Speak No Evil
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- Create Date：2021-05-16 08:55:31
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Uzodinma Iweala
- ISBN：0061284920
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Summary
In the long-anticipated novel from the author of the critically acclaimed Beasts of No Nation， a revelation shared between two privileged teenagers from very different backgrounds sets off a chain of events with devastating consequences
On the surface， Niru leads a charmed life。 Raised by two attentive parents in Washington， D。C。， he’s a top student and a track star at his prestigious private high school。 Bound for Harvard in the fall， his prospects are bright。 But Niru has a painful secret: he is queer—an abominable sin to his conservative Nigerian parents。 No one knows except Meredith， his best friend， the daughter of prominent Washington insiders—and the one person who seems not to judge him。
When his father accidentally discovers Niru is gay， the fallout is brutal and swift。 Coping with troubles of her own， however， Meredith finds that she has little left emotionally to offer him。 As the two friends struggle to reconcile their desires against the expectations and institutions that seek to define them， they find themselves speeding toward a future more violent and senseless than they can imagine。 Neither will escape unscathed。
In the tradition of Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah， Speak No Evil explores what it means to be different in a fundamentally conformist society and how that difference plays out in our inner and outer struggles。 It is a novel about the power of words and self-identification， about who gets to speak and who has the power to speak for other people。 As heart-wrenching and timely as his breakout debut， Beasts of No Nation， Uzodinma Iweala’s new novel cuts to the core of our humanity and leaves us reeling in its wake。
On the surface， Niru leads a charmed life。 Raised by two attentive parents in Washington， D。C。， he’s a top student and a track star at his prestigious private high school。 Bound for Harvard in the fall， his prospects are bright。 But Niru has a painful secret: he is queer—an abominable sin to his conservative Nigerian parents。 No one knows except Meredith， his best friend， the daughter of prominent Washington insiders—and the one person who seems not to judge him。
When his father accidentally discovers Niru is gay， the fallout is brutal and swift。 Coping with troubles of her own， however， Meredith finds that she has little left emotionally to offer him。 As the two friends struggle to reconcile their desires against the expectations and institutions that seek to define them， they find themselves speeding toward a future more violent and senseless than they can imagine。 Neither will escape unscathed。
In the tradition of Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah， Speak No Evil explores what it means to be different in a fundamentally conformist society and how that difference plays out in our inner and outer struggles。 It is a novel about the power of words and self-identification， about who gets to speak and who has the power to speak for other people。 As heart-wrenching and timely as his breakout debut， Beasts of No Nation， Uzodinma Iweala’s new novel cuts to the core of our humanity and leaves us reeling in its wake。
Reviews
Erika
，
Wow！ What an emotional and heartbreaking experience。 Easy and engaging reading， I look forward to more from Uzodinma。
Marcy Wells
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Heartbreaking and eye opening。
Jennifer
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3。 The longer I think about this book the longer I'm disappointed in the turn of the plot。 Could have been a much better book。 3。 The longer I think about this book the longer I'm disappointed in the turn of the plot。 Could have been a much better book。 。。。more
Kiprop Kimutai
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This book is written lucidly， and precisely。 Niru and Meredith fully tell their stories， and their visions provide a kind of hope in a story with a horrifyingly cruel twist。 Good job， Uzodinma！
Love Is All Around
