{"product_id":"segu-9780140259490","title":"Segu","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"A wondrous novel\" (\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e) by the winner of the 2018 Alternative Nobel prize in literature (the New Academy Prize)\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe year is 1797, and the kingdom of Segu is flourishing, fed by the wealth of its noblemen and the power of its warriors. The people of Segu, the Bambara, are guided by their griots and priests; their lives are ruled by the elements. But even their soothsayers can only hint at the changes to come, for the battle of the soul of Africa has begun. From the east comes a new religion, Islam, and from the West, the slave trade.\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSegu \u003c\/i\u003efollows the life of Dousika Traore, the king's most trusted advisor, and his four sons, whose fates embody the forces tearing at the fabric of the nation. There is Tiekoro, who renounces his people's religion and embraces Islam; Siga, who defends tradition, but becomes a merchant; Naba, who is kidnapped by slave traders; and Malobali, who becomes a mercenary and halfhearted Christian.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on actual events, \u003ci\u003eSegu \u003c\/i\u003etransports the reader to a fascinating time in history, capturing the earthy spirituality, religious fervor, and violent nature of a people and a growing nation trying to cope with jihads, national rivalries, racism, amid the vagaries of commerce.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Penguin Group\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/1996\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780140259490\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 512\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.76lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.74h x 5.10w x 0.97d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/22\/1996\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Maryse Conde","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36634756808860,"sku":"9780140259490","price":14.45,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_c453a2e3-8b29-4382-8e7e-0b2cf0fdfb96.jpg?v=1603837572","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/segu-9780140259490","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}