When bloodshed erupts in the city around him, Dantala must decide what kind of Muslim and what kind of man he wants to be.

Before long, he is faced with a terrible conflict of loyalties, as one of the sheikh’s closest advisors begins to raise his own radical movement. With his quick aptitude and modest nature, Dantala becomes a favored apprentice to the mosque’s sheikh. He makes his way to a mosque that provides him with food, shelter, and guidance. When their attempt to burn down the opposition’s local headquarters ends in disaster, Dantala must run for his life, leaving his best friend behind. During the election, the boys are paid by the Small Party to cause trouble. In far northwestern Nigeria, Dantala lives among a gang of street boys who sleep under a kuka tree. 'An ambitious book that tackles modern Nigeria's extremely complex religious landscape with great insight, passion, and humor by taking us deep into the mental and emotional space of the country's most neglected.From two-time Caine Prize finalist Elnathan John, a dynamic young voice from Nigeria, Born on a Tuesday is a stirring, starkly rendered first novel about a young boy struggling to find his place in a society that is fracturing along religious and political lines.

When bloodshed erupts in the city around him, Dantala must decide what kind of Muslim-and what kind of man-he wants to be. Before long, he is faced with a terrible conflict of loyalties, as one of the sheikh's closest advisors begins to raise his own radical movement. With his quick aptitude and modest nature, Dantala becomes a favored apprentice to the mosque's sheikh. When their attempt to burn down the opposition's local headquarters ends in disaster, Dantala must run for his life, leaving his best friend behind. Longlisted for the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature Nominated for 2017 Hurston/Wright Legacy AwardĪn Amazon Best Book of the Month in Literature & Fiction 'A Nigerian bildungsroman featuring Dantala, a street kid thrust calamitously into the arms of a gentle sheikh, who thereafter faces Islamic extremism.' - O, The Oprah Magazine, '10 Titles to Pick Up Now'Ī Finalist for the Nigeria Prize for Literature

Born on a Tuesday by Elnathan John