No Sweetness Here and Other Stories

by Ama Ata Aidoo, Ketu H. Katrak (Afterword)

Overview

From the author of Changes: these stories “of post-independence Ghana in the late 1960s are written beautifully and wisely and with great subtlety” (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi).

In this short story collection, the award-winning poet and author of Changes and Our Sister Killjoy explores postcolonial life in Ghana with her characteristic honesty, humor, and insight. A house servant wonders what independence means in a country where indoor plumbing is still reserved for bosses. A brother tracks down his runaway sister only to find she has become a prostitute. In the title story, a bitter divorce turns tragic when the couple’s only child dies of a snake bite.

In these and other stories, tradition wrestles with new urban influences as Africans try to sort out their identity in a changing culture, and “even at her gravest, Miss Aidoo writes with a sunny charm” (The New York Times).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781558611191
Publisher:	Feminist Press at CUNY, The
Publication date:	12/01/1995
Series:	Women Writing Africa Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	170
Sales rank:	614,903
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Ama Ata Aidoo is a native of Ghana, Wet Africa, where she has been Minister of Education and an activist for human rights, women's rights, and African unity. One of Africa's most distinguished writers, she is the author of fiction, poetry, drama, essays, and political and cultural commentary.

Editorial Reviews

LJ's reviewer dubbed Aidoo "unusually gifted and creative" when praising this collection of 11 short stories. The aggregate theme of the work is the conflict between traditional rural customs and modern urban Westernized culture. This remains "highly recommended for its literary quality" (LJ 7/71).

Library Journal