About Book
Spirited and intelligent, Morayo grows up surrounded by school friends and family in busy, modern-day Ibadan, Nigeria. An adoring little sister, their traditional parents, and a host of aunties and cousins make Morayo’s home their own. So there’s nothing unusual about her charming but troubled cousin Bros T moving in with the family. At first Morayo and her sister are delighted, but in her innocence, nothing prepares Morayo for the shameful secret Bros T forces upon her. Thrust into a web of oppressive silence woven by the adults around her, Morayo must learn to fiercely protect herself and her sister from a legacy of silence many women in Morayo’s family share. Only Aunty Morenike—once shielded by her own mother—provides Morayo with a safe home and a sense of female community that sustains her as she grows into a young woman in bustling, politically charged, often violent Nigeria.
Pages: 344
Book Review
I need to take a deep breath before writing this review, guys, I have so much pent up emotions about this book, and before I start to rant, let me give you details you should know about – Daughters Who Walk This Path –
Firstly, the author did justice to every word in this book, it felt like I had never read a more similar book. This book took me down the path of Family, abuse (all kinds of it, sexual, child, emotional), education, politics and every other bildungsroman of the modern day woman.
It was like watching a child been born, watching her grow up, and watching her be a teenager, have her first kiss, have her first menstrual cycle, go to the university, and watch her become a woman.
I sympathised, especially with the main character, I laughed with her, even cried with her. She is a resilient character, who fought against all odds to get back on her feet, she went through quiet a lot for a young teenager, and that made the story more absorbing.
There were so many characters I loathed, they were especially men. It shows so many evils men get away with in our society, like Bros T, the guy who was supposed to be a big brother to the main character but became a rapist, also, the chief (the paedophile) (How much hatred can one person have towards paedophiles?) that raped the main character’s aunt when she was younger and impregnated her, then denied the baby, also the man that spat on aunt morenike’s face while she was asserting her right to being a woman. If you weren’t a feminist before, this book will bring out the feminist in you.
I loved how the main character went through the phase, shame, aftermath of being raped at a tender age and came out on her own victoriously, I also loved how she protected her sister against the impending doom that hovered over her.
This book will also teach parents to not always be so harsh on their children, to not shut them up when they want to share a part of themselves with them. It will also teach parents to create an avenue for their children to comfortably walk up to them and tell them anything, especially when a relative is touching them in private places on their body.
This book will take you places you never knew existed, it will make you feel all sort of way- anger, worry, confusion and every other feelings that comes with watching a young woman suffer in the hand of a malicious and lustful relative, while protecting her sister from going through the same.
The part that shook me most was the death of one of the characters I had fallen in love with. I promise you a treat, no… so much treat in this book.
Huge ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 stars .
