What happens when the lives of one Nigerian and two Londoners intersect
Nigeria/Little Bee Podcast – click to listen now or download at http://www.box.net/files/0/f/26747034/1/f_523392002#/files/0/f/26747034/1/f_523389728
Inspired – or perhaps we should say triggered? – by news of the October 1, 2010 bombing in Nigeria that coincided with celebrations marking the country’s 50th anniversary of independence from the British, Lisa and Lisa felt compelled to record a podcast about the absorbing and timely novel Little Bee written by Chris Cleave.
It is because this book is set partly in both modern-day Nigeria and England that it seemed particularly relevant to the October 1st events mentioned above. It’s dramatic plot (difficult to read at times – especially the scenes on the beach) help to explain the unrest that currently exists in Nigeria and that continues to create a steady flow of refugees like the character Little Bee to England. It explores what happens when the lives of one Nigerian refugee and several contemporary Londoners intersect.
In this brief eleven-minute podcast, Lisa and Lisa agree that though this book deals with extremely heavy topics surprisingly the feeling that the reader comes away with is not depressing. Rather, they both found it enlightening, surprisingly refreshing, and even funny – especially Little Bee’s description of how she came to speak the “Queen’s English” while living in a British “relocation center.”
The voice of Little Bee will stay with you long after you put this book down. It is that powerful.
