The description of life and culture in Guinea would have made this a success for me but it was the description of the loving extended family that was threaded throughout that made it such a winner. A warm and affecting classic. ( )

This memoir is an enjoyable read that is a picturesque coming of age story set in Africa. It's simply told without artifice or tremendous elaboration. We follow Laye's story as he is raised by his loving parents, attends primary school, falls for his first love, and finally becomes a man through a ritual circumcision. Unfortunately, the book ends on a bittersweet note and left me wanting more. Nicely rendered, but not likely to be memorable. ( )

This is an engaging first-person account of youthful experiences in a Guinean village - 'from the age of 9', says the back cover, to leaving home for France as a young adult - observing his blacksmith/goldsmith father, visiting relatives in a more agricultural region, attending school, etc.
It is an articulate book, reacquainting me with the French literary tenses I had seldom encountered. This is slightly jarring: the carefully-crafted narrative, precise observations and wide vocabulary are not always in the child's voice, but in that of the educated adult, and some of the reflections do not ring true for a child. ( )

EL NIÑO AFRICANO es una novela autobiográfica que narra la infancia de Baba, un niño que vive en Kouroussa, un pueblo deAlta Guinea, donde la magia está presente en muchos aspectos de la vida cotidiana. Su padre, que trabaja como herrero, le enseña los misterios y técnicas de este arte. Su
madre, respetada por todos, tiene poderes sobre los seres vivos y los objetos. A lo largo de la historia, demostrará sus capacidades y poderes. A los quince años, se va a la capital del país, Conakry, para entrar en una escuela técnica. Cuando termina los estudios, recibe una oportunidad para viajar a Francia, donde podrá seguir con sus estudios. A pesar del cambio que este hecho supondrá en su vida, nuestro protagonista terminará por aceptar esta oportunidad. ( )

59/2021. The African Child, aka The Dark Child, by Camara Laye, first published in French in 1954, is an autobiographical recollection of the author's childhood in a Malinke family in Guinea (then French Guinea), and is considered a classic of Malinke and Guinean literature. The English translation is by poet James Kirkup. Clearly written and informative. ( )