Review of Leaving Dahomey

[Anpin John]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Leaving Dahomey" by Jude Shaw.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Leaving Dahomey by Jude Shaw falls under the genre historical fiction. In this book, Shaw describes the life of a young girl, Adeoha. The story is set in a completely different reality and this makes it an interesting read. Shaw has done extensive research in the history of the people in Dahomey. As a reader, we are led into a world of many different Gods and belief systems. We become more open to the various cultures of our planet. Adeoha is a young woman with big dreams. She has also come up with plans to achieve these dreams. As she grows up, she learns more about the history of her family and this opens up more vivid opportunities for her. Shaw has written Adeoha to be a brave, curious and headstrong girl.

Throughout the book, a notion Shaw upholds is the importance of family and friendship. We can see this through the support shown by Adeoha’s family in all her ventures. Also, Adeoha shares all her worries and experiences with her friend Sewextu. We can see these two girls grow together and follow their dreams with support from each other.

Another aspect that stood out to me is the way Shaw describes the art of dancing. The culture in which the story is set gives great importance to their ancestors and storytelling. Storytelling is done through reciting verses, dancing, and so on. Adeoha has incredible expertise in dancing, so much that her name spread across the land. The author described the movements and stories represented beautifully.

As Adeoha follows her dreams and travels, she comes across many dangers. She bravely faces these challenges and comes out successful. One thing she enjoys is traveling to new places and meeting new people and hearing the stories they have to tell. We follow along Adeoha on her journey as readers.

This book is the first to a sequel and thus, there wasn’t much of a structured story. In this book, we get introduced to the characters and their culture. We also learn about certain qualities and behaviors of the characters. Even though Shaw has written in a simple and understandable language, I felt that it was a bit difficult to follow along to the story. And I also felt that there wasn’t much of a story to keep me captivated.

I give this book 2 out of 4 stars. I also found a few errors while reading. I would not recommend this book as I didn’t enjoy reading as much as I thought I would. Nevertheless, anyone interested in different cultures and histories should definitely give this book a read.

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Leaving Dahomey
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