I chose to read this novella having visited northern Nigeria and having lived next door (Niger) for three years. The author was born in the USA but raised in Nigeria so he is bicultural as is the narrator of the book. I kept checking to see if this work was categorized as fiction as it reads as a cultural analysis/travel memoir of the author rather than fiction. Whatever it is, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. At times, I chuckled, smiled, and felt moments of pity, sadness, and anger. The narrator would endure a hellish experience and then turn around and witness the human spirit rising above tragedy. And so Nigerian unfolded. The issue of corruption was dealt with before the narrator even left New York as he had to "grease the palms" of those in the Nigerian consulate before leaving the USA. Regarding this topic and many others, the author shows us what it means to try to navigate two cultures.

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