Of Women and Frogs

Book excerpt: "One of the best books of this year." -Arts and Africa "Adjapon tells a gripping tale" -The Nation "Bisi Adjapon has tackled some of the truly difficult aspects of love and sexuality." -The Mirror "At times hilariously funny and at others deeply disturbing. Of Women and Frogs offers a refreshing and insider perspective onto two West Africa societies." -Literandra London "Unputdownable, a book that makes you go from laughing out loud to bawling and back to laughing again." -Ayesha Haruna Attah, author of The Hundred Wells of Salaga "Stunning. I spent hours moving between out-loud laughter, gripping fear and deep annoyance and love for Esi and her father." -Africa in Dialogue A precocious African girl, whose sexual curiosity brings unexpected heartbreak, wishes frogs will turn her into a man. Will she ever find a way to love herself again and become the extraordinary woman she hoped to be? Esi is a feisty half-Nigerian girl growing up in Ghana, with occasional visits to her family in Lagos. When curiosity about her womanhood leads to a burning punishment from her stepmother, Esi begins to question the hypocrisy of adults around her and the restrictions they place on girls. Moving between Ghana and Nigeria, this heartwarming story of a girl beating a path to self-actualization amidst political upheaval in Rawlings' Ghana and strained relationships between her ancestral countries. OF WOMEN AND FROGS is a heartwarming, soulful coming-of-age tale. Explore girlhood with the inquisitive, unflappable Esi as she journeys through the trials of becoming a woman to find her best self. "This is a really wonderful story. [Bisi Adjapon] writes with incredible vividness and clarity. [Her] similes and attention to all the senses are really extraordinary." - Dave Eggers, publisher of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius