3 out of 4 stars
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The book, Strangers In Another Country, is written by Lawrence G. Taylor. It has about 172 pages and is written in narrative form, giving personal experiences of different black men from Guyana, who moved to foreign lands expecting good life. They struggle with love affairs, culture shock and financial issues. Being in countries where there is racial discrimination proves to be difficult and draws them closer to other blacks regardless of where they are originally from. A French-African man commits suicide when life becomes unbearable for him. We see how Moby, originally from Guyana, comes to the aid of Grey, who is originally from the United States of America, simply because he is black, and is therefore considered a brother.
I like the brotherhood that is displayed by these young black men and their willingness to support their own. The author has developed the characters quite well and their stories are a close reflection of his own experience as he struggled to settle in London from Guyana as a young man. The effects of racism that young people go through in foreign lands come out clearly in this book. One has to be strong at heart and be willing to be social enough to make friends.
What I did not like about this book was the suspense encountered at the end of each narration. Just when the reader reaches the climax of the story, it ends abruptly. I think the author could give us more on the interaction between the individual characters and the people they encountered to thicken the plot. We see Mr. Charlie cook up an excuse for not going to work so that he can meet a girl through his friend. He has been keeping off social life and is therefore excited. When the girl knocks on his door, he opens it and sees her smiling at him. The story ends there.
The grammatical errors are minor and do not interfere with the easy read. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I have denied it a rating of 4 because I feel that the plot is not thick enough. I cannot rate it lower because I enjoyed reading it.
I recommend this book to anyone who is struggling to settle in a foreign country. Facing discrimination should not lead to desperation and suicidal thoughts. The book can be read by young adults and those who want a quick read with cliffhangers.
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Strangers In Another Country
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