The Classic African Anti-War Novel, 16 Aug 2005
This short novel is a powerful piece of literature, page for page probably one of the greatest anti-war novels ever written.

The language used is what the author calls "rotten English", and it gives the reader a feeling of immediacy, a sense of sitting next to the protagonist in a bar somewhere, listening to him pour out his tale of woe.

We won't soon see the likes of this book again -- the author, Ken Saro-Wiwa, was executed by Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha in 1995. Saro-Wiwa's masterpiece stands as both a testament to his genius, and the insanity of the regime he lived and died under.

Read this book.

An experience in itself, 25 Jul 2002
I had to read this book as part of a university course exploring the relations between language and power, but having now finished university I can say it was one of my favourite texts.
'Sozaboy' (Soldier-boy) is written in what the author called "Rotten English": a mixture of Nigerian language, pidgin English and occasional bursts of idiomatic English. If you are daunted by that, don't be - it takes about 20 pages to get into the flow, and after that you only have to refer to the glossary for the more obscure phrases (some of which are very evocative, such as 'see pepper' for 'be angry').
The story is based on the real events in Saro-Wiwa's homeland of Nigeria; the eponymous 'Sozaboy' is a member of a small tribe and enthusiastically signs up to fight for it. The contrast between his naive belief and the reality of jungle warfare, his small village and the city, and his war experience and that of an old man who fought in Burma in WW2 is brought to life vividly by the rhythms and the colourful similes of Saro-Wiwa's prose. It is a very moving story, brought to a climax by a disturbing piece of magic realism (at least *I* think it is magic realism) that dramatically captures the dislocated mindset of a soldier returning home.
Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed by the Nigerian authorities in November 1995 (after the British government refused to intervene) because they felt threatened by intelligent works such as this. This short novel may therefore be one of the most politically important you read in your life; but you should also enjoy it. Whether you are a student of post-colonial literature, or have never read any before, 'Sozaboy' is a must - and I highly recommend it for personal reading too.