Some books are best read at a certain age. Even the novels and memoirs you might consider timeless like Chinua Achebe's Things fall apart or Elechi Amadi's The concubine.
However, Your 20s are a time for figuring out who you are and what you want from life. While the only way to learn is to survive the inevitable cycle of successes and failures, it is always useful to have some guidance along the way.
To help you out, here are some very good African classics that likely never made your secondary school or university reading lists.
It's an eclectic selection that focuses on topics like identity, colonialism, race, and so many other African centred themes.
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Here's what we think you should read before you turn 30, All the books listed below can serve a special purpose if consumed during a particular phase in your life. That particular phase is, of course, your 20s.
Enjoy:
1. The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta (1979)
2. Things fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (1958)
3. Women are Different by Flora Nwapa (1986)
4. So Long A Letter by Mariama Bâ (1979)
5. Ake: The years of childhood by Wole Soyinka (1989)
6. The Palm-Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola (1952)
7. Living, Loving and Lying Awake at Night by Sindiwe Magona (1991)
8. Changes, A Love Story by Ama Ata Aidoo (1991)
9. The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwei Armah (1968)
10. Weep Not, Child by Ngũgĩ wa Thiongo (1964)
Do not hesitate to read them all. They are all page-turner, eye-opening and entertaining.