No Heaven for Good Boys
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-03 11:52:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Keisha Bush
- ISBN：0399591966
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Summary
Set in Senegal， this modern-day Oliver Twist is a meditation on the power of love， and the strength that can emerge when we have no other choice but to survive。
Six-year-old Ibrahimah loves snatching pastries from his mother's kitchen， harvesting string beans with his father， and searching for sea glass with his sisters。 But when he is approached in his rural village one day by Marabout Ahmed， a seemingly kind stranger and highly regarded teacher， the tides of his life turn forever。 Ibrahimah is sent to the capital city of Dakar to join his cousin �tienne in studying the Koran under Marabout Ahmed for a year， but instead of the days of learning that Ibrahimah's parents imagine， the young boys， called Talib�， are forced to beg in the streets in order to line their teacher's pockets。
To make it back home， �tienne and Ibrahimah must help each other survive both the dangers posed by their Marabout， and the darker sides of Dakar: threats of black-market organ traders， rival packs of Talib�， and mounting student protest on the streets。
Drawn from real incidents and transporting readers between rural and urban Senegal， No Heaven for Good Boys is a tale of hope， resilience， and the affirming power of love。
Six-year-old Ibrahimah loves snatching pastries from his mother's kitchen， harvesting string beans with his father， and searching for sea glass with his sisters。 But when he is approached in his rural village one day by Marabout Ahmed， a seemingly kind stranger and highly regarded teacher， the tides of his life turn forever。 Ibrahimah is sent to the capital city of Dakar to join his cousin �tienne in studying the Koran under Marabout Ahmed for a year， but instead of the days of learning that Ibrahimah's parents imagine， the young boys， called Talib�， are forced to beg in the streets in order to line their teacher's pockets。
To make it back home， �tienne and Ibrahimah must help each other survive both the dangers posed by their Marabout， and the darker sides of Dakar: threats of black-market organ traders， rival packs of Talib�， and mounting student protest on the streets。
Drawn from real incidents and transporting readers between rural and urban Senegal， No Heaven for Good Boys is a tale of hope， resilience， and the affirming power of love。
Reviews
Jessica
，
Tragic story based on the lives a specific group of suffering children in Senegal。 Hard to read in many ways but also hard to put down once you start。 I appreciated how the author brought in other facets of culture， religion， and local politics that make it so difficult to change an obviously abusive cultural practice。
Shelley Kinash
，
This is a powerful and important read。 Set in Senegal， the well-researched story is fictional and yet not。 The context is the Talibe gone wrong。 Under the auspices of ascetic spiritual enlightenment， training and induction of young boys， the book tells the story of boys who are forced to beg and steal and who are starving， beaten and abused。 Painful to read because of the reality of this ongoing reality。 The book is fairly well written， but the dialogue is at times distracting and contrived。
Liisabet
，
This was such an important， eye-opening book about children in Senegal called Talibé who are forced to beg daily for money and food， living in extreme squalor and often subject to abuse。 Despite its importance， however， I definitely wouldn't recommend it to everyone， since the injustices and abuse these children go through is not easy to read， and there are many trigger warnings for this one。 It was harrowing， heartbreaking， and in certain scenes， sickening， but there were occasional tender mome This was such an important， eye-opening book about children in Senegal called Talibé who are forced to beg daily for money and food， living in extreme squalor and often subject to abuse。 Despite its importance， however， I definitely wouldn't recommend it to everyone， since the injustices and abuse these children go through is not easy to read， and there are many trigger warnings for this one。 It was harrowing， heartbreaking， and in certain scenes， sickening， but there were occasional tender moments to balance it out， and I do appreciate the attention it brings to the lives of Talibé children in Senegal。 。。。more
Traci
，
Heartbreaking but beautiful
Beth
，
Could Goodreads give us an option for maybe 100，000 stars？ Cause， yeah。 Also， I'm gonna go cry for a while Could Goodreads give us an option for maybe 100，000 stars？ Cause， yeah。 Also， I'm gonna go cry for a while 。。。more
Christopher
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Captivating and harrowing！
Kalimah Mustafa
，
Hurts to read， but is so beautifully written。 Really brings to light the corruption of the modern world， and the hell some must endure during their lifetime。 This book spotlights familial love， and is laden with so much tenderness。 Wonderful book。 I also listened to the audiobook -- very vivid and well done。 I recommend either！
