The book would be of interest to anyone who cares for fictional stories, history, colonialism, Nigerian (and wider African) culture, friendships, politics, social movements, and the list goes on. Efemini thoughtfully uses diary entries and letters to create a lucid and intimate account of Asaba's censored micro history. Claudia Efemini has created something that everyone should read, if only to learn a pivotal part in Nigerian history.

Born and raised in London, Claudia spent the latter part of her upbringing in Sweden before moving to Edinburgh to pursue her degree in 2021. So thrilled to have had my official book launch celebrating the release of my debut novel ‘A Letter Away From Asaba’. Nigerian history is something that I am greatly passionate about and looking through a degree programme that makes little mention of Nigeria sparked a burning desire in me to fulfil my passion through writing historical fiction. It grapples with a plethora of themes relevant to modern day Nigeria and the role of the press across the world.

I liked the pacing of the book - the letters were well spread out (and exactly how I imagine letters are written) in between diary entries from the two women.

Many of us who live abroad and don't get the chance to come back home feel like we lose parts of who we are and our country the longer we are gone, but this felt like a piece of home. It is one of the more interesting words in the English language, in that its connotative meaning can be either very negative or very positive.This book demonstrates the evils of tribalism, not just friendly rivalry, and how detrimental it has been to the growth of Nigeria.

As I read it, memories of my school days and the places where I have lived come to life, which helps me empathize with the characters. As she struggles to deal with the horrific and ceaseless deaths surrounding her, she takes sanctuary in receiving letters from her oldest friend, Onome, who is studying law at Kings College in London. Claudia’s writing is moving and deeply informed, shedding light on one of Nigeria’s greatest tragedies. Such a mindset demonstrates a lack of empathy and a lack of desire to make amends for the harm caused. The lectures on oral history in the infamous Historian’s Toolkit and varying topics in my first-year courses helped me develop the analytical skills that I used to carefully embed historical information within an engaging fictional narrative.Both characters were bold, courageous, and brilliantly written; they accomplished much more than individuals at their (fictional) time were able to. The distance emphasizes this issue, making the form of communication even more crucial to the book's plot. Claudia Efemini is the author of 'A Letter Away From Asaba' and a current History and Politics student at the University of Edinburgh (2021-2025). To read more about the book and my motivations for writing it please visit this article published in the Retrospect Journal: https://lnkd. Through a series of diary entries and letters these two young women attempt to come to grips with the massacre and fulfil their desire of publicising its existence in opposition to this censorship.