About the Book

Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction

Los Angeles Times Book Award

Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award for Fiction

New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age Finalist

This short but enormously powerful debut novel is told in the voice of Agu, a young boy in an unnamed West African nation, who is recruited into a unit of guerrilla fighters as civil war engulfs his country. In a strikingly original voice that vividly captures Agu’s youth and confusion, Uzodinma Iweala has produced a harrowing, inventive, and deeply affecting novel. For students, here is a chance to explore current issues with a deeply human voice as their guide.

“Devastating. . . . A raw and brutal story about the horrifying effects of cruelty and the incredible power of hope.”-Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Freshman Common Read: Kalamazoo College

Critical Praise

“A tour de force.” — Washington Post Book World

“Brilliant. . . . This is a remarkable novel that suggests a dazzling literary future.” — People (****)

“A startling debut…. Iweala’s acute imagining allows him to depict the war as a mesh of bestial pleasures and pain.” — The New Yorker

“An outstanding first novel. . . . Resonant, beautiful. . . . Iweala’s book will be readily embraced by readers.” — Janet Maslin, New York Times

“Electrifying. . . . A harrowing read. . . The story is gripping enough. But even more stunning is the extraordinarily original voice. . . . Always breathless, often breathtaking, and sometimes heartbreaking.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Searing and visceral. . . . Agu’s unblinking innocence gives the story its most powerful and disturbing beauty.” — San Diego Union-Tribune

“The hypnotic present tense, first-person narration draws the reader deep into the child soldier’s shattered psyche.” — Washington Post

“Remarkable. . . . Iweala never wavers from a gripping, pulsing narrative voice. . . . He captures the horror of ethnic violence in all its brutality and the vulnerability of youth in all its innocence.” — Entertainment Weekly (A)

“Devastating. . . a raw and brutal story about the horrifying effects of cruelty and the incredible power of hope.” — Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“This is an extraordinary book. . . . so vivid [and] powerful.” — Sunday Telegraph

“Uzodinma Iweala is a gifted and brave writer.” — Chris Abani, author of GraceLand

“A harrowing account of the intoxication of violence…that offers no easy answers or explanations.” — Library Journal

“In Beasts of No Nation Uzodinma Iweala has crafted a voice that is equal to the demands of a blood-soaked reality. This is a work of visceral urgency and power: it heralds the arrival of a major talent.” — Amitav Ghosh, author of The Glass Palace

“An astonishing debut. . . . Iweala writes with great restraint, mindful that the most important battle is for a boy’s soul: Redemption is possible, even if a return to innocence is not.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Iweala gives his hero a voice that is literary yet poetic. . . . The acute characterization, the adroit mixture of color and restraint, and the horrific emotional force of the narrative are impressive. Still more impressive is Iweala’s ability to maintain not only our sympathy but our affection for his central character.” — New York Times Book Review

“Searing. . . . An extraordinary debut novel.” — Time magazine

“Stark, vivid. . . . Written like a nightmare in progress, this story is a fever dream of voice and consciousness.” — San Francisco Chronicle

“Uzodinma Iweala is receiving not just hype but praise from reviewers for the frighteningly convincing voice of a preteen soldier.” — New York Magazine

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Product Details

• ISBN: 9780060798680
• ISBN 10: 0060798688
• Imprint: Harper Perennial
• On Sale: 08/15/2006
• Trimsize: 4.880 in (w) x 7.120 in (h) x 0.490 in (d)
• Pages: 176
• List Price: $15.99
• BISAC1 : FICTION / Animals
• BISAC2 : FICTION / Literary
• BISAC3 : FICTION / Media Tie-In
• BISAC4 : FICTION / Historical / World War II
• BISAC5 : FICTION / Historical / Civil War Era
• BISAC6 : FICTION / World Literature / Africa / Nigeria
• BISAC7 : FICTION / World Literature / Africa / West Africa
• BISAC8 : FICTION / Political
• BISAC9 : FICTION: Historical / 20th Century / Post-World War II
• BISAC10 : FICTION / Coming of Age