Review of Leaving Dahomey

[Limpho Mojakisane]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Leaving Dahomey" by Jude Shaw.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Leaving Dahomey by Jude Shaw is a story about a young African girl named Adeoha. The narrative's setting is in the early 1800s, in an ancient West African kingdom of Dahomey. It is a very traditional based story that embraces native African cultures and heritages. Although the novel is about Adeoha, other parts throughout the book involve the narrative from the other people's points of view.

Adeoha is a strong-minded and independent daughter of Lord Tubutu and Lady Lamtaala. From a young age, she was an exceptionally inquisitive soul, and most of the time, her curiosity got her in trouble. She had always dreamed of being among some of the most successful traders of her time. She sought to trade everything that she could get her hands on and always looked for ways to achieve her dreams as a successful trader. On one occasion, her friend Sewextu had nominated her to join a group of spiritual dancers known as the Language of the drums. This group’s sole purpose was to always keep an ancient prophecy alive in the hearts and minds of the people of Dahomey. After she accepted the invite from the society, she took her first dance in front of the people of Dahomey. It soon became a belief that she was chosen by the gods, as her dance touched many people’s hearts. A series of events follow after the dance initiation. These include the development of her business to other places, learning about her father’s ancestry, and making a name for herself in the dance industry.

The book is quite a fascinating read, and I enjoyed learning more about ancient African traditions mentioned in the book. It was a bit emotional in some parts for me more especially the parts that included slavery. I loved how educational the story is on Dahomean culture and, I loved how the author portrays the loyalty between Adeoha and her friend Sewextu. Moreover, I enjoyed the relationship between Adeoha and her father. I loved how her father was always willing to listen to her questions and advice her honestly. I also became deeply touched by the friendship between Patricia and Adeoha and loved the fact that Adeoha used the knowledge she gained from Patricia’s teachings to begin her career in business as a trader.

As much as I enjoyed the storyline, however, I found a few things to my distaste. Firstly, although the author tried to explain some words used, some in the book were not, and it was hard to read to understand because they were words used constantly. Also, I did find several errors that often made it hard for me to enjoy the book freely. Lastly, I kept on getting lost when the author would transition the tale from the first person’s point of view to the other without notice. These imperfections made the story sometimes arduous to comprehend.

Although I loved the story, it had several disturbing errors. I, therefore, rate it 3 out of 4 stars. The book needs another round of editing because of the spelling mistakes and the grammatical errors I noticed. This book would be suitable for spiritual readers, people who believe in cultural practices, and those who would love to learn more about ancient African culture.

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Leaving Dahomey
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[Tebogo Eugene M]

Would like to learn about ancient African culture and am interested read about Adeoha thanks for the review. "Leaving Dahomey" by Jude Shaw.

[Amy Luman]

I really like learning about other cultures, especially those no longer around. I truly appreciate the relationship between Adeoha and her father. From what I gather, it mimics my own. Thanks for the review.