I think that this is the perfect book for educating people on Asaba as well as the other important topics covered in this book such as covering up from the British Government and Onome’s experiences as one of few black students at the university. The cover beautifully encapsulates the story of Onome and Chioma as they respectively navigate the streets of London and Asaba faced with intense censorship following the Asaba massacre. The lectures on oral history in the infamous Historian’s Toolkit and varying topics in my first-year courses helped me develop the analytical skills that I used to carefully embed historical information within an engaging fictional narrative. I am beyond excited to be working with my editor Lily Laycock and self-publishing my book in spring 2023. When such horrifying events like wars and massacres occur, it is all too easy to become overwhelmed by the brutal deaths, and often the sheer number of them.

This is where Onome’s logical and straightforward thinking fails her, It was extremely upsetting to read this the moment (I am still upset even though she does make amends and admit her lack of compassion for Chioma as a witness to the violence and a close friend). Overall, this is a great book to educate yourself on the Nigerian Civil War and understand the effects that it has on individual people.

It is one of the more interesting words in the English language, in that its connotative meaning can be either very negative or very positive. A Letter Away from Asaba is an epistolary novella that speaks on history, that has effected so many, through letters sent by our main protagonists Chioma and Onome. It was extremely hard to put this book down and 10x harder to not think about the story and its characters throughout the day. A massive thank you to Deborah Alhassan for organising the book launch and Paula Melissa Ugochukwu for hosting it.

There is an instance where Onome gives way too much credit to the British by writing to Chioma that she must be mistaken about her account of the massacre, or the British are censoring the news (come on now). The article provides a deeper insight into why I wrote the book and what the book is about in brief. As she struggles to deal with the horrific and ceaseless deaths surrounding her, she takes sanctuary in receiving letters from her oldest friend, Onome, who is studying law at Kings College in London.I am happy to share that I have been offered the position as Culture Editor at The McGill Daily, an independent student newspaper at McGill University that has been in operation since 1911. Claudia Efemini is a current History and Politics student at the University of Edinburgh (2021-2025).

I won’t spoil it by revealing all the great conversation on this platform, but only mention it many months later for any newcomers who want to hear our thoughts on what it is like studying at Edinburgh from the perspective of a STEM student and one of the humanities. So thrilled to have had my official book launch celebrating the release of my debut novel ‘A Letter Away From Asaba’. The book would be of interest to anyone who cares for fictional stories, history, colonialism, Nigerian (and wider African) culture, friendships, politics, social movements, and the list goes on. I am thrilled to announce the book cover for my debut novel ‘A Letter Away From Asaba’ designed by Quinthia Nsema.It grapples with a plethora of themes relevant to modern day Nigeria and the role of the press across the world. A Letter Away From Asaba is an amazing book, one that is able to transport the reader back in time so well, but also easy to read and understand in the modern day. The podcast host Claudia Efemini, author, history undergrad and dear friend asked us questions that really challenged Esther and I to reflect on our experiences at The University of Edinburgh. Learning about the Nigerian Civil War and Asaba in particular through these two women was enlightening and truly educational. Fast-forward to today and I am set to publish a book dedicated to the Asaba massacre, seeking to respond to this gap in scholarship and global awareness.