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RECENSIONE A CURA DI TFPEELGrazie alla Nua Edizioni arriva anche in Italia un romanzo molto chiacchierato in patria， l’autore è lo stesso di “Bestie senza patria” che è diventato di recente anche un film per Netflix。Niru è un giovane diciottenne di origini nigeriane （come l’autore）， genitori abbienti e istruiti che che gli permettono una vita piuttosto agiata anche se la forte fede del padre e il suo amore per la terra natia non gli permettono di essere se stesso。 Niru ha buoni voti a scuola， è RECENSIONE A CURA DI TFPEELGrazie alla Nua Edizioni arriva anche in Italia un romanzo molto chiacchierato in patria， l’autore è lo stesso di “Bestie senza patria” che è diventato di recente anche un film per Netflix。Niru è un giovane diciottenne di origini nigeriane （come l’autore）， genitori abbienti e istruiti che che gli permettono una vita piuttosto agiata anche se la forte fede del padre e il suo amore per la terra natia non gli permettono di essere se stesso。 Niru ha buoni voti a scuola， è un talentuoso corridore， diventerà un brillante studente di Harward e futuro medico， po’ come il fratello maggiore OJ。La sua migliore amica è Meredith， figlia bianca di una coppia benestante della Washington che conta， il suo esatto opposto anche nel carattere， dove uno è più calmo e posato l’altra è impulsiva e testarda。Niru è abituato a passare tanto tempo con Meredith tanto che non si accorge che la ragazza è innamorata di lui， peccato che lui abbia altri desideri e nel momento in cui il giovane si confessa con l’amica la loro vita viene in qualche modo stravolta。 Il padre di Niru scopre che il figlio è omosessuale e per lui così profondamente credente è un affronto terribile， tanto che dopo aver perso la testa e picchiato il figlio lo costringe a partire per il paese natio per chiedere aiuto al vescovo locale che dovrebbe estirpare i pensieri impuri dal ragazzo （roba da far accapponare la pelle）。 Al suo ritorno Niru si allontana dall’amica e per un breve periodo cerca anche di accontentare il padre e il suo parroco ma i buoni propositi durano poco， l’importante è non parlare di quello che prova。 Sento una mano sulla spalla。 Svegliati， svegliati， Niru， dice mio padre。 Incombe su di me， la camicia madida di sudore， gli occhi rossi e un asciugamano sporco appallottolato in mano。 Ascolta， è ora， dice。 Ce ne andiamo？ dico。 Mio padre scuote la testa。 Dice， È ora che andiamo… Non finisce。 Mi si secca la bocca e mi cedono le gambe。 Lo aspettavo。 Sapevo che sarebbe successo， ma non sono pronto。 Mio padre dice， Vieni ora， non abbiamo tutta la notte。 Il protagonista principale è Niru， è la sua voce che narra più di metà della storia， viviamo la sua paura di non essere accettato per chi è veramente， il suo dolore per essere rifiutato da quel padre così fiero delle sue origini ma così credente che non può assolutamente tollerare che il figlio sia omosessuale。 Viviamo la sua angoscia di tornare nella terra natia， dove tutto é molto meno agiato， dove la realtà di una povertà diffusa colpisce anche gli animi più insensibili。 Niru vuole bene a Meredith ma al ritorno dall’Africa si allontana， lei è troppo occupata a farsi circuire dai ragazzi e non si accorge che l’amico ha qualcosa che lo tormenta。 Niru per quanto si sforza di essere il ragazzo che vogliono i suo genitori， ha dei sentimenti che non riesce a contrastare non basta essere bravo a scuola， allenarsi e correre e vincere medaglie， a lui piaceranno sempre i ragazzi e la cosa non cambierà solo per volontà。Nella seconda parte la parola passa all’amica Meredith， l’altra voce in causa， che ci racconta altri flashback della sua amicizia con Niru alternati con scene nel presente， veniamo a conoscenza che proprio perché si è sentita messa da parte si è lentamente allontanata da lui。 Con il senno di poi sarebbe stato meglio se avesse continuato a mantenere le distanze。 Si sente in colpa， sa che dovrebbe raccontare la sua verità ma viene convinta dai genitori a non dire nulla， da qui il titolo del libro。 Silenzi celati per anni， segreti che distruggono， una storia che non ha un lieto fine purtroppo。Una storia difficile， per certi versi spiazzante， narrata in prima persona senza dare risalto ai dialoghi， cosa che mi ha un po’ lasciata dubbiosa almeno per i primi capitoli。 Mi è piaciuto molto come l’autore abbia caratterizzato Niru e Meredith， due persone che sfuggono alle etichette， due esseri che non vogliono adeguarsi alle masse ma che alla fine soccombono sotto il peso di quello che rappresentano， in fondo se Meredith non avesse cercato di riprendere i contatti con Niru prima e se avesse parlato poi e se Niru non avesse scelto di farsi mettere a tacere， la storia avrebbe probabilmente avuto un altro finale。 Visita il nostro blog e iscriviti per rimanere sempre aggiornata/o！ 。。。more
Manuela Raimo
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Non me lo aspettavo。 Una lettura interessante。 Presto la recensione sul blog
Emmanuel Macías Navarrete
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Didn’t expect the twist in the end。
Lucia
，
