INSIDE THE FAMILY(short stories)

                                                             INSIDE THE FAMILY             
                                                   (Short Stories by Tikum Mbah Azonga) 


                                                                 ABOUT THE BOOK

The title of this book, Inside the Family, was chosen because the six stories in it revolve around the family. Although we use the word “family” here to mean represent different stories, they are nevertheless inter-related. It is “a group of individuals who share ties of blood, marriage or adoption; a group residing together and consisting of parents, children and other relatives by blood or marriage; a group of individuals residing together who have consented to an arrangement similar to ties of blood or marriage” (according to Google). Wikipedia considers it as “a group of people affiliated by consanguinity (recognized birth), affinity (marriage), or co-residence and/or shared consumption.”

In the book, we witness the break-up of a polygamous family (Moment of Truth), domestic violence that takes off from a man battering his wife only for the wife to take the upper hand in the long run and put him down under (The Boomerang). We also witness two brothers from the same father but the different mothers stealing at school and paying the price for their misdeed (Chicken Soup) and how a family is torn apart by government inefficiency and corruption (Homecoming). Even so, through the book, we observe how the traditional definition of the family breaks boundaries and links a school boy to his teacher (One of A Kind) and even goes further to bring together four unrelated young men into a family of thieves (Up in the Air).

Inside the Family is the second in a series of three books of short stories intended for secondary Forms 1, 2 and 3. The others are What Goes Around for Form 1 and The Losing Ticket, for Form 3 respectively. Inside the Family was recently selected as a for inclusion on the official text book list for secondary schools in Cameroon by the Ministry of Secondary Education for an initial period of three years, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019, renewable. Even so, some schools have decided to go for all three books.

Each of the three books contains stories selected from the author`s earlier collections of short stories, The Wooden Bicycle and Other stories and Cup Man and Other Stories.

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You can view more of the author`s books by visiting his Facebook Author`s page at  <https://www.facebook.com/DrTikumMbahAzonga/?fref=ts>