CN: death of a sibling, political unrest, attempted murder, imprisonmentA very entertaining history lesson.

THE DEATH OF COMRADE PRESIDENT by Alain Mabanckou was quite funny! This novel is translated from the French and takes place in Congo 1977 and follows Michel, a teenage boy, and his family dealing with the aftermath of the death of Comrade President Marien Ngouabi. I really enjoyed the writing style that reinforced jokes through repetition. It was really interesting to read about the Congolese culture. There were quite a few parts in this book that really made me laugh out loud!.Thank you to The

Rather formulaic. For his narrator, Mabanckou has chosen a young dreamy boy whose faux naif assessment of what's going on about him reveals a shrewd understanding of the rampant hypocrisy and violence around him. Young Michel is a direct descendant of Momo in Emile Ajar's "La Vie devant soi" but alas not as funny or memorable a character. The story takes place in the immediate aftermath of the assassination of Marien Ngouabi, president of the Republic of the Congo from 1969 to his death on March...

Inter-read #9I don't know if Mabanckou qualified for my inter-read challenge; French citizen where he studied and continue to be widely read and professor in the USA for many years (currently at UCLA.) Still, the man was born in Congo, where this story is set. Mabanckou has stated that concepts such as borders or race are not sufficient representation of reality, throwing shade here on my challenge, nonetheless, he is on to something when you look at his resume. 1. A unique proseMabanckou is a p...

I loved learning about the culture and history through a child's eyes. Although I have no parallel experience I somehow related to the experience. Well written and inspired me to explore further which is my favorite gift from a book. A good read

Now that I have read this in English I need to get my hands on a copy of the original French version! It wasn’t until I read the first few pages that I realized that it must have originally been written in French, and I started hearing Michel’s voice in French… I wish it weren’t so difficult to get French novels here in the US. Anyway! This book is just gorgeous, and if it doesn’t make your heart ache then I think you may need to get it checked. The Death of Comrade President takes place over se...

"On the wall to my left, there's a portrait of Comrade President Marien Ngouabi level with me. The same one's in Ma Moubobi's shop, only ten times bigger, if you look at it too hard you'll start to think Comrade President Marien Ngouabi isn't dead, just pretended to disappear, to make everyone love him more, now and forever."My first book by Mabanckou, as well as first by a Congolese writer in general, was a great read and I am quite happy to have requested it. Helen Stevenson has done a superb

Mabanckou’s short novel, pivoting around the historical 1977 assassination of the Republic of Congo’s President Marien Ngouabi, gives the reader two days in the life of one family whose lives are dramatically impacted by that death. The storyline of that family’s experience, told through the thoughts and actions of a middle-school boy, would be a compelling read if the young lad’s experience was not buried in a considerable amount of material which often feels superfluous and pedantic. The sett

One thing this book taught me: that the People’s Republic of the Congo was Marxist. This is admittedly me being politically unaware (I hadn’t known any African countries were communist), but anyway. The Death of Comrade President is set in early 1977, when Marien Ngouabi, President of the Republic of the Congo, was killed. Told from the point of view of a teenager named Michel, this is a slightly manic but often very funny novel about growing up in a communist country, with the shadow of the Sov...

Having a child narrator is always a difficult trick to pull off and I wasn’t convinced the author managed it here. Michel, a 13 year old boy, has the task of describing the turbulent events of his native Congo in 1977 when Marien Ngouabi, the 3rd President of what he has renamed the People’s Republic of the Congo is assassinated in Brazzaville. The implications for our narrator Michel and his family are serious as his mother is the sister of the man who has been blamed for the assassination and

A strange, delightful book. Delightful is not a common word in my vocabulary. But delightful is the only word that can describe this intriguing little book that begins as what seems a humorous coming-of-age tale; morphs into the political history of a nation little known by the greater world; then comes out the other end a coming-of-age story but so, so sombre. I have the foreboding feeling that not everything will come out right for Michele, who exaggerates and sometimes says rude things withou...

Surprisingly boring and repetitive.

Tr. Helen Stevenson. I’m not sure that the child narrator here was entirely successful but I still really enjoyed this. It’s particularly good at showing Congolese history in the years leading up to the assassination of the president Marien Ngouabi and as a reminder of the impact of the Cold War on parts of Africa. However despite the subject matter it is still a fairly easy read and at the same time an informative one.

An entertaining and original way of covering post-colonial Republic of the Congo. The narrator is Michel, a young teenage boy an only child of Pauline, the second wife of a hotel receptionist. Pauline is a resourceful and lady with a reasonably profitable business selling bananas from her home village. It's March 1977 and the socialist world of the Congo has successfully brain washed the populace on the glory of the nation when the President is assassinated. Michel loved the President but for Mi...

Really good and humorous read. I read this in French, you really get the feel for his humour and wit in the original. Gave great insight into colonialism, the role of France, and the first throes of independence in Congo Brazzaville. I enjoyed reading the story from the perspective of the young protagonist, a coup and other events with serious ramifications upend his life and that of his family.Traduit du texte ci-dessusUne lecture très bonne et humoristique. Je l'ai lu en français, on sent vrai...

While the slice of life aspect, in getting a glimpse into life in communist Congo-Brazzaville in the 1970s, was quite interesting, there wasn't much else for me. While I'm all for a bubbling stream of consciousness coming of age story (e.g. the excellent Intruder in the Dust), I found Mabanckou's narrative style cumbersome throughout and, while occasionally charming, downright boring at times. The rambling half-histories of this or that political figure weren't detailed enough to be historically...

This is really well done story that made me feel stupid over how much I don't know about African geography and history.The story follows a 12 year old boy in 1977's Congo who's head is the clouds. When Comrade President Marien Ngouabi is assassinated, the fallout affects his family.Michel is an interesting character full of child innocence. He gives the history of his and neighbor countries with a child's voice. It's very interesting.The ending, though, made it feel like this was part one of a b...

Alain Mabanckou, probably the best-known Congolese author working today, delivers a captivating portrait of the atmosphere following the assassination of President Marien Ngouabi in 1977. Rendered from the perspective of Michel, a teenager trying to find his dog who, miraculously, ran off after hearing of the murder on the radio, we experience the overall political situation in a nutshell as the young protagonist deals with his family who is directly affected by the political turmoil: Michel’s u...

Very interesting look into the Congo, enjoyed the storytelling from a childs point of view. Recommend for anybody looking to learn about the Congo or the fallout from colonialism in Africa.