Review by Bertha Jackson -- Another Poor Cow
Posted: 27 Mar 2021, 09:50
[Following is a volunteer review of "Another Poor Cow" by Martins Agbonlahor.]
Another Poor Cow by Martins Agbonlahor is about a young Nigerian girl raised on strict customs and traditions. Doomed from birth, born as an Ogbange, Onaiwu will die before her 10th birthday if her spirit does not separate from the spirit world. As Onaiwu approaches her 10th birthday, her health starts failing, and her parents consult Prophetess Esohe, who performs the ceremony to cure her. Before her birth, Onaiwu's parents betrothed her to an ugly older man, Chief Osaheni, who already has four wives and a harem. The local orator, Macpherson, tries to prevent the marriage because Onaiwu is only 12 years old. He is arrested on a trumped-up drug charge and sent to prison for five years. What will happen to Onaiwu now? What does her future hold? Read this book to find out.
There are a couple of things I like about this book. The author's development of the characters showed male dominance over the oppressed women, which aligns with the Nigerian culture. I felt like I knew each of the characters, and I could sense Onaiwu's opposition to the roles she had to play. I found the appendix at the end of the book to understand the Nigerian culture and customs that I am unfamiliar with.
There are a couple of things I dislike about this book, but the main one is how it affected my emotions. While I was reading, I could feel the abuse, anger, shame, and fear that Onaiwu endured. I found many of the Nigerian customs offensive; one of the worst was "WEEK," which means "women's education ends in the kitchen." To me, this is barbaric, and suffice it to say, I would never survive in a male-dominated world like Nigeria. Also, I would not say I liked the parts of the text that were in Italian. I could only speculate as to the meaning and felt like I was missing something important.
This book is well written and full of action. I believe a professional editor has edited this book because I only found three minor errors in the book, and they did not distract from my reading. I gladly give this book 4 out of 4 stars.
I recommend this book to adult readers who want to learn more about Nigerian cultures and customs and human trafficking. This book is not appropriate for younger readers because of the offensive content involving non-borderline profanity, men fondling themselves, and female circumcision. There is some sexual content, but it is not exotic.
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Another Poor Cow
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Another Poor Cow by Martins Agbonlahor is about a young Nigerian girl raised on strict customs and traditions. Doomed from birth, born as an Ogbange, Onaiwu will die before her 10th birthday if her spirit does not separate from the spirit world. As Onaiwu approaches her 10th birthday, her health starts failing, and her parents consult Prophetess Esohe, who performs the ceremony to cure her. Before her birth, Onaiwu's parents betrothed her to an ugly older man, Chief Osaheni, who already has four wives and a harem. The local orator, Macpherson, tries to prevent the marriage because Onaiwu is only 12 years old. He is arrested on a trumped-up drug charge and sent to prison for five years. What will happen to Onaiwu now? What does her future hold? Read this book to find out.
There are a couple of things I like about this book. The author's development of the characters showed male dominance over the oppressed women, which aligns with the Nigerian culture. I felt like I knew each of the characters, and I could sense Onaiwu's opposition to the roles she had to play. I found the appendix at the end of the book to understand the Nigerian culture and customs that I am unfamiliar with.
There are a couple of things I dislike about this book, but the main one is how it affected my emotions. While I was reading, I could feel the abuse, anger, shame, and fear that Onaiwu endured. I found many of the Nigerian customs offensive; one of the worst was "WEEK," which means "women's education ends in the kitchen." To me, this is barbaric, and suffice it to say, I would never survive in a male-dominated world like Nigeria. Also, I would not say I liked the parts of the text that were in Italian. I could only speculate as to the meaning and felt like I was missing something important.
This book is well written and full of action. I believe a professional editor has edited this book because I only found three minor errors in the book, and they did not distract from my reading. I gladly give this book 4 out of 4 stars.
I recommend this book to adult readers who want to learn more about Nigerian cultures and customs and human trafficking. This book is not appropriate for younger readers because of the offensive content involving non-borderline profanity, men fondling themselves, and female circumcision. There is some sexual content, but it is not exotic.
******
Another Poor Cow
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon