Dr. Onookome Okome
University of Calabar, Nigeria
Written on Grandma's Sun

Grandma's Sun speaks directly to its reader. Conceived out of the depth of introspection, Olafioye reaches deep into his soul and that of community at a critical junction in the history of his country, Nigeria, which he loves dearly. In the style of Soyinka's social/historical diaries, Ake and Isara, Grandma's Sun is not just another story about the authorial self and the experiences of social and cultural change in postcolonial Nigeria, it is a story told from the bottom, from the cutting edge of innocence in a fast changing world. Grandma's Sun is a frank book. It shares with Soyinka's autobiography the sterling qualities of truth, forthrightness, integrity and the keen sense of narrative strategy. Coming at the heel of Tanure Ojaide's Great Boys: An African Childhood, another brilliant work in that genre, one cannot help compare it to Camara Laye's African Child. Grandma's Sun is a valuable contribution to this genre of African literature.