Following the recent launch of her new book, ‘Tales from the Street,’ author and co-founder of Thisislagos.ng, Peju Akande will be a guest on Classic FM 97.3 #BookOnReview with Benjamin Okoh.
The show which will be live on air on Saturday 29th August will attempt to unpack the book, ‘Tales From the Street’ in a no-holds barred session with the celebrated author, Peju Akande.
You can tune into the show and be part of the conversation on Saturday evening at 9pm (2100hrs CAT) and you can listen online at www.classic97.net/listen-live
Here’s a section of the forward of the book written by author and culture critic, Toni Kan
We decided to harvest human interest stories from the metro sections of newspapers and turn them into longer and more dramatic pieces with screaming headlines.
And so was born “Tales from the Streets.”
Peju Akande decided to write the stories herself. She started from two stories a week then as we saw the traffic spike, she upped the ante to three stories a week and two years down the line, she is still going strong.
“Tales from the Streets” is the biggest draw on the thisislagos.ng website and we have Peju Akande to thank for it and now to commemorate her 50th birthday, she has collected the 50 best pieces into a beautifully designed and produced book. The cover design by Victor Ehikhamenor is a beauty and this book should find a spot on every bookshelf.
The stories are visceral vignettes and glimpses of life as lived on the streets of Lagos, mostly, as well as in other cities around Nigeria.
They are stories about life and death, laughter and tears, hope and despair. They will make you laugh then leave you blinded with tears.
In the pages of this book, you will come to grips with what it is to navigate the craggy geography of a forbidding city like Lagos.
These are stories pulsing with life and turgid with possibilities. They are enlivened by the lilting vernacular of the streets and the lyrical tonalities of the quotidian.
Peju Akande’s stories are more than stories; they are snapshots of an urban conurbation like Lagos and other city centers where the denizens have to battle not just the vagaries of fate but the daily battles for survival that living in an urban setting demands.
These are stories that will stay with you and leave you shaking your head long after you have closed the last page.
Toni Kan
Co-founder, thisislagos.ng
ABOUT THE SHOW
the #BookOnReview is a widely popular show that reviews some of the world’s most amazing books and has had local and international authors as guests since inception in 2014.
The program is interactive, witty, educative with a dose of hilarity. The #BookOnReview as a show seeks to throw light on, promote and publicize the hardwork of vibrant and brilliant authors through their books and encourage a healthy and active reading culture.
