Not what I expected. I will have to look to other resources for the information that I was seeking.The turmoil, despair and corruption are rampant and never ending. This book doesn't hold back. Politics and money have nothing to do with the welfare of humans. I'm left dejected at the close of 'The Chibok Girls'.I was given an eArc of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.

This book succeeds in bringing awareness to a subject which was largely unknown to me. I had heard of the threat posed by Boko Haram before, but didn't actually know much about it. "The Chibok Girls", while focussing on one single attack perpetrated by this terrorist organisation, also brings some insights into the recent history of Nigeria, mostly in its post-colonial period, and the rise of religious tensions in the country. The book doesn't dive too deep into these subjects, but I'd say it's

Do you remember the hashtag #bringbackourgirls? It made quite a storm on social media shortly after the 267 girls from the Chibok Secondary School in Nigeria were kidnapped by terrorists from the Boko Haram group in Nigeria. However, the time passed, the fate of the girls is still unknown, but the social media and the world in general got busy with more terror and kidnappings acts taking place all over the world. Helon Habila is going to his native Nigeria, to Chibok, revealing the fine or deep

I am torn as to how to review this book and what rating to give it. The reason for this is that the title; THE CHIBOK GIRLS is misleading. Why do I think it is misleading? Well, if you read the official description you are lead to believe that author Helon Habila has uncovered new information about the kidnapped girls and has maybe even met with some of them therefore providing readers with new information that no one else has been able to uncover. At least, that is what I believed when I began

In 2014 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped in Nigeria by the terrorist group Boko Haram. In his short 128 page book, Nigerian born Helon Habila writes about the kidnappings plus Islamist militancy, politics, religion and the culture of life in northern Nigeria.I found this book quite a shock and it has the same awakening effect on me as an episode of Unreported World, a current affairs documentary series on Channel 4 television at home in the UK. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/un...Helon Habila

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher via netgalley.com.A soul wrenching account of the disappearance of the Chibok girls, stolen from their school dorm. This book looks into the effect on the survivors, families affected and the community as well as the events that led to this tragedy.

Essential reading

When a collective (religion, country, organisation or whatever) has a rule book, there is a propaganda. Even if the propaganda was majorly positive (it never is fully)at some point, no rule book is perpetual. If a collective chose to stay at one point in time, it brings out horror being a ghost of the past. No justification for militancy in the name of any religion. It disrespects the growth of the remaining members in or out of the collective. Hope humanity survives the plague.

A brilliant and brave book! 4 stars (only because I didn’t like the occasional interjection of history lessons with the account)This is my first Habila and I can’t wait to read his fiction to determine which style I like best.This book contained historical lessons on the Boko Haram and it also highlights the discrimination faced by northern Christians in Nigeria, both from the Muslim indigenes (who treat them as second class citizens) and southerners (who ascribe the north to just “Hausa/Fulani”...

Considering that the author traveled to Chibok Adamawa State to research this book in order to talk to the families of the kidnapped girls, you would think that he would have gotten a lot of interesting information. The final result should have produced something meatier.I learned nothing from reading this book that an hour on Wikipedia wouldn't have taught me.I used to study in GSS Madagali, which is about 146km away from Chibok. I know exactly where the school is I even have a couple of girlfr...

Does a pretty good job explaining key facts about the fight of Nigeria against Boko Haram and how the country and its people are affected by it. Personal reports, interviews and links to other sources of material regarding the issue. Some reports are pretty bleak, like the father who lost his mind and wandered alone in the forest after his daughter. Received this book from NetGalley, so thanks to them too.

Chibok is a poor and neglected town in Nigeria, where much of the population work in agriculture and life was fairly uneventful in this obscure corner of the country, until an event which brought it to the world’s notice. On the 14th April, 2014, members of Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls. Less than fifty managed to jump off the vehicles which they were loaded into. Only one other girl has been rescued. The rest, tragically, are still missing.Author , Helon Habila, travelled to Chibok; a to...

Really interesting account of the Chibok kidnapping in 2014 and the effects on both the community and the country. A short but detailed account which gives context to Nigeria as a country, the aftermath of colonialism, politics and corruption, the Boko Haram insurgency and the kidnapping itself to which over 100 girls are still missing today.

This book was a disappointment. If you are a casual news connoisseur, only paying attention to the bullet points, then you already know everything in this book. The author really had to stretch descriptions of the country, give lessons on the laws and corruption in the country. A lot of information about the various Muslim factions.... but I already knew all this. I cannot stress enough how out of touch I am, yet I already knew all the information in the book. So, you already know.

Considering the author travelled to Chibok to research this book; and considering he talked to kidnapped girls and their families you'd think the final results would have produced something a little heartier.I learned nothing in reading this that an hour on WikiPedia wouldn't have taught me.Which is too bad. Because the author is really good and reading it nice. It just lacked substance. I just can't justify paying the jacket price of $18.95 to learn nothing of value about the missing girls that...

Other than through the media, I did not know much about the story of the Boko Haram kidnapping of over 250 girls in Chibook, Nigeria. I had hopes that this book would help with some of the details, but was left wanting more...a LOT more.The author shares his own journey to Chibook, which is informative- the scary checkpoints, the kids carrying weapons and wearing fatigues, the bumpy truck rides. He finds a few people to interview that were present the night of the kidnapping, but doesn't go in t...

Short, quick overview of the rise of Boko Haram in Nigeria.... I thought it jumped around a bit but provided some background that was helpful to understand the political climate in the country.

The Boko Haram Kidnappings and Islamist Militancy in NigeriaOn 15 April 2014, 267 girls from the Chibok Secondary School in Northern Nigeria were kidnapped by Boko Haram, Mr. Habila shares with us the personal stories of some of the girls who managed to free themselves. “The Chibok Girls” is poignant portraits of everyday Nigerians whose lives have been transformed by extremist forces. In his chronicle, Nigerian born poet and novelist Helon Habila has written with sensibility an eloquent account...

Helon Habila trained as a journalist in Nigeria where he grew up. He is now a celebrated prize-winning novelist residing in Virginia, where he teaches. He’d read the stories of the April 2014 Boko Haram kidnappings of schoolgirls from Chibok and thought that perhaps there were some clues missing. How had this happened and why haven’t the girls been found?Searching for clues in country, it must be said, sounds terrifying and risky. Boko Haram as an organization has the madness of a wounded animal...

This was exactly what I wanted. It gives background about the Chibok kidnappings and Boko Haram in a personal up-close way that only journalist writer Helon Habila can. I find almost all reports and news stories about the Chibok girls to be sterile and inconsistent, and the interviews with those involved seem to drip with fear. This is the first time I've really felt like I was getting some truth. Helon travelled to these places and met personally with people and he discusses his journey there a...