Mi chiedo se trascinarci nel villaggio e nella città in cui ha passato l’infanzia sia un modo per immergerci tutti nel suo inferno personale così che vediamo come questa strana combinazione di povertà e opportunità， queste strade sconnesse e fangose， queste case decrepite， questi uomini e donne sovraccarichi che camminano lentamente cantando inni di lode per aiutarsi ad andare avanti， abbiano creato la strana combinazione di amore e rabbia e orgoglio e paura che è mio padre。 Inizio a parlare di Mi chiedo se trascinarci nel villaggio e nella città in cui ha passato l’infanzia sia un modo per immergerci tutti nel suo inferno personale così che vediamo come questa strana combinazione di povertà e opportunità， queste strade sconnesse e fangose， queste case decrepite， questi uomini e donne sovraccarichi che camminano lentamente cantando inni di lode per aiutarsi ad andare avanti， abbiano creato la strana combinazione di amore e rabbia e orgoglio e paura che è mio padre。 Inizio a parlare di questo libro prendendo in analisi la sua forma sintattica。 Non amo l’uso del tempo presente nelle narrazioni， ma a parte questa mia preferenza ho trovato snella e ben leggibile la forma usata dallo scrittore， il non differenziare i dialoghi dalle cronache indirette， l’uso scarnissimo di punteggiatura con l’utilizzo quasi esclusivo di punti e virgole。La storia parla delle origini nigeriane dell’autore， con accenni autobiografici dato che il protagonista è uno studente di medicina di origini nigeriane che vive in America。Un libro che parla di conflitti， Niru， giovane e promettente studente， figlio di africani benestanti e ben istruiti si trova a dover affrontare un dolorosissimo dilemma esistenziale quando inizia a sospettare la sua omosessualità。Purtroppo il suo grave dilemma sarà acuito dalla repentina scoperta di ciò da parte dei suoi genitori che utilizzando i mezzi propri della loro cultura， origine e religione cercano perentoriamente di bloccare questa inaccettabile inclinazione del figlio tra accessi di violenza e pseudo esorcismi。Questo porterà il lettore non solo a vivere le tribolazioni di Niru， ma anche quelle dei suoi parenti e in particolare del padre che più di tutti rappresenta le divergenze tra i due mondi qui così ben descritti， quell’africanità fiera， forte ma ancora legata alle regole religiose delle sue origini e le opportunità di quella terra promessa che generosamente offre a chi sa prendere ma che anche impone usi e costumi che il padre di Niru non può accettare， in particolare in uno dei suoi figli。Così a Niru non resta che tacere i suoi desideri… non parlare！Un libro che parla di divergenze， sia generazionali， sia culturali， esacerbate da un contesto molto complesso。 Infatti una delle analisi più interessanti del libro è il rapporto con lo status di immigrato ben inserito nella società la cui identità è dilaniata dal non sentirsi davvero parte di essa e la forte radice identitaria africana， fiera e oppressa al contempo。Ad ampliare la visione di questo testo， chiamando in causa un punto di vista opposto l’autore “usa” il personaggio di Meredith。Amica， confidente e carnefice di Niru， è una faccia della stessa medaglia， donna， bianca， colta， figlia dell’upper class americana， rappresenta a mio avviso quel senso di colpa insito nelle classi dominanti da più generazioni， un’eredità di invasione e dolore che non si riesce ad abbandonare e si perpetua con quel “non parlare” tanto opportuno che è una tomba per la coscienza。seguici sul blog sogni pensieri e parole 。。。more
Sara
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Best book I have read so far this year。 Written with two perspectives， features some DC landmarks。 A lot to unpack re: race， sexual identity and society。
Bill
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I enjoy reading "coming out" stories， and when I saw this book was written by a NIgerian-American I hoped for an interesting read。 But the story was so much more than that。 Not only Niru but all the characters are struggling to deal with conformity issues。 Niru's issues with his father and their subsequent trip to Nigeria were gut-wrenching。 But nothing prepared me for the traumatic ending; and the transformation his father goes through was chilling。 I've also become aware of a number of books b I enjoy reading "coming out" stories， and when I saw this book was written by a NIgerian-American I hoped for an interesting read。 But the story was so much more than that。 Not only Niru but all the characters are struggling to deal with conformity issues。 Niru's issues with his father and their subsequent trip to Nigeria were gut-wrenching。 But nothing prepared me for the traumatic ending; and the transformation his father goes through was chilling。 I've also become aware of a number of books by Nigerian and other African authors。 As someone who also enjoys discovering different perspectives I look forward to reading some of them。 。。。more
