowers because she is absolutely brilliant
Sefi Attah is a phenomenal writer and I don’t think we read her enough! I don’t think we give her enough flowers because she is absolutely brilliant
February 8, 2024
the narrative was sometimes fuzzy. like coils of rope meshed together and untangling this threads of story lessened the reading experience for me
July 25, 2024
DNF. Read a few stories.
I’ll come back to it next year, maybe.
I’ll come back to it next year, maybe.
November 28, 2011
Too many short stories are hard for me to remember as I read one after another in a short time. That does not mean the stories are not good. In fact, they give deep reflection to the lives of many poor youths and adults from Lagos, told in the first person. It is often not clear whether the story teller in a few stories are male or female, and I often mistook one for the other, discovering 3/4's of the way through the story that I had the wrong visual image of the main character!
It is clear in many of Sefi Atta's stories how poverty affects Nigerians' lives. Many children and adults turn to crime because of the discontent of their lives.
"It occurred to me that there was nothing more precious in the world than satisfaction. That it was possible to end up committing a crime just because you were contaminated by a little discontent. You could convince yourself that you were satisfied, then someone could come along and say, "But I can offer you more," and then you could begin to think, My life is not worth much after all. In fact, you could tell yourself, My life was completely worthless from the start."
Some characters have the strength to resist crime; others turn to crime in order to survive. One story, "Last Trip," is about a mother with a challenged child who swallows balloons filled with heroine and smuggles the drugs to London from Lagos out of desperation to feed and school her child. In many stories, it is clear that Nigerians detest the corruption and poverty of their country, yet espouse that white and black people who live overseas, although they live a luxurious life, in comparison to theirs, are spoiled and ungrateful. Nigerians, however, will turn to crime in order buy a plane ticket, longing to break out of the corruption and poverty they currently live in.
Sefi Atta tells compelling tales from the past and present that depict the lives of the main characters with depth and clarity.
It is clear in many of Sefi Atta's stories how poverty affects Nigerians' lives. Many children and adults turn to crime because of the discontent of their lives.
"It occurred to me that there was nothing more precious in the world than satisfaction. That it was possible to end up committing a crime just because you were contaminated by a little discontent. You could convince yourself that you were satisfied, then someone could come along and say, "But I can offer you more," and then you could begin to think, My life is not worth much after all. In fact, you could tell yourself, My life was completely worthless from the start."
Some characters have the strength to resist crime; others turn to crime in order to survive. One story, "Last Trip," is about a mother with a challenged child who swallows balloons filled with heroine and smuggles the drugs to London from Lagos out of desperation to feed and school her child. In many stories, it is clear that Nigerians detest the corruption and poverty of their country, yet espouse that white and black people who live overseas, although they live a luxurious life, in comparison to theirs, are spoiled and ungrateful. Nigerians, however, will turn to crime in order buy a plane ticket, longing to break out of the corruption and poverty they currently live in.
Sefi Atta tells compelling tales from the past and present that depict the lives of the main characters with depth and clarity.
June 19, 2024
A truly beautiful collection of short stories.
January 4, 2016
News From Home is a must-read. The short story "Last Trip" is a gripping tale about a young mother who feels that she has no choice but to act as a drug mule; post-colonial Lagos, Nigeria does not offer many job opportunities for a single mother. She briefly considered prostitution before she met Kazeem, a middle-man in a larger drug trade. Her choice comes from the love that she has for her young son, Dara, who has special needs. The narrator does not want her son to attend the public school where he would likely be beaten for being different; she uses the cash she earns to keep him in the very expensive but good Catholic school.
The strength of this story stems from the complexity of the characters; Atta is able to create depth by putting her characters in a difficult situation and lets the reader watch as they struggle to find the "most" right answers. I would recommend this story to readers who enjoy realistic stories and welcome moral ambiguities.
The strength of this story stems from the complexity of the characters; Atta is able to create depth by putting her characters in a difficult situation and lets the reader watch as they struggle to find the "most" right answers. I would recommend this story to readers who enjoy realistic stories and welcome moral ambiguities.
July 7, 2013
"I read only non-fiction because I want to know about the real world," say some people. But, in fact, it is precisely about the real world that you learn when you read fine fiction. From Atta you learn about the nature of life as a Nigerian. Insights that appear nowhere but in fiction; where time is taken to appreciate the way people express themselves, to explore how they perceive the world - in comparison with how we, in the fortunate west, perceive the world. If you want to know things about the real world read this book.
June 13, 2016
This book was a glimpse at life in Nigeria; one that is much needed for me as I am tired of reading the same books by Anglo authors about life in the Western hemisphere. These stories were hard to digest--this book is not for the lighthearted looking for a light read. The topics addressed are real, raw and heart-wrenching. I am so grateful to have found this first hand account of life in Nigeria from a Nigerian as I begin my trek into books by non-White authors. Highly recommend this book.
August 22, 2010
Best collection of Nigerian short stories I have read in a very long time. I was particularly impressed with her heads-on, no holds barred handling of the oftentimes taboo topic of bipolar in Nigeria (Madness in the Family)...
November 22, 2012
colors my experience of Lagos and shows the side I could not really live and know. one line still stays with me - (paraphrased) - the world is round. if you keep chasing something, somewhere (a different cultural identity) you eventually come home.
August 27, 2011
just read the first 3 stories.....ehhh,not my cup of tea.
August 16, 2014
This book was nothing short of amazing...
April 11, 2022
"Twilight Trek" was a good one.
July 26, 2021
Each of the stories in this collection reads as complete and fully realized. Atta explores very different settings and characters quite adroitly.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews