Praise Song for the Butterflies
Bernice L. McFadden
(Author)
Description
--Longlisted for the 2019 Women's Prize for Fiction
--A Black Caucus of the American Library Association 2019 Honor title, Fiction
"McFadden, writer of great, imaginative novels for years now (including Sugar and Gathering of Waters), is back with one of her best yet. Exploring ritual sacrifice in contemporary West Africa, Praise Song offers a fascinating, painful glimpse into a world beyond America's shores, filled with tragedy and love and hope." --Entertainment Weekly, One of 20 New Books to Read in August
"The novel has a timeless quality; McFadden is a master of taking you to another time and place. In doing so, she raises questions surrounding the nature of memory, what we allow to thrive, and what we determine to execute . . . McFadden brings the sweeping drama of her earlier works -- The Book of Harlan, Glorious, Gathering of Waters -- into this small book, and reminds me of the gentle fierceness of Edwidge Danticat's writing." --Los Angeles Review of Books
Abeo Kata lives a comfortable, happy life in West Africa as the privileged nine-year-old daughter of a government employee and stay-at-home mother. But when the Katas' idyllic lifestyle takes a turn for the worse, Abeo's father, following his mother's advice, places the girl in a religious shrine, hoping that the sacrifice of his daughter will serve as atonement for the crimes of his ancestors. Unspeakable acts befall Abeo for the fifteen years she is held in the shrine. When she is finally rescued, broken and battered, she must struggle to overcome her past, endure the revelation of family secrets, and learn to trust and love again.
In the tradition of Chris Cleave's Little Bee, this novel is a contemporary story that offers an eye-opening account of the practice of ritual servitude in West Africa. Spanning decades and two continents, Praise Song for the Butterflies will break you heart and then heal it.
Product Details
| Publisher | Akashic Books, Ltd. |
| Publish Date | August 28, 2018 |
| Pages | 208 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Hardback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781617755750 |
| Dimensions | 8.4 X 5.3 X 0.9 inches | 0.7 pounds |
About the Author
Reviews
Bernice McFadden's Praise Song for the Butterflies is a story about trauma and survival . . . Let me assure you: McFadden's writing is so gentle and internal; reading it doesn't feel like an exercise in masochism. Instead, it's a nuanced examination of heritage, family, secrets, and resilience.-- "Buzzfeed Books Newsletter"
McFadden crafts a compassionate, unforgettable story of loss and redemption.-- "BBC Culture, One of 10 Books to Read in August"
Perhaps one of the best books of the year, Praise Song for the Butterflies is a stunning, brief portrait that humanizes the plight of those in ritual servitude. It's a fantastic work from a gifted author.-- "The Gazette"
This is a novel brave enough to cast an unblinking eye on one of the most disturbing chapters in the ongoing history of female oppression, and humane enough to have found the means for a redemptive and fulfilling read.-- "New York Journal of Books"
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