Tiffany Magnolia
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This one gutted me。 Not going to lie。
Charlie New York
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I had to read this one for school but I really liked it from the beginning。 I was not prepared for what happens near the end， but I guess I should’ve at least suspected it。The story felt super real and I felt connected to it many times while reading。 It’s sad from the beginning， but it’s different kinds of sadness and at the end I just felt empty。 It also has some beautiful lines and really important meditations on life， I liked that。I’ll try to recover by reading something sweet now。
Erin Jones
，
3。5I chose this book because the audiobook reader is the same as from Behold the Dreamers。。。 I really liked the first half told from Niru's POV-- closeted gay Nigerian teenager on the verge of going to Harvard。 Deeply felt emotions about the shunning from his family and church as he comes to terms with his sexuality。I didn't like the second half as much， which was narrated by his friend Meredith。 The events that unfold felt contrived to make the story go someplace。。。 Not sure that is a fair repr 3。5I chose this book because the audiobook reader is the same as from Behold the Dreamers。。。 I really liked the first half told from Niru's POV-- closeted gay Nigerian teenager on the verge of going to Harvard。 Deeply felt emotions about the shunning from his family and church as he comes to terms with his sexuality。I didn't like the second half as much， which was narrated by his friend Meredith。 The events that unfold felt contrived to make the story go someplace。。。 Not sure that is a fair representation， but I think that is why I liked， but did not love the book。。。 。。。more
Shelby
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4。5 rounded up to 5 stars。 This book was a complete surprise to me。 I thought it was about one tough topic， and then bam， all of a sudden a whole other heartbreaking topic is revealed。 Once we got to part 2， from Meredith's POV， I started to get the hints of what was to come， but I still wasn't prepared。 This book is heartbreaking， and unfortunately extremely relavent to the ongoing racial issues that Black people face every day in this country。 It was a short book， and I often feel like things 4。5 rounded up to 5 stars。 This book was a complete surprise to me。 I thought it was about one tough topic， and then bam， all of a sudden a whole other heartbreaking topic is revealed。 Once we got to part 2， from Meredith's POV， I started to get the hints of what was to come， but I still wasn't prepared。 This book is heartbreaking， and unfortunately extremely relavent to the ongoing racial issues that Black people face every day in this country。 It was a short book， and I often feel like things are rushed or characters aren't fully fleshed out in a 200-ish page book， but the author did a great job。 I felt like I really knew the characters， and nothing felt overly rushed。 I listened to the audiobook， and thought both narrators did an extremely good job， I highly recommend the audio version。 。。。more
Victor Amaya
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Aburrido
Louly
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Feb 6， 2021 - April 21， 20212。5 stars。 This was a luke-warm read for me。 while I felt for Niru I couldn't help but think him daft。 （view spoiler）[I understood why he told Meredith he was gay but when he let her download the app when he still lived with his awful father and passive mother， I just knew shit was gonna blow up。 He knew the risks， took it， and was angry when it blew up in his face？ He says he's smart and got into Harvard but never called his brother to get him out of the toxic enviro Feb 6， 2021 - April 21， 20212。5 stars。 This was a luke-warm read for me。 while I felt for Niru I couldn't help but think him daft。 （view spoiler）[I understood why he told Meredith he was gay but when he let her download the app when he still lived with his awful father and passive mother， I just knew shit was gonna blow up。 He knew the risks， took it， and was angry when it blew up in his face？ He says he's smart and got into Harvard but never called his brother to get him out of the toxic environment he was in， or accept Meredith's offer to stay with her until college。 He let most of the awful shit happen to him and I couldn't help but feel bad for him because he obviously had self-loathe。 （hide spoiler）] I felt sad for his doomed relationship with Damien because it was the only time he seemed to be somewhat living or happy。 The two pastors that appeared were so awful。 His father was supposed to be a somewhat sympathetic figure but his hypocrisy was so blatant。 