Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for When We Ruled:
You didn’t learn about these names in history class.
Quick synopsis:
A look at twelve African Queens and Warriors.
Fact for Non-History People:
Emperor Mansa Musa of Mali was one of the richest people ever. He might have been the richest.
Fact for History Nerds:
There are still 3 sovereign monarchies in Africa in Morocco, Lesotho, and Eswatini.
My Take on When We Ruled:
Paula Akpan totally called me out in the conclusion of her excellent When We Ruled. Okay, not me specifically, but people like me. She says that she hopes those who were looking for a “straight-forward” history (me! That’s me!) realized that such a thing for the characters her book was impossible. I agree with her, and even better, it did not diminish my enjoyment.
Akpan looks at various queens and warriors from across the continent of Africa. I have never been so helpless trying to pronounce names in my life but luckily, I will not be asked to say them out loud. Akpan does her best to fill in the historical record, but as she says in the conclusion, there is only so much that can be done on that front.
Akpan instead fills in what we do know while also filling out some of the narrative with personal interviews she did with various experts. Normally, I am not a fan of the author inserting themselves. It often feels like they are trying to be the story. Akpan makes herself another set of eyes for the reader, however. I also found these diversions to be a great way to recenter the reader. So much of the history she presents is foreign to someone like me who is steeped in American/European tradition that it felt like a quick chance to reset your brain while still learning something.
Another superlative part of the book was Akpan’s willingness to engage with questions I would have if I chatted with her. Specifically, she discusses the good and bad of the recent movie The Woman King. It was another chance to help even a novice on African history (me, I mean me again) to connect even more strongly with the material.
My singular nitpick is unfortunately out of Akpan’s hands. The chapters can be hit or miss on truly connecting with the main subject. Akpan can’t make up history, but it did feel like there is so much missing from the historical record for some rulers that I was left wanting more. As I said, it is a minor nitpick and not a reason for anyone to shy away from this book. It’s a heck of a read.
Just please don’t ever ask me to tell you how to pronounce anything.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by the publisher.)
Verdict:
Amazingly enlightening. Buy it here!
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