Katy St。 Clair
，
I was drawn to this book because I love African novels， it received very high ratings， and reviews said it was beautifully written。 It is not badly written， but there is certainly no special literary nuance here。 It is very straight-forward writing。 I am glad to have seen a snapshot of the horrible practice of exploiting children in West Africa。 Desperate families send them to supposedly study the Koran but they are instead sent to beg on the street and are beaten or worse if they don’t make quo I was drawn to this book because I love African novels， it received very high ratings， and reviews said it was beautifully written。 It is not badly written， but there is certainly no special literary nuance here。 It is very straight-forward writing。 I am glad to have seen a snapshot of the horrible practice of exploiting children in West Africa。 Desperate families send them to supposedly study the Koran but they are instead sent to beg on the street and are beaten or worse if they don’t make quota。 I really wanted to connect with the characters but they were not fully formed。 The result was a book that just seemed didactic and flat。 。。。more
Cassandra
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4。5
Callie Duka
，
This was a great book。 It was difficult to read at times because of the numerous forms of abuse that the Talibé experience， but it never felt hopeless。 Although this book is fiction， it's based on events that occurred in Senegal。 I enjoyed the author's writing style。 She was descriptive without being too wordy and captured the complexities of human emotion well。 This has been one of my favorite books this year！ This was a great book。 It was difficult to read at times because of the numerous forms of abuse that the Talibé experience， but it never felt hopeless。 Although this book is fiction， it's based on events that occurred in Senegal。 I enjoyed the author's writing style。 She was descriptive without being too wordy and captured the complexities of human emotion well。 This has been one of my favorite books this year！ 。。。more
Julian Framstad
，
At one point I gasped， pressed my palm against the page， and cried。 This book is heartbreaking from start to finish。
Winthrop Smith
，
Horrific HellNot the book， but both the reality on which it is based， and the plot。 The writer has used dreams to relieve the distress， and for once， I appreciated the use。 There are novels which demonstrate why fiction should be read， and this is an example: how else can someone who is not there in Africa grasp the life which children- boys- are forced to live by adults。
Beverly
，
Keisha Bush does a service in exposing to a wide audience the abuses by human traffickers in Senegal who use children as slave beggars under the guise of learning the Koran。 As a novel though this is more anthropology than fiction。 Bush includes the magical beliefs of Senegalese peasants but appends this as a magical realism sub plot that jars with the main story。 All in all affecting but clumsily put together。
Heather Cranston
，
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A harrowing and emotional story based on fact。 It follows the lives of children taken from their west African villages to be “educated” in Dakar。 The families willingly allow men who are teachers of the Koran called marabouts to house their children。 It is considered an honour and a true servitude to Allah by their families。 The children who are mainly boys aged from 5 years to 15 years are called talibe and are sent out begging for food and money every day。 The marabouts sometimes ab ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A harrowing and emotional story based on fact。 It follows the lives of children taken from their west African villages to be “educated” in Dakar。 The families willingly allow men who are teachers of the Koran called marabouts to house their children。 It is considered an honour and a true servitude to Allah by their families。 The children who are mainly boys aged from 5 years to 15 years are called talibe and are sent out begging for food and money every day。 The marabouts sometimes abuse the boys and set quotas for the money they expect them to collect through begging every day。 The majority of foreigners and locals see the talibe as poor children who need alms and give them food and money out of respect for their religion and circumstances。 The book is multi layered。 There are instances of human trafficking， physical and sexual abuse and organ harvesting。 There are references to voodoo and black magic as the story provides elements of fantasy and spirituality。 It develops the characters of Ibrahimah and Etienne vividly and draws the reader into their lives， sharing their hopes and daily trials。 For all the difficulties the boys have to endure the reader is encouraged never to give up hope。 It is a book which educates and entertains but rarely gives you respite from the overwhelming fear you feel for the children。 。。。more
Rkrynak
，
Heartbreaking story about young boys placed in the care of unscrupulous men