Chris Abani

Chris Abani is a TED speaker who has written 10 quality-verified books, paired here with their talks.

Chris Abani's first novel, published when he was 16, was Masters of the Board, a political thriller about a foiled Nigerian coup. The story was convincing enough that the Nigerian government threw him in jail for inciting a coincidentally timed real-life coup. Imprisoned and tortured twice more, he channeled the experience into searing poetry. Abani's best-selling 2004 novel GraceLand is a searing and funny tale of a young Nigerian boy, an Elvis impersonator who moves through the wide, wild world of Lagos, slipping between pop and traditional cultures, art and crime. It's a perennial book-club pick, a story that brings the postcolonial African experience to vivid life. Now based in Los Angeles, Abani published The Virgin of Flames in 2007. He is also a publisher, running the poetry imprint Black Goat Press.

TED talks by Chris Abani

Books by Chris Abani

Browse by topic

Frequently asked questions

What books has Chris Abani written?

Chris Abani has written 10 books in the Books Worth Reading catalogue: "Becoming Abigail", "Smoking the Bible", "GraceLand", "Feed Me the Sun", "Song for Night", "Hands Washing Water", "The Face", "Kalakuta Republic", "The Virgin of Flames", "The Secret History of Las Vegas". Each is quality-verified and paired with their TED talk.

What does Chris Abani write about?

Chris Abani's books on Books Worth Reading cover Fiction & Literature, Biography & Memoir.

What is Chris Abani known for?

Chris Abani's intellectual contributions emerge from a profound understanding of how violence, displacement, and marginalization shape human consciousness and identity. Having survived political imprisonment and torture in Nigeria, Abani transforms personal trauma into universal explorations of resi...

What is Chris Abani's TED talk?

Chris Abani's most-watched TED talk is "On humanity" (2008). It is paired with their books on Books Worth Reading.