“This life na pot of beans”
My friend had said this to me when she finally concluded the book,The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives and after reading the book too, I couldn’t help but agree with her.
The book starts with the Alao family tree. Ishola Alao also known as Baba Segi married 4 wives and he gave birth to seven children. “What a fruitful man!” I had thought. Oh, I was so wrong!
The book was written by Lola Shoneyin. This is the third African literature book I am reading and I was quite impressed by the book
About the book;
The book as the title implies is about the lives of Baba Segi’s wives. I must say that the thing that captivated me first about the book was the book cover, which as I read the book, is the visual representation of how Baba Segi’s wives were presented in the book. Baba Segi married Iya Segi first, then Iya Tope, after Iya Tope came Iya Femi. Bolanle was the last wife of Baba Segi . The book is also about the irony of Baba Segi’s life.
What I enjoyed about the book?
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives raised a lot of awareness on how wives and women are being treated in their marriages. Women are raised to behave a certain way, look a certain way, speak a certain way because that is the ‘ideal’ way to live and find husbands. Women who do not adhere to these ways are labeled ‘not wife material’.
The style of writing also impressed me as usual. From the captivating front cover to the very last page. The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives is quite an interesting read. Once you start reading the book, you will just want to read the whole book in one sitting.
I appreciate the storyline a lot as I said earlier, the book is all about the irony of Baba Segi’s life who thought his life was perfect until it wasn’t. You open the book with one mindset and get completely blown away by the unique plot you didn’t see coming.
Apart from highlighting some of the problems women face in their different marriages in regards to child bearing, polygamy, education among others I learnt that education goes a long way in marriages, it went a long way in developing the plot of the story.
One major lesson I learnt from the book is that nothing is as it seems.
I couldn’t help but notice the rivalry that happens in the polygamous family setting. The hatred from Baba Segi’s Wives that passed on to their children that prevented them from living together peacefully which cost them the life of one of their children. The book really painted a vivid picture of the evils of the polygamous setting.
The book was also full of humor even though there was tension in the book, the author always managed to diffuse the tension with humor. I wasn’t just entertained but I was also informed.
recommended?
4 stars. Absolutely yes, this book is a must read for every lover of good books.
euphoria 
Leave a comment