"These days,
when Nigeria makes the news, the headlines
generally concern government corruption, Western oil company
payoffs and pollution, guerrilla insurgencies, and kidnappings
in the disputed Niger delta drilling region. But debut
novelist Añunobi looks back to a more peaceful
past in Nri Warriors of Peace about
12 centuries back. Of course, African history is also
American history-since the slave trade reached into the
former Nri territory-and that lesson applies to our politics
as well." - SEATTLE WEEKLY
*****
"Perhaps
not since Chinua Achebe’s 1958 classic, Things Fall
Apart, has any author or work ventured to so efficiently,
so painstakingly, and so authoritatively give the Igbo
culture, norms, and language a befitting flourish and
its well-deserved place in history and literature...It
is riveting, enchanting, educative, and a striking interpretation
of a definitive period in ancient Igbo history. - Kwenu.com Book Review Forum
*****
"Añunobi
adds a powerful voice to those who are making sure that
ancient ideals are still available today." -
David Matheson, author of Red Thunder
"The
ancient world described in Nri
Warriors of Peace is both magical and joyous
and melancholy and immortal. - Shawn
Wong, Department of English, University of Washington,
Author of American Knees and Home Base
"...a
marvelous creation and ingenuous work... It is bold, educating,
enlightening and courageous." - His
Majesty, Eze Nri Obidiegwu Onyesoh MFR JP - NRIENWELANA
II
*****
|
Readers'
Reviews
"What a wonderful
story Mr. Anunobi tells!...The point made here about
the choice between conquering one's environment
by diplomacy vs. force, the choice between peace
and war, is timeless. The characters are vibrant
and relatable, and Okoye and his people will live
in my imagination for a long time." - -
Fiona,
Bellevue, Washington
*****
"Nri Warriors
of Peace is honestly one of the greatest books we
have ever read." - Akobundu
Anyiwo and Nkemka Anyiwo, (Igbo Kwenu! Book Review)
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Amazon.com
Book Description
This is more than an Igbo
story or an African story. This is a human story, for
here is something inherent in a human being that propels
him to reach for an ideal, " says Chikodi Añunobi,
author of Nri Warriors of Peace (Zenith Publisher's
Trade Paperback original; $19.95; January 2006), a novel
about the Nri kingdom of Southeastern Nigeria, the cradle
of Igbo culture.
In this stunning debut novel,
Añunobi chronicles a people whose civilization
and immutable spirit have endured and thrived for more
than a millennium, yet their origin is till the subject
of much speculation. With the information he gathered
from four years of extensive research and the knowledge
that he gained growing up in Nigeria and hearing the oral
history of Nri civilization and observing its rituals,
Añunobi presents a dazzling and unforgettable vision
of the people and culture of Nri.
Nri Warriors of Peace
by Chikodi Añunobi follows several generations
of Nri, focusing on the time of two Eze Nri (kings): Igwe
Nwadike, the beloved elder statesman, and his reluctant
successor, Okoye, a common-born, successful trader.
Set long ago in a place far
removed from most readers' lives, this story is a tale
of mysticism and commonplace pursuits, of treachery and
honor, of actions and their consequences. Añunobi
celebrates and embraces the life of a people and a culture
whose interactions with each other and with the natural
and spiritual world, can open new perspectives into our
own lives.
Nri Warriors of Peace
is an enriching literary experience that underscores
and affirms the universality of human experience and will
inevitable generate more inters into the Nri civilization.
As readers delve into the lives of this colorful cast
of characters and learn more about the choices they faced
and the lives they led, readers will surely recognize
that they're not very far removed from this seemingly
exotic couture. Indeed, we share many of the same traits,
and we can learn many powerful lessons from the Nri people.
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