I wish I could give this book ten stars. I loved it so much and I'm a bit sad that I've finished it. It was beautiful and heart-warming.

Best to describe it as a ramblings of a young boy. Sometimes the book may feel like a drag. Then there are moments when you get a bug in your eye. Magical moments in Michel's life that will leave you with moist eyes. Moment when you laugh with the character. Those moments make these book totally worth reading.

The story is told from the pov of a young boy. I don't know why he thinks tomorrow he'll be 20. I might have missed something while reading though I doubt it. Michel is a Congolese boy in the 70s making sense of his world and sometimes coming up with great insights as to how the world works and at times getting totally lost trying to make sense of the world. ...Sometimes I think the reason Yaya Gaston loves her must be her eyes. When she looks at you, you want to give her everything, even a hou...

This was an excellent book that I Loved all the way, very interesting story that reminds me of my childhood days, the naughty stuff we used to do and I love the way the author vividly outlines the life of Michel. It is humorous and satirical as well, bringing out some key points in politics, music and childhood love affairs.Anyway, it a good book to keep your mind busy and reminisce the old days of your childhood.

"When I'm on the road to happiness, then I'll know that I've finally grown up, that I'm twenty at last", October 31, 2014 This review is from: Tomorrow I'll Be Twenty (Kindle Edition)Enjoyable first-person narrative, by a young Congolese lad on the verge of starting secondary school. It's the 1970s, and as Michel observes his uncle spouting Marxist ideology, he sees to the hypocrisy of a man determined to hang on to his wealth. The current affairs items that probably went largely unnoticed by E

Definitely my kind of book. Surprising that Alain has been around the writing block for a while, and before this, I had never heard of him. A story told through a 10 year old, with simple language. With no obvious themes being or the Africa to America/London migration - which have sort of become a cliché in African writing.Tomorrow I'll be twenty - finished it just before I turn 30!

Am yet to understand Alain's style of writing. I felt like i was in another Catcher in the Rye where a boy is just talking non stop from one topic to another before coming back to where they left a reader. Anyway, for humor and silly thoughts he killed it. More so, am still figuring how to write this review.

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. This is amazing.Tomorrow I'll Be Twenty tells the story of a child named Michel living in Congo. You get to see his daily life, his worries, what makes a little boy like him happy, the way he's able to think at that age, all from his point of view. I think the author did an amazing job at conveying that perspective of a child to us adults. I am very much interested in reading Alain Mabanckou's other books, unfortunately this is the only one translated in my own language but

I was SO excited to read this book. Taking place in Congo, told by a 10-year-old boy, and written in fairly straightforward French - what's not to love about it? Turns out that while the author has a fairly engaging writing style, this book can absolutely not be called a story. Rather, it consists of random interspersed observations and events that are barely (if at all) connected to each other. This book has no proper begging nor ending - it has no direction, no plot or underlying message. The

Delightful, humorous and persistently culturally revealing (I'm thinking folk superstitions and magic in particular). Some very memorable characters and themes: I love the fixation with that Shah of Iran and Roger Guy Folly, and Michel's periodic bewilderment at school's maths questions. The giggling apprentices at the tailor's shop; Petit Piment. Child's eye has to be absolutely convincing to work - and this does it so very well. A joy.

Child narrator Michel takes us through his daily life in Pointe-Noire, Congo in the 1970’s. We get to see what’s happening to Michel himself and the people he is surrounded by. We also get to know what’s going on in the world as Michel reflects in his childlike manner on events such as the flight of Iran’s Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to Egypt or the sanctuary given by Saudi Arabia to the Ugandan military officer Idi Amin, a man responsible for the most extreme kind of oppression and mass murder.

Interesting little book, by one of the Congo's current top writers, that focuses on a young boy's day to day life in a small Congolese town. Almost quaint, this is an interesting look at life in a small world-relative poor central African town, from the amazing earnest at ground-level viewpoint of a child. 6 out of 12.

I really liked this book. The first person narrative provided a captivating perspective and analysis of the post-colonial Congo as well as domestic and global politics. I particularly enjoyed the tension between the marxist rhetoric and obvious pursuit of capitalism by most of Michel's family. The novel is largely plotless and I felt that this created a more realistic coming of age narrative; one held together by the people who surrounded Michel, the comings and goings of his city, Pointe Noire,...

This is the story of a 10 year old boy named Michel who lives in Pointe Noir, Congo. The book takes place in the 1970s. His mother sells peanuts in the market and his dad works at a hotel at the reservations desk. His dad is not his biological father, but what he calls a "foster father". Michel's foster father also has another wife and seven other children (which apparently is not uncommon there). Everyone gets along well. Michel's mom would like to have more children. She had two baby girls tha...

This is a delightful book featuring Michel, a young teen who lives in the Congo. He is trying to figure out the adult world, and he and his best friend have many conversations about what is going on in their lives. They try to figure out what is happening with their country, since in 1979 lots of things were happening in Africa, many of them not good things. Michel is also trying to figure out what love is, as he thinks he is in love with the daughter of a neighborhood tailor. Michel has two fam...

3.5 stars - This is a difficult novel to judge. The main character got on my nerves somewhat because he is ten years old. His perspective is suitably naive and simplistic, but also strangely prescient about world affairs. That is the real appeal of the story, the vision of the Republic of Congo and certain international events of the late 70s as seen through the eyes of a child. But the childish viewpoint, while effective, was needlessly random at some points. Children ponder all kinds of things...

Congolese rites of passage novel. Naïve and endearing narrator. Lots of world history. Funny and enjoyable.

Another great book from Alain Mabanckou. Not much happens in the story, but the writing captures the intensity of childhood. People, places, and things become more important. We become paralyzed in awe, almost shocked by the world around us. Why did that person say this or do that? These are the hard, confusing lessons of childhood we endure so our adulthood can hopefully be successful.This book also contained cameo appearances by different characters and places from Mabanckou's previous novels,...

culturally revealing perspectives from the viewpoint of a 10 year old congolese boy. (inadvertently..?) politically incisive in how international affairs are interpreted

I felt as thought I was Michel, His life and times although different felt familiar. The colonial hang over. The new technology and deep friendship in family made this an easy read. The writer is truly gifted in telling a story the African way.