List of 41 Books Based in Africa


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Need to find books whose story is based in a particular location? Here's a handy list of books based in Africa. You'll be sure to find the reading material you need here.
Interested in learning more about countries in Africa? The books below are great but some were published a while ago. Some other resources to learn about Africa include the Crowdsourced Explorer's pages about African countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Africa, and Kenya and Wikipedia's Africa page.

Title Author Publishing Year Genre
A Bend in the River V. S. Naipaul 1979 Novel, Political fiction
Akata Witch Nnedi Okorafor 2011 Novel, Young adult fiction, Fantasy Fiction, High fantasy, Paranormal fiction
Americanah Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 2013 Novel, Romance novel
Born a Crime Trevor Noah 2016 Autobiography, Biography, Humour
Crocodile on the Sandbank Elizabeth Peters 1975 Fiction, Mystery, Historical mystery, historical novel
Cry, the Beloved Country Alan Paton 1948 Novel, Political fiction
Cutting for Stone Abraham Verghese 2009 Novel, Domestic Fiction
Disgrace J.M. Coetzee 1999 Novel, Fiction
Down the Nile Rosemary Mahoney 2007 Travel literature, Non-fiction, Memoir, Guidebook
Half of a Yellow Sun Chimanada Ngozi Adichie 2006 Novel, Historical Fiction, Political fiction
Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad 1899 Fiction, Novella, Roman à clef
Homegoing Yaa Gyasi 2016 Novel, Historical Fiction, Saga
In Arabian Nights Tahir Shah 2007 Travel literature, Biography
It’s Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistle-Blower Michaela Wrong 2009 Biography
Out of Africa Isak Dinesen 1937 Memoir, Biography
Portfolios of the Poor: How the World’s Poor Live on $2 a Day Daryl Collins, Jonathan Morduch, Stuart Rutherford, Orlanda Ruthven 2009 Business, Economics
Purple Hibiscus Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 2003 Novel, Fiction, Bildungsroman
Radiance of Tomorrow Ishmael Beah 2014 Literary fiction
Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt Barbara Mertz 1966 History, Nonfiction
Running the Rift Naomi Benaron 2010 Literary fiction
The Book of Two Ways Jodi Picoult 2020 Psychological Fiction, Domestic Fiction
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind William Kamkwamba 2009 Biography
The Bright Continent: Breaking Rules and Making Change in Modern Africa Dayo Olopade 2014 Nonfiction, Politics, History, Economics, Social Science, Business
The Constant Gardener John le Carré 2001 Novel, Fiction, Thriller
The Death of Rex Nhongo C. B. George 2015 Literary fiction
The Death of Vivek Oji Akwaeke Emezi 2020 Coming-of-age story, Domestic Fiction
The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality Angus Deaton 2013 Economics, Nonfiction, History, Politics, Sociology, Health
The Hairdresser of Harare Tendai Huchu 2010 Novel, Literary fiction
The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs and the Quest to End Poverty Nina Munk 2013 Economics, Nonfiction, Politics
The Looting Machine: Warlords, Oligarchs, Corporations, Smugglers, and the Theft of Africa’s Wealth Tom Burgis 2015 Nonfiction, History, Politics, Economics, Business
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Alexander McCall Smith 1998 Crime novel, Mystery, Fiction
The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver 1998 Novel, Historical Fiction, Women's fiction, Domestic Fiction
The Power of One Bryce Courtenay 1989 Novel, Historical Fiction, Bildungsroman, historical novel, War story
The Seersucker Whipsaw Ross Thomas 1968 Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
The Shadow of the Sun Ryszard Kapuscinski 1998 Memoir
The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor William Easterly 2014 Economics, Nonfiction, Politics, History
The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good William Easterly 2006 Non-fiction
Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe 1958 Novel, Historical Fiction
We Need New Names NoViolet Bulawayo 2013 Bildungsroman, Domestic Fiction
West with the Night Beryl Markham 1942 Biography, Travel literature, Outdoor literature
Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide Peter Allison 2007 Guidebook, Travel literature, Biography



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