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Under the Udala Trees  By  cover art

Under the Udala Trees

By: Chinelo Okparanta
Narrated by: Robin Miles
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Publisher's summary

Inspired by Nigeria's folktales and war, Under the Udala Trees is a deeply searching, powerful debut about the dangers of living and loving openly. Ijeoma comes of age as her nation does; born before independence, she is 11 when civil war breaks out in the young republic of Nigeria. Sent away to safety, she meets another displaced child, and the star-crossed pair fall in love. They are from different ethnic communities. They are also both girls. When their love is discovered, Ijeoma learns that she will have to hide this part of herself. But there is a cost to living inside a lie.

As Edwidge Danticat has made personal the legacy of Haiti's political coming of age, Okparanta's Under the Udala Trees uses one woman's lifetime to examine the ways in which Nigerians continue to struggle toward selfhood. Even as their nation contends with and recovers from the effects of war and division, Nigerian lives are wrecked and lost from taboo and prejudice. But this story offers a glimmer of hope - a future where a woman might just be able to shape her life around truth and love.

©2015 Chinelo Okparanta (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+

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What listeners say about Under the Udala Trees

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Great Listen!

I gave this book five stars due to the content. It's well written but more importantly it sheds light on an important issue. This author gives voice to inner turmoil gay people in Nigeria go through as well as the underground life they have to lead for safety.

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22 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good book that left me wanting more.

The narrator was excellent. The story at times left me wanting more, especially at the end. I felt the author should have developed the second lesbian relationship a bit more and given more insight into their reunion and lifestyle. The lack of this exploration left me with many questions and thoughts. The author addresses many important themes such as sexual identity, culture, tradition, religion and death to name a few. The author writes beautifully in full, rich detail.

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20 people found this helpful

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Heavy story about a queer Nigerian woman's journey

So much to unpack. This book follows around Ijeoma, a queer Nigerian woman, throughout her life in a country that's not the most queer friendly.

I was surprised at how sex positive the book was with Ijeoma exploring her feelings, both emotionally and sexually.

From her first love, Ameena, a hausa girl, to feeling pressures to marry her childhood friend, her story wasn't easy to tell, nor was it meant to be a love story.

Its cerebral but I liked it. I wish I knew of more narratives of African queer women, but this definitely set the bar high.

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4 people found this helpful

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narrator makes this story shine

idjeoma is such a strong character but she's surrounded by people who are trying to bring her down with tradition and religion. the story was so frustrating as our heroine is helpless through much of the story. fortunately i finished the story with the help of the narrator. robin miles has a way of making the many accents and various languages in this book come alive. her reading, as well as superbly acted distinct voices between characters brought an additional layer of enjoyment to this story. she did such a good job that I'm going to seek out other books she's read aloud.

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3 people found this helpful

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Great story and great performance.

The narrator was perfect for this book and she added so much to the already lyrical and wonderfully written prose.

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2 people found this helpful

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Literature at its best - great story, beautifully

Literature at its best - great story, beautifully crafted, historically relevant. Significant as a fine piece of literature on it's own and as a narrative on LGBTQ issues in Nigeria and elsewhere on the African continent.

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2 people found this helpful

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fantastic story with an equally fantastic narrator

This story was gripping, emotional, alternately heartbreaking and heartwarming, and the wonderful narration enhanced the experience, as Robin Miles' performance was able to take the words on the page and bring them to life.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

loved it

I loved this book! it resonated with me bc I too have been torn between my sexuality and faith. The word pictures were impeccable. The orator was a delight to listen to. I loved everything about this book.

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1 person found this helpful

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DNF

Any additional comments?

I found the characters flat, and I had trouble connecting to the story through the way Robin Miles narrated. Disappointing since I wanted to like the book and there were so many great reviews.

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Wonderful

A gripping tale of a gay women's journey of coming to terms with her sexual identity where her life style it is not only not acceptable it is dangerous,.

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1 person found this helpful