| Abstract: | In the far reaches of northwestern Nigeria, Dantala lives among a gang of street boys who sleep under a kuka tree. During the election, the boys are paid by the Small Party to cause trouble. When their attempt to burn down the opposition's local headquarters ends in disaster, Dantala must run for his life, leaving his best friend behind. He makes his way to a mosque that provides him with food, shelter, and guidance. With his quick aptitude and modest nature, Dantala becomes a favored apprentice to the mosque's sheikh, a refined, peace-loving man. When one of the sheikh's closest advisors begins to raise his own radical movement, Dantala finds himself faced with a terrible conflict of loyalties. As bloodshed erupts in the city around him, he must decide what kind of Muslim-and what kind of man-he wants to be. Told in Dantala's naïve, searching voice, this novel explores the ways in which young men are seduced by religious fundamentalism and violence, and how friendship can prove to be the strongest bond of all. [Book abstract] |
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