Black Moses

Item: Black Moses
Author: WhichBook

Alain Mabanckou

Black Moses is like nothing that you have ever read. You need to think of a cross between Oliver Twist and Huckleberry Finn, but set on the River Congo, not the Mississippi or the Thames. Add a touch of Azaro from Ben Okri's 'The Famished Road' to give you the full flavour, and you will get an idea of the fun in store. And I don't think that anything will prepare you for the denouement.

Extract

We accepted anyone in our gang. I got on very well with the paralytics, who thought it was ridiculous, shocking, quite possibly even unacceptable to have two legs, with the blind, who could find a needle in a haystack, or those with only one eye, who took turns to lend each other their good eye, in exchange for meals or a stash of beer.
I'd say to them: 'If you are blind, why don't you make some arrangement with the paralytics, that way they could be your eyes, and you could be their legs?'

Parallels