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How Beautiful We Were

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How Beautiful We Were

By: Imbolo Mbue
Narrated by: Mx Allyson Johnson, Dion Graham, Mx Janina Edwards, Mx JD Jackson, Mx Lisa Renee Pitts, Mx Prentice Onayemi
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A PEN/FAULKNER AWARD FINALIST

'Sweeping and quietly devastating' New York Times
'A David and Goliath story for our times' O, the Oprah Magazine

Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, How Beautiful We Were tells the story of a people living in fear amidst environmental degradation wrought by an American oil company. Pipeline spills have rendered farmlands infertile. Children are dying from drinking toxic water. Promises of clean-up and financial reparations are made – and ignored. The country’s government, led by a brazen dictator, exists to serve its own interest only. Left with few choices, the people of Kosawa decide to fight back. But their fight will come at a steep price . . . one which generation after generation will have to pay.

Told through the perspective of a generation of children and the family of a girl named Thula, How Beautiful We Were is a masterful exploration of what happens when the reckless drive for profit, coupled with the ghost of colonialism, comes up against one community’s determination to hold onto its ancestral land and a young woman’s willingness to sacrifice everything for the sake of her people’s freedom.

 Environment Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Science Village Africa
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Critic reviews

"Sweeping and quietly devastating . . . In Kosawa, Mbue has created a place and a people alive with emotional range . . . Profoundly affecting"
"The unforgettable story of a community on the wrong end of Western greed, How Beautiful We Were will enthral you, appal you and show you what is possible when a few people stand up and say "this is not right". A masterful novel by a spellbinding writer engaged with the most urgent questions of our day" (DAVID EBERSHOFF, New York Times bestselling author of THE DANISH GIRL)
"Imbolo Mbue would be a formidable storyteller anywhere, in any language. It’s our good luck that she and her stories are American" (JONATHAN FRANZEN)
"A David and Goliath story for our times, a riveting tale of how people coming together to make change can topple even the fiercest, best-financed foe"
"How Beautiful We Were goes to the heart of one of the most urgent matters of the day. The highly suspenseful story of an African village’s struggle for survival and justice in the face of ruthless American corporate greed is written with remarkable acuity and compassion. Mbue has given us a book with the richness and power of a great contemporary fable, and a heroine for our time" (SIGRID NUNEZ, author of THE FRIEND, winner of the National Book Award)
"Imbolo Mbue’s revelatory novel of a fictional African village ruined by Big Oil is a mighty addition to the stacks"
"What a beautiful book! I can't tell you how many times I cried for these characters, their place and their story . . . Beautifully written with moving and vivid descriptions, engaging complex characters, interesting plots, and tension so tightly wound that at times I found myself holding my breath" (YVONNE BATTLE-FELTON, author of REMEMBERED)
"Tells the story of a people living in fear amidst environmental degradation wrought by an American oil company. Exploring what happens when the reckless drive for profit comes up against one community's determination to hold onto its ancestral land, it makes for unputdownable reading"
"Imbolo Mbue crafts an aching narrative about greed, community and perseverance"
"A generation of narrative voices, many of them children, shape this sweeping, elegiac story of capitalism, colonialism and boundless greed, reminding us of the myriad ways we fail to make a better world for our children"
All stars
Most relevant
A beautiful and heartbreaking narrative, that rings with truth about the intergeneral damage caused by the colonial and post-colonial world.

Beautiful and heartbreaking

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If you only listen to one audible book this year...make it this one.
Beautifully narrated. A fictional village and country that sadly reflects so much of what is happening in the real world because of the endless greed of those in power.

Heartbreaking reality

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Rarely do I come across a book where I am satisfied with the ending. It has deception, occupation, intrigue, manipulation, corruption, but also love, colour, community, family, loyalty.

At times it feels like you are reading about the future or some other point in time but it’s the way the author carries you through each point in the timeline so fluidly.

If you are looking for emotion, layered perspectives, a story that moves you to thought and feeling. You will find it here.

So many points of relevance about what the world is coming to and what it has been. It feels real because the points raised are subtle but poignant. Not enough to anger or bring great joy but close enough to touch.

Many of us hold a space called Kasawa in our hearts.

This is going in my book club recommendations list. Brilliant narration and flow. My soul needed this

Absolutely brilliant

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I was hooked from the beginning. Sadly this story still happens. In the south of Nigeria where crude oil is extracted is polluted and destroyed. The Nigerian government is too corrupt to care.

Excellent listening

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I found this a really powerful listen - thoughtfully-written, thought-provoking, and with some beautifully considered ideas about community, character and the ethics of exploitation and how this affects them. Mbue’s writing is beautiful, and the narration by several different narrators (all excellent) made for a very satisfying listening experience.

Powerful and thought-provoking

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