I’ve read an account on how the Nigerian-Biafra civil war affected generations, but none as emotionally gripping as this. After a Chance meeting with the author of the Forest Dames during my second year of university, I vowed I would read her debut novel. Now almost a year and a half later, I’m very happy to have read this gripping novel about a young girl whose innocence and identity was threatened and nearly ripped apart by the destruction that a war put its children through. Four young girls—-Deze (short for Adaeze), Gonma, Lele, and Soforuchi —-become Forest Dames overnight, forced to protect themselves vandal soldiers who steal into the thick of night to grab young girls by hiding out in one of Nigeria’s most notorious forests.

I not only felt touched by the girls’ stories—-which are directly based on the author’s memories of what happened. But I admired how the author told her story. Each chapter is a beautiful learning experience for readers who are not Nigerian. And each chapter richly depict the complexities of trauma that the Igbo people, who call themselves Biafrans during the war experience. Knowing that these four girls were younger than I am when their livelihoods were threatened really hits home for me, because it reminds me that me being born in America rather than my parent’s home country of Cameroon was made possible through the pure sacrifice my parents made to give me a better life than their Western counterparts ever could.

Enlightening, Enriching and Emotionally-gripping...It was hard to take my eyes away from this book, and I truly recommend it!