Looking for Bono
One man’s ridiculous quest to find Bono becomes a darkly funny takedown of aid, ambition, and international spin.
Baba has never campaigned for anything, except maybe his next meal. But when he sees Bono on the news helping slum dwellers across Africa, he dares to believe the rockstar might do the same for his community in Palemo, Lagos, Nigeria.
With his sharp-tongued, Nollywood-obsessed wife Munira at his side, Baba embarks on a quest that catapults him into the global spotlight. What begins as a desperate plea for water spirals into a chaotic circus of media spin, NGO politics, and unexpected fame.
And Bono? He’s not even the point anymore.
Looking for Bono is a razor-sharp, darkly comic satire on aid, ambition, and the absurd machinery of celebrity activism. For readers who want fiction that makes them laugh, cringe, and think, this cuts close to the bone.
Sample chapters available with every Eyo purchase.
One of the things I love most about the book is the way Abidemi deals with serious and thought-provoking issues with such intelligent humour - Amazon review, 5 stars
REVIEWS
...one of the funniest books I have read
Please take note that I am a friend of the author and I can honestly say that I am writing a review independent of my personal relations with Abidemi. This is one of the funniest books I have read. Abidemi is a gifted and skilful writer, her style of writing enables the story to flow at ease and lets the reader become immersed in the lives of the characters…. Although Looking for Bono is satirical, it deals with serious issues, shown through the lives of various residents of Palemo.
An excellent read
An excellent read and a lesson in writing tone. Nothing here was wasted- not the words, the silences, the subtext, everything gave to the experience of what felt like a real world I was happy to escape into for a short while. I hope Munira gets her own story.
Funny, brilliant characters
I read Abidemi’s first book, Eyo, a year ago, and I loved it – a powerful read. This book is just as eye-opening but written in a different style- funny, wonderful lively characters, brings the world to life. and a page turning plot… will Baba meet Bono with so many people with vested interests? There are so many cheeky twists as he tries to complete his journey … whether he wants to be on it anymore or not! I know Abidemi, and whilst I tend to prefer books with a bit more grit like her first, I really really loved this more light heartened yet observant take on Nigeria and the human rights world (as someone who worked for the UN … it rang true!)