Literature / Beasts of No Nation

Beasts of No Nation is the first novel by Uzodinma Iweala. The story is narrated by a child soldier in an unnamed African country. It was adapted into a film in 2015.

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This book includes the following tropes:

• Big Bad: The Commandant, a brutal warlord who rapes his soldiers.
• Child Soldiers: Agu and many of his fellow NDF soldiers.
• Karmic Death: The Commandant, who uses and abuses his soldiers, is killed by one of them.
• Shout-Out:
  • The name of the novel is taken from the Afro Beat album by Fela Kuti.
  • Rambo takes his name from the famous film character.
• Stylistic Suck: Agu narrates in broken English that mimics the style of Nigerian speakers.
• Tragic Bromance: Strika's death has a profound impact on Agu.

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