WLT Online Book Club: March/April 2011
The United States of Africa by Abdourahman A. Waberi
Join the discussion: 
In Abdourahman A. Waberi's short, satiric novel, immigration flows from the slums of the United States of America and western Europe to the prosperous United States of Africa. Writing for The National, Laila Lalami described the novel's impact: "The world Waberi creates in his new novel may be entirely driven by the question of 'what if,' but it has the natural and wonderful effect of making the reader re-examine what is."
Waberi was born in Djibouti but has lived in France since 1985. Translated by David and Nicole Ball, the book was a French Voices selection of the PEN American Center and French Embassy for quality translation of important contemporary French literature.
Join other readers on our Facebook page to discuss the global economic and political issues the novel raises. You can download the discussion questions or view them on the Facebook page. Also visit www.nebraskapress.unl.edu to read an excerpt, www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/books/continental-shift to read Lalami's full review, and www.abdourahmanwaberi.com to read more about the author.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 
[Downloadable Word document]
EXCERPT [From the University of Nebraska Press website]
REVIEW [By Laila Lalami, The National]
ABOUT THE AUTHOR [www.abdourahmanwaberi.com]
March/April 2011
Table of Contents
SPECIAL SECTION: Neustadt Laureate Duo Duo
- Duo Duo’s acceptance speech and biographical profile
- Duo Duo new poems, trans. Yibing Huang
- Michelle Yeh, “Monologue of a Stormy Soul: Duo Duo, 1972–88"
- Yibing Huang, "Duo Duo: Master of Wishful Thinking"
SPECIAL SECTION: Jazz Poetry
Guest edited by Lauren Camp
- Introductory essay by Lauren Camp: "What's in the Notes: The Sound of Jazz in Poetry"
- Poetry from Lauren Camp: “Thelonious Monk on a Subway” and “What You Might Hear” plus web exclusive audio clips
- Virgil Suárez (Cuba/US): “Latin Jazz on the Go in Havana”
- Adrian Matejka (Germany/US): “Behind the Yashmak"
- Nii Parkes (Ghana/Great Britain): “Our Love Is Here to Stay” & “Hymn"
- Virgil Mihaiu (Romania; tr. Adam Sorkin): “Finesse de Brasil," “Universal Canticle,” and a web exclusive concert recording.
LETTERS
NOTEBOOK
- Author Profile: E.C. Osondu (Nigeria)
- City Profile: Seoul, South Korea
- First Words: Luma Sarhan, “Approaching Zainab”
- WLT Online Bookclub: The United States of Africa by Abdourahman A. Waberi
- New books: recent translations
CRIME & MYSTERY
- J. Madison Davis, “Scarface Al and His Pals”
POETRY
- Romeo Çollaku (Albania), Two poems, tr. Peter Constantine
- Stuart Friebert (US), “Good Leg Up, Bad Leg Down"
- Jan Wagner (Germany) Two poems, tr. Chenxin Jiang
Q&A: WLT INTERVIEWS
- Erwin Koch (Switzerland) by John K. Cox
ESSAYS
- Adrianne Kalfopoulou (Greece/US), “Ruin”
Web Exclusive: PHOTO GALLERY: Athens Street Art - Web Exclusive: "But It Was Beautiful" by Erwin Koch
FICTION
- Luay Hamza Abbas (Iraq), “Spit Out What Is in Your Mouth,” tr. Yasmeen Hanoosh
WORLD LITERATURE IN REVIEW
OUTPOSTS: Literary Events & Landmarks
