Another war survivor pours out his heart!!

 Leonard Ikpe wrote:

RE: THE FOREST DAMES BY ADA OKERE AGBASIMALO

I have gone through the 207 pages of your book. After reading the book, let me tell you how I see it.

Firstly, the men have told their own story of the war – Obasanjo, Madiebo etc. Yours is a woman’s pathetic story of what happened during the unfortunate Nigeria – Biafra Civil War when rampaging Federal soldiers saw the rebel women and girls as part of the spoils of war. It narrates the travails of the rebel girls and mothers who make the forests their abode just to avoid being captured (kwaptured) by soldiers. That is the struggle of an African woman during a war.

Secondly, the speed of the story is dramatic in a sense. It has the speed comparable to the now legendary 

 “Things Fall Apart” . One chapter weaves into the other without the reader losing track of the previous chapters. Our own Chinua Achebe has that speed too.

Thirdly, the handling of a complex matter like war was delivered as a simple story yet bringing out the sad effects of war which include hunger, malnutrition, disease, deaths at the battle field and the refugees.

A fellow survivor pours out his heart

Victor Emeana writes:

Ada, this is not a review in the literary sense. As I said  earlier, it is just my impression of your book-Forest Dames.
Firstly I found the title in sync with the story. It matched like hand in glove. Just the way" Things Fall Apart" for instance is so apt a title for its story.
Secondly,the book is so readable that an average literate person shouldn't have problems with understanding the
diction because they are so lucid. My experience is that most great authors write in that style including our own Achebe.
Thirdly the print and editing were top class. One of the readers, Dr Megwa who is quite fastidious in such matters was full of praises.