The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré (#28 in 2020)
"I tell myself that even if I am not getting anything in this life, I will go to school. I will finish my primary and secondary and university schooling and become teacher because I don't just want to be having any kind voice... I want a louding voice."
Adunni, a 14 year old Nigerian girl, wants the kind of education her late mother always said would give her the kind of voice that would lead her to a bright future. When Adunni is sold off and married to a wealthier man, she starts to feel like her chance to be a teacher is slim. As the story unfolds, Adunni makes choices that lead her to learn how to find her voice and, most importantly, how to use it. The text structure of this book was beautifully done. In the beginning, Adunni's narration takes some getting used to as her vocabulary is limited, her grammatical conventions are incorrect, and many of her sentences are fragmented. Despite Adunni's broken English, I couldn't help but love her narration style. Something just felt so honest and heartfelt, and I was constantly cheering for her to find her voice. By the end of the book, the narration is much more consistent but not perfect, which sends such a powerful message all its own. As for the content, I'm blown away. Adunni is a stunning narrator who knows how to persevere through hardship and uses her dreams for the future to guide her through it all. Despite her young age of 14 years, Adunni's life experiences make her seem so much older. I would love to see this book on a high school summer reading list. Many students, especially those in my school district, would experience such culture shock to learn of the struggles Adunni faces that, unfortunately, do not seem uncommon. It's no secret that lots of teenagers take their free, public educational opportunities for granted, and a grateful, wise characater like Adunni's could help to put things in perspective. 5 stars
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