His mother had the chance multiple times to get Niru the fuck away but she did nothing and made it all about how the situation was tiring her。 The prose confused me constantly because I couldn't tell which words were thoughts or spoken， or to whom they belonged sometimes。 I didn't appreciate the author's stereotypical portrayal of Nigerian parents either。 I don't know what the author was trying to do with Meredith but this wasn't it chief。 I couldn't feel sad for her in any way。 She was so ignorant， so willfully so。 She made Niru's pain all about her， and how nobody noticed her。 She had the opportunity， to tell the truth about what truly happened that day but she didn't。 She waited till the very end and still wanted to pretend like she was somehow hurt by the shit that happened。 Anyway， this wasn't a fun read。 It was tiring， and sad。 I took long breaks to complete it and I didn't read it chronologically either。 。 Here's a review that talks about it more in-depth than I do: Darkowaa's review 。。。more
Reeve Klatt
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Wow。 I did not know what to expect from this book， but Iweala really blew me away！ His prose and almost stream-of-conscious is so beautiful and so life-like， my head and heart got caught up in the moments of these two characters。 I found this to be a much better， more realistic portrayal of coming out in a non-white family that I have read so far。 The story is heartbreaking and yet hopeful。 My only critique， Iweala's choice to not use quotation marks with his dialogue was at times confusing。 I u Wow。 I did not know what to expect from this book， but Iweala really blew me away！ His prose and almost stream-of-conscious is so beautiful and so life-like， my head and heart got caught up in the moments of these two characters。 I found this to be a much better， more realistic portrayal of coming out in a non-white family that I have read so far。 The story is heartbreaking and yet hopeful。 My only critique， Iweala's choice to not use quotation marks with his dialogue was at times confusing。 I usually don't pick up books that punctuate that way， but I found it worked well in this novel for the most part。 。。。more
Andy Sikander
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Got this book from my boyfriend and it made be feel terrible， so cudos to him for knowing me so well。 Genuinely the kind of nuanced representation of traditional， religious， strict， homophobic， but still very loving PoC parents that I've been craving all these years Got this book from my boyfriend and it made be feel terrible， so cudos to him for knowing me so well。 Genuinely the kind of nuanced representation of traditional， religious， strict， homophobic， but still very loving PoC parents that I've been craving all these years 。。。more
M， MM， MMM， M⁴， M⁵， M⁶， M⁷， M⁸， M⁹。。。 Mⁿ
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DNF 49%Utterly boring first half。 Just domestic violence， boring conversion therapy， fucking hated this book。
WR
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Tragic， in such a powerful way。 And sadly， similar experiences are being played out in real life。
Ali Mark
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Gut Instinct Rating: 4。5Characters: 4。5Believability: 5Uniqueness: 4。5Writing Style: 4。5Excitement Factor: 4。5Story Line: 5Title Relevance: 5Artwork Relevance: 5Overall: 4。72🏳️🌈•Review In Short: This was maybe less than the hype， but still such a valued story that needs to be told。 It was a beautiful mix of The Hate U Give and It Looks Like This。 I had so few complaints and they are all so nit-picky， so feel free to skip the review and simply read this story。 <>
Julie Greenwood
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The last quarter of this book was a disappointment after such an engaging story。
Amanda
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I'm not sure how to feel。 This book was equal parts sad and infuriating。 Meredith really got on my nerves I'm not sure how to feel。 This book was equal parts sad and infuriating。 Meredith really got on my nerves 。。。more
Zac Chavez-kelleher
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Based on the book summary on the back， and no other pre-knowledge of what this book was about， I was not emotionally prepared for the suddenness of the climax in this book。 That being said， it is beautifully constructed in a perfect way to make the reader truly， emotionally invested in the character of Niru。 I wasn’t ready FD or this; I cried， I yelled， I sighed and then cried again and again in both awe and anger for the characters throughout part 2。 That’s all I will say without spoilers。 Plea Based on the book summary on the back， and no other pre-knowledge of what this book was about， I was not emotionally prepared for the suddenness of the climax in this book。 That being said， it is beautifully constructed in a perfect way to make the reader truly， emotionally invested in the character of Niru。 I wasn’t ready FD or this; I cried， I yelled， I sighed and then cried again and again in both awe and anger for the characters throughout part 2。 That’s all I will say without spoilers。 Please， I recommend for EVERYONE to read this book。 It is so important， especially in this age of an uptick in racial discrimination and hate crimes。 。。。more
