0
    • Elementary Secondary Higher Ed Common Reads
    0 0
    Download high-resolution image Look inside

    Ake

    The Years of Childhood

    Part of Vintage International

    Author Wole Soyinka
    Look inside
    Paperback
    $18.00 US
    Knopf | Vintage
    5.18"W x 7.95"H x 0.6"D  
    On sale Oct 23, 1989 | 240 Pages | 9780679725404
    Grades 9-12 + AP/IB
    Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

    Winner of the Nobel Prize 
    Winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Nonfiction

    Soyinka tells the story of his boyhood, before and during World War II, in a western Nigerian town called Ake.

    “Unquestionably Africa’s most versatile writer and arguably her finest.” —The New York Times Book Review

    “A brilliant imagist who uses poetry and drama to convey his inquisitiveness, frustration and sense of wonder. . . .” —Newsweek

    “A lovely, magical book. . . .” —The Washington Post
    © Glen Gratty
    WOLE SOYINKA was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986. Born in Abeokuta, Nigeria, in 1934, he is an author, playwright, poet, and political activist whose prolific body of work includes The Interpret­ers, his debut novel that was published in 1965, and Death and the King's Horseman, a play that was first performed in 1976. So­yinka was twice jailed in Nigeria for his crit­icism of the Nigerian government, and he destroyed his U.S. Green Card in 2016 when Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. View titles by Wole Soyinka
    • WINNER | 1986
      Nobel Prize
    • WINNER | 1983
      Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
    "A lovely, magical book." --The Washington Post

    "A brilliant imagist who uses poetry and drama to convey his inquisitiveness, frustration, and sense of wonder." --Newsweek

    Brilliant. . . . Transcendant. . . . It locates the lost child in all of us, underneath language, inside sound and smell, wide-eyed, brave and flummoxed. . . . Soyinka belongs in the company of . . . V. S. Naipaul, V. S. Pritchett, and Vladimir Nabokov." --The New York Times

    "A delightful memoir." --The Atlantic

    "Unquestionably Africa's most versatile writer and arguably her finest. . . . Ake is a classic of African autobiography, indeed a classic of childhood memoirs wherever and whenever produced." --The New York Times Book Review

    About

    Winner of the Nobel Prize 
    Winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Nonfiction

    Soyinka tells the story of his boyhood, before and during World War II, in a western Nigerian town called Ake.

    “Unquestionably Africa’s most versatile writer and arguably her finest.” —The New York Times Book Review

    “A brilliant imagist who uses poetry and drama to convey his inquisitiveness, frustration and sense of wonder. . . .” —Newsweek

    “A lovely, magical book. . . .” —The Washington Post

    Author

    © Glen Gratty
    WOLE SOYINKA was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986. Born in Abeokuta, Nigeria, in 1934, he is an author, playwright, poet, and political activist whose prolific body of work includes The Interpret­ers, his debut novel that was published in 1965, and Death and the King's Horseman, a play that was first performed in 1976. So­yinka was twice jailed in Nigeria for his crit­icism of the Nigerian government, and he destroyed his U.S. Green Card in 2016 when Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. View titles by Wole Soyinka

    Awards

    • WINNER | 1986
      Nobel Prize
    • WINNER | 1983
      Anisfield-Wolf Book Award

    Praise

    "A lovely, magical book." --The Washington Post

    "A brilliant imagist who uses poetry and drama to convey his inquisitiveness, frustration, and sense of wonder." --Newsweek

    Brilliant. . . . Transcendant. . . . It locates the lost child in all of us, underneath language, inside sound and smell, wide-eyed, brave and flummoxed. . . . Soyinka belongs in the company of . . . V. S. Naipaul, V. S. Pritchett, and Vladimir Nabokov." --The New York Times

    "A delightful memoir." --The Atlantic

    "Unquestionably Africa's most versatile writer and arguably her finest. . . . Ake is a classic of African autobiography, indeed a classic of childhood memoirs wherever and whenever produced." --The New York Times Book Review

    Other books in this series

    Other Books by this Author

    Related Articles

    Mental Health Awareness Month Resources
    General

    Mental Health Awareness Month Resources

    May is Mental Health Awareness Month and educators are increasingly aware that integrating social-emotional learning into the curriculum is critical if we want students to succeed both in and out of the classroom. Download the thematic educator guides on Teaching About Anxiety and Mindfulness and Teaching About Student Wellness. Explore our specially curated collections on

    Read more

    Mental Health Awareness Month Resources

    General
    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Book Covers: 9780593731703 MY DOCUMENTS (RH) 9780593804872 A GUARDIAN AND A THIEF (Knopf) 9780593298381 WHERE ARE YOU REALLY FROM (Penguin) 9781603095747 IT RHYMES WITH TAKEI (IDW)
    History Asian American Sociology Literature

    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

    Each May, we honor the stories, histories, and cultures of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Below is a selection of acclaimed fiction and nonfiction books by AANHPI creators to share with your students this month and throughout the year. AANHPI Creators – Middle School titles AANHPI Creators – High School titles .

    Read more

    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

    History Asian American Sociology Literature

    Penguin Random House Secondary Education

    © 2026 Penguin Random House

    Back to Top
    0
    Wish List (0)