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Carol Stream, Illinois 60132

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© 2024 Opportunity Internationala 501(c)3 nonprofit. EIN: 540907624.

June Book Club: The Hundred Wells of Salaga

By Opportunity International

The Opportunity Book Club began in 2018 with a curated reading list that represented a wide range of geographies, authors, and perspectives. Our community has traveled around the world from the comfort of our couches, investing in the lives and stories of people whose experiences often look so much different than our own.

Now—as our national conversation centers around learning and challenging long-entrenched ways of thinking, dismantling systemic racism, and opening our ears to voices that we should have been listening to for years—we are more committed to our original goals than ever.

This month, our Book Club will travel back in history to precolonial Ghana to learn about “how the scramble for Africa affected the lives of everyday people.” This month, we are reading The Hundred Wells of Salaga by Ayesha Harruna Attah.

Described by The New Yorker as “a dazzling historical drama,” The Hundred Wells of Salaga tells the story of two young women at the end of the nineteenth century whose lives paint a picture of slavery and conquest in Africa. 

As always, we encourage you to order the book from your favorite local bookstore and support small businesses in your community.

If you’re looking for additional reading that’s relevant to learning new perspectives, we’d point to a few former Opportunity Book Club selections, as well as a few new ones on our personal lists:

  • Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
  • The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya
  • Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
  • I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
  • Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

If you have book suggestions for our community, please let us know in our Facebook discussion. We’d love to learn from you.

 

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