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3.5 

The Devil That Danced on the Water

By Aminatta Forna
The Devil That Danced on the Water by Aminatta Forna digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

“[An] elegantly written mix of complex history, riveting memoir and damning exposé,” from this award-winning Sierra Leonean author (Publishers Weekly).
 
As a child, Aminatta Forna was witness to the political upheaval and social unrest of post-colonial Africa. Forced to flee her home for exile in Britain, she was subject to the consequences of her dissident father’s actions.
 
After war had abated in Sierra Leone, Aminatta’s father, Mohamed, returned to his country to be part of the fledgling democracy. But as progress gave way to dictatorships and corruption, Mohamed soon found himself caught in a dangerous political battle, imprisoned for his beliefs and facing far worse.
 
Years later, Aminatta returns to her home country as an adult and a journalist. Searching for the truth of her father’s fate and her country’s destiny, she uncovers a harrowing web of intrigue, conspiracy, and painful revelations.
 
The Devil That Danced on the Water is an “extremely moving” memoir of family, heritage, and innocence lost (The Guardian).

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14 Reviews

3.5
“I knew almost nothing of Sierra Leone before I read this book, despite the fact that I know there are people in my town who had to leave it. This was one of those books that had me running to the Internet to find out more about the country, the food, the culture. It is a sad story about a post-colonial country trying to find its political feet. Mohamed Forna, the author's father, was a man of great integrity, who loved his country and gave his all for its people. It is a beautifully written memoir that, I suspect, will stay with me for a long time.”

About Aminatta Forna

Aminatta Forna is the author of the novels Ancestor Stones, The Memory of Love, and The Hired Man, as well as the memoir The Devil That Danced on the Water. Forna's books have been translated into sixteen languages. Her essays have appeared in Granta, the Guardian, the Observer, and Vogue. She is currently the Lannan Foundation Chair in Poetics at Georgetown University.

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