Katie Tait
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Niru is a Harvard-bound Nigerian senior at his predominately white private school in D。C。 who is struggling to come to terms with his sexuality。 In the book Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala， you follow the story of Niru， his family， and his friend Meredith through the final months before graduation。 I saw this book in a recommendation and bought it online without learning much else about it， and I am so glad I did。The book starts with Niru and Meredith。 She makes an advance at him and Niru says Niru is a Harvard-bound Nigerian senior at his predominately white private school in D。C。 who is struggling to come to terms with his sexuality。 In the book Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala， you follow the story of Niru， his family， and his friend Meredith through the final months before graduation。 I saw this book in a recommendation and bought it online without learning much else about it， and I am so glad I did。The book starts with Niru and Meredith。 She makes an advance at him and Niru says the words for the first time， he admits his sexuality。 Niru is on a downward spiral from that point on in the plot of this story。 His dad finds a same-sex online dating app on Nirus phone， causing Meredith and Niru to stop talking。 Niru’s father makes their family travel to Nigeria and forces Niru to talk to the reverend and try to “fix him”。 He comes back an altered version of himself and watch him finish high school。 “Iweala is a writer so adept that the book’s climax feels both surprising and wholly inevitable。” - New York Times Book Review。 I was obsessed with how this book ended， it gets you thinking and makes you unable to put the book down。 For the last part of the novel， the point of view switches to Meredith， which gives her so much more meaning than before。 My favorite part of the book is towards the end， right before everything goes wrong， Meredith and Niru resolve their fight and they hang out。 It was rejuvenating to see Niru talk with a friend and get out of his head for a bit， though it’s short-lived。I thought this book was phenomenal。 I would like to read it again because I feel there is so much more I could’ve absorbed。 I think everyone should read this book not only is it a well-written powerful story but it’s also a privilege check， and I think so many people could benefit by seeing how hard it really can be to be a black gay male， especially one with religious trauma。 I don’t have other books to really suggest that are similar， but the movie Moonlight is a coming of age about a gay black teen with many struggles of his own like Niru。 。。。more
Nina
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What a plot。 To follow the voices of these people is like watching a car crash in slow motion。 The gifted son that is not allowed to be who he really is and the daughter that seems to only exist in the outskirts of her parents life。 Their struggle with religion， roots， youth， sexual orientation and relations。 It will stay with me for a long time。
Yvonne
，
This is a beautifully written short novel。 Something about it didn’t quite work for me though。 Parts were really good and some scenes just moved flawlessly and then some parts just…off。
Mpho3
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4。5 stars
James Cleveland
，
I feel like it’s hard for me to rate a book that leaves me with a pit in my stomach as 5 stars， so I didn’t。 But it’s really well written and paced， and the perspective change for part 2 is striking and effective。
Tschanen Brandyberry
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3。5 stars。 The writing style is very good。 I liked the story but felt， sadly， the outcome was predictable。 That’s a sadder comment on the state of society than the writing。 It’s still an important story to tell and continue to spur discussions as a coming of age story。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Speak No Evil
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Speak No Evil&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Speak No Evil&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0