Review of Unsilenced

[Emerald Hunley]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Unsilenced" by Martins Agbonlahor.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The book Unsilenced by Martins Agbonlahor, follows the life of young Martha Clifford, an intelligent girl that clings to her education and fights desperately for her rights in a misogynistic Nigeria. Despite witnessing horrible atrocities and even being subjected to female genital mutilation and almost being sold off as a child bride- Martha's spirit is nothing but hardened. She's willing to risk it all, even her own life, if it means freeing the woman and children caught in the shackles of an oppressive patriarchal society.

A positive aspect of this book that I loved dearly was the inclusion of multiple languages and cultures. Many other books try to incorporate different languages and often I feel that the effort falls flat, but Agbonlahor's use of language sprinkled thoughtfully throughout the piece makes it more integral to the story as a whole rather than something put in last minute.

As for the negatives of this book, I found none personally. The only negative that I could possibly think of is that the book ended, as cliche as that might sound. As the book went on, I truly felt connected to Martha, to all her achievements and hardships. I had a hard time putting it done once the book ended.

I gave Unsilenced a 4 out of 4 stars . This book is a beautiful dedication, though Martha is a fictional person, the women she represents are not. Women, much like me, who have in some form experienced gender inequality and injustice. This book, like others, represents the flame within us all; the flame that burns brightly and dances widely with the thought of change. The flame in us that is challenged with threats to be snuffed out by our oppressors.

For this book, I highly recommend this to anyone currently interested in gender studies and feminism. I would love to see this book be included in college courses for women's studies. This piece is not meant to be a comparison piece of struggle, this book does not say that your struggles are less than Martha's because you did not live what she did. Instead, Martha finds other women from other countries that experience their own kind of injustice. She and these women do their best to uplift themselves and others and change their environments so that no one else may have to experience that pain. Unity, even in the face of adversity and injustice, is certainly a good lesson.

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Unsilenced
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