The Girl With the Louding Voice

WARNING! Reading this novel (if you’re a woman) will likely turn you into a man-hater. As such, my advice to you as you read this book is to think of all the non chauvinistic, egotistical, and self-gratifying men in your life. If you’re a guy, I hope Kofi is the only male character with whom you can relate. 

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In The Girl with the Louding Voice, the protagonist, teenaged Adunni, wants to fulfill her mother’s dying wish for her to pursue an education. For Adunni, an education means becoming an independent woman and taking care of herself and her family--including her good-for-nothing jobless father who decides to sell her off into marriage with a middle-aged man instead of getting off his behind to get a job to feed his family. 

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Adunni's new husband has two other wives, and once in her marital home, Adunni realizes that she will have no peace, as wife #1 is hell-bent on making her life miserable. Then, an unfortunate circumstance leads Adunni to flee her village. Now in the big city, Adunni finds herself victim to another abusive pair: a lazy, self-gratifying man who has a thing for young girls, and a woman who, tormented by her husband's continuous betrayals, decides to take her anger out on Adunni.

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Although Adunni goes through some traumatizing things in this novel, her sense of humor (fueled by her ignorance and broken English) makes some of the tough scenes more digestible.