Kabu Kabu

by Nnedi Okorafor Narrated by Yetide Badaki

Overview

Kabu kabu-unregistered illegal Nigerian taxis-generally get you where you need to go. Nnedi Okorafor's Kabu Kabu, however, takes the listener to exciting, fantastic, magical, occasionally dangerous, and always imaginative locations you didn't know you needed. This debut short story collection by an award-winning author includes notable previously published material, a new novella cowritten with New York Times bestselling author Alan Dean Foster, six additional original stories, and a brief foreword by Whoopi Goldberg.

Editorial Reviews

MAY 2019 - AudioFile

Yetide Badaki delivers a heartfelt, mystical narration of adventurous short stories by the award-winning Nigerian-American author, Nnedi Okorafor. The listeners are transported into each story. They are on bustling Chicago streets magically taxiing their way to another continent or playing music for a large zombie spider. The listeners are constantly on a ride, playing between African and American spaces. These stories are filled with love, loss, disbelief and uncertainty, and Badaki’s voice culturally takes us on this trip. Her tongue easily becomes the impatient American-accented lawyer, Igbo cab driver, anxious wandering youth or the Juju man. At the right moment her voice whispers soothingly and creates a bit of whimsy. This enjoyable narration visits various places, cultures and passed down stories of the ages. T.E.C. 2020 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

★ 10/21/2013
In this vibrant collection of speculative fiction, Okorafor (Who Fears Death) proves yet again that she is among the 21st century's most significant and noteworthy Science Fiction authors. The American-born author features her parents' Nigerian homeland in many of her stories, casting a sympathetic but informed eye on that nation. With such oil-rich land, Nigeria's mineral wealth continues to attract exploiters. Within these 20 stories we visit various takes on the future of Africa, many of which are equally as bleak as the past. Each story is as carefully crafted as the last; robots serving shadowy foreign interests find common cause with artists, women fall victim to their society's brutally patriarchal order while others find less bitter fates, and assassins ponder the effects of their efforts to provoke reform. With a knack for dialogue and an ambitious imagination, Okorafor effortlessly blends original characters with fantastical elements into the vivid scenery of Africa to create stories worth reading again and again. (Nov.)

From the Publisher

Kobu Kobu takes us on rides of the heart and mind.” – Whoopi Goldberg

“One of the strongest qualities of African literature is that it gives you the feeling of intimacy as if the griot or teller is speaking quietly to you as one of a selected circle of listeners. Orkorafor conjures up that feeling. Two of my favorite stories here, “Biafra” and “Icon” deal with the topic of genocide and the subject of oil, told from inside out. They are matter-of-fact, sometimes brutal and raw, and do not dodge the reality of tribal conflict or greed. Finally, Okorafor doesn’t turn her back on any of the current hot button issues. She tackles the controversial topics of greed, gender, sexuality, politics, nationalism, technology, the depletion of the earth’s resources, fear, blood ties, conformity, and conflict. On the heels of the acclaimed Who Fears Death, Okorafor has done herself proud and should acquire many readers with this sterling effort.” – African American Literature Book Club

“It’s a collection that I’m glad to see published, and one that contributes to the field in a real and exciting way.” – Tor.com

“It is a brave and generous book.” – Strange Horizons

“Okorafor shows the good and the bad, both exploitation and hope, strength and evil of the people. And she adds a healthy dose of magic to the mix.” – SFF Book Reviews

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170869756
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	03/19/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,153,375

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