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So the Path Does Not Die

Pede Hollist

9781909762329
pages
Jacaranda Books Art Music
Overview

Finaba Marah yearns to fit in with the other girls of her age, and nothing will allow her to do that more than the initiation ceremony. One night Finaba is secretly whisked away by her grandmother, but before her initiation is complete, Finaba’s father storms in and brings the circumcision to a halt. The family is advised to leave their home, and the events that follow set Finaba’s life on an unexpected path.

So the Path Does Not Die is a touching coming of age story that follows Finaba through her childhood and adolescence into adulthood, from her native Sierra Leone to the new and exciting land of opportunity, the USA. This modern story addresses issues of ethnicity, sexuality, gender and Female Genital Circumcision, told through the life of this feisty, intelligent and determined young African woman as she makes her way through the world while balancing the weights of tradition and modernity. But most of all, it is a story of survival.

Author Bio
Pede Hollist is an associate professor of English at The University of Tampa, Florida. Born in Sierra Leone, Pede studied in London for a number of years before moving to the United States. His short stories have appeared in Ìrìnkèrindò: A Journal of African Migration, on the Sierra Leone Writers Series Web site, and in Matatu 41-12 respectively. His short story ‘Foreign Aid was shortlisted for the 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing. So the Path Does Not Die is his first novel.