Rating: 
Summary: A real gem
Review: Occasionally, a book is published that makes you want to sing and dance, and tell everyone you know to go and read it. Chris Abani's, Graceland, is one of these books. The story is about Elvis, a young man living in the slums of contemporary Lagos. With the skill of a master writer, Abani depicts the humour and pathos of life in one slice of modern day Africa. While the setting is refreshingly unique, its themes and characters are recognizably universal. This is a book that will appeal to anyone looking for good literature, and especially to those who have an interest in Africa, and are longing for more stories set in this continent.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: The circumstances under which I was given this book made me feel it would be a book in which the political statements overbore the story, but Abani manages to avoid that with his rich details and the emotionality of his protagonist. Aside from the setting and the "gimmicks" if you will the books characters and story stand very well for themselves, making the book a moving piece - though it is the uniqueness of the settings and the first-person experiences of the author that perhaps make the book more unique.
Rating:
Summary: The life of a Hound Dog
Review: The great cover attracted my eye and Abani's engaging writing style drew me in from the first page. Abani brings us into an unknown world for most Americans: the slums of Lagos, Nigeria and introduces us to Elvis, a complex boy who impersonates his namesake as a profession.Through the course of the novel, Elvis is shown different ways of living, by different characters: his friend Redemption, a man named King of the Beggars, and his father Sunday. His ultimate goal being to escape Lagos for Las Vegas, Elvis takes differnt paths winding up in jail at one point, and trafficing children as organ donors at another, the message being clear: there is no easy way out of the ghetto. Abani brings to life distinct and amazing characters, from the grandmother who speaks with a Scottish accent, due to the people for whom she worked, to Elvis's mother a woman who remained strong for her son until the day she died. This is an important book, not just for its literary contribution, but also in the fact that it highlights a part of the world and a difficult way of living that is absolutely foreign to Americans. America is shown as the bright lights of Vegas, the land of opportunity, the land from which John Wayne movies come, and the only way to escape. His realistic characters and incredibe writing style prove him to be a new bright force in the literary world. Read this book, and then, read it again.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Debut!
Review: This book was a great start for Chris Abani! His portrayal about life in urban Nigeria is good.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful book that needs an audience
Review: This book was quite a moving, magical experience for me. I was first drawn by just the cover (which is funny considering we're not supposed to judge books by covers yet I almost always am drawn to striking covers and then the contents). When I read the jacket, I thought of the recent Brazilian film CITY OF GODS. Well, I thought Chris Abani's book had far more humanity, and far more hope. The ending is sublime, and very emotional. The book is rather sprawling, detailing the life of young Elvis Okwe. His struggles to do the right thing are incredibly intense and heartbreaking. He really wants to be a good person, a good man, and its often things that are out of his hands that prevent him from doing that. All of the characters are well-drawn and unconventional, without ever being stereotypical, especially Elvis's father, who you think is just abusive and distant, but is really a tragic, complicated man, torn apart by the love of his country. GRACELAND encompasses many themes, but most importantly, it is about "redemption," not just for Elvis but for the country that Mr. Abani clearly loves. I loved this book and I hope it finds its audience.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful book that needs an audience
Review: This book was quite a moving, magical experience for me. I was first drawn by just the cover (which is funny considering we're not supposed to judge books by covers yet I almost always am drawn to striking covers and then the contents). When I read the jacket, I thought of the recent Brazilian film CITY OF GODS. Well, I thought Chris Abani's book had far more humanity, and far more hope. The ending is sublime, and very emotional. The book is rather sprawling, detailing the life of young Elvis Okwe. His struggles to do the right thing are incredibly intense and heartbreaking. He really wants to be a good person, a good man, and its often things that are out of his hands that prevent him from doing that. All of the characters are well-drawn and unconventional, without ever being stereotypical, especially Elvis's father, who you think is just abusive and distant, but is really a tragic, complicated man, torn apart by the love of his country. GRACELAND encompasses many themes, but most importantly, it is about "redemption," not just for Elvis but for the country that Mr. Abani clearly loves. I loved this book and I hope it finds its audience.
Rating:
Summary: Good read - Not a must read
Review: This book was rather enjoyable. I did not appreciate the
disjointed way the chapters were put together in terms of time, the
way it would go from one moment to moments in the past but it still
had decent flow.
I don't know but so much about these cultures and I felt this was
good insight and a enjoyable read for Lagos and other cultures.
Some of the reading was rather eerie. (Check the chapter in which a
rape occurs) A nice debut.
Rating: 
Summary: Tried to like it
Review: Very noble premise for the book, but I just could not identify with ANY of the characters; much less the main character. Left it on the metro after reading only 1/2 of it.
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