Onaedo, The Blacksmith's Daughter By Ngozi Achebe

Written By: Nicole Parker-Jones—Onaedo, The Blacksmith's Daughter is the debut novel from writer Ngozi Achebe (she is the niece of famous author Chinua Achebe).

Ngozi's interest in 15th and 16th century history was the catalyst for writing Onaedo, The Blacksmith's Daughter which tells the story of two women separated by four hundred years but linked by history. Maxine is a modern American woman who is half white and half African and trying to connect with her Nigerian father. When Maxine comes across a set of diaries written by a slave in the 16th century, she learns of Onaedo's story who is a young woman from the 16th century. Onaedo's story revolves around her finding herself in the middle of events that were set in motion in a country far away from her small town in Igboland in West Africa during the terrifying age of Portuguese discovery.

Ngozi's debut novel is a compelling story about the endurance of the human spirit that will pull at your heart strings—in other words, it's not one to be missed.

(Photo Credits: Book Cover Art)