Abi Dare
The unforgettable, inspiring story of a teenage girl growing up in a rural Nigerian village who longs to get an education so that she can find her “louding voice” and speak up for herself, The Girl with the Louding Voice is a simultaneously heartbreaking and triumphant tale about the power of fighting for your dreams.
Despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in her path, Adunni never loses sight of her goal of escaping the life of poverty she was born into so that she can build the future she chooses for herself – and help other girls like her do the same.
Her spirited determination to find joy and hope in even the most difficult circumstances imaginable will “break your heart and then put it back together again” (Jenna Bush Hager on The Today Show) even as Adunni shows us how one courageous young girl can inspire us all to reach for our dreams…and maybe even change the world.
-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.
Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.
My Opinion
{usr 4] This book is emotional and heartbreaking right from the start. A young 14 year old is being forced to marry an older man by her father. This man already has two wives. I could taste her fear, it truly was tragic. It goes through her first night with him and what her expectations are as a wife. Luckily, one of the wives is caring and thoughtful and brings her under her wing.
Tragedy after tragedy befalls Adunni and you can’t help but want to reach out and save this girl. Living in Nigeria is hard enough as it is, but each tragedy takes it toll. She somehow finds the determination and grit to pull herself through, to be positive and to look for a way out. Her courage and fearlessness were admirable.
The story pulls you in quickly and doesn’t let go. My heart broke many times but it was slowly pieced together at the end. I loved this story and think everyone should read it!
I needed an update on her life at the end. It ended somewhat abruptly but on a positive note. I needed assurances as to her health and environment and that she would succeed in life! I am in awe at Dare’s writing ability. It is done with a sophistication you rarely see in debut authors. She was able to bring such misfortune to life with elegance. I hope to see more of her works soon.
Content Summary: Attempted rape, 14yo wedded to an older man (includes brief details of their nights together), physical abuse, mistreatment, death of loved ones, 1 F word/minimal language.
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My fav read last year! I, too, wish there had been an epilogue! We invested so much in her story! I thought the way the author slowly developed the voice of Adunni was brilliantly done!
Did they make up a lot of words or is Louding the only oen? It sounds good but i can only deal with so many madeup words!
This sounds like a really difficult and emotional read.