Favourite Five: Tracy Osokolo

Tracy Nneka Osokolo is a literary fellow of the Farafina Trust Creative Writing Workshop by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She has been awarded a literary residency at the Village Institute in India and granted a Colonel Farleigh S. Dickinson International Scholarship to attend the Farleigh Dickinson University, U.S.A. for an MFA in Creative Writing. At age 19, the Commonwealth sponsored “This is Lagos” a documentary about her life broadcast on British and Nigerian Television. Her short fiction has been published in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, India, the U.S. and the U.K. She was a Resident Writer at the London 2012 Olympics Festival at the Southbank Centre where Her Majesty the Queen is a Patron. Red Pepper and English Tea – ANBUKRAFT Winner for Best New Fiction is her first Novel. 

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

I like Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina because of his main character -he explores a woman's life in such an interesting way. It seemed that there was no lie therein and he mirrored what it was like to be a woman yesterday and today.

Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor
I like Nnedi Okorafor's Zahrah the Wind Seeker because it celebrates 'difference' in a succinctly interesting way. I love what she did with Zarah's locks but most importantly her story will encourage children to have dreams and travel with their minds. The book is most perfect for my Children's Creative Writing Workshop in Lekki.

Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert

Elizabeth Gilbert's Committed is a book that encouraged me to love and explore the life-long journey of loving myself along someone else. Its message is too honest and reading it made me feel that Elizabeth had my best interest at heart when she wrote that book for feminists like me.

Women, Work and the Art of Savoir Faire  by Murielle Guiliano
This book changed my life completely. It encouraged me to grow at a time when I was afraid to be the woman that I wanted to be. If I could meet Murielle in person, I would hug her and tell her "thank you for writing to me on how to be that woman and how to stay that woman."

Don Quixote by Cervantes

This is the most stupidly funny book I've ever read. Its main character entertained me too many times as a

teenager because I couldn't believe anybody alive would hold such silly views about himself, or of his world. Don Quixote reminds me of Julie in Tracy Osokolo's Red Pepper and English Tea--her naïve stupidity in life is so shocking that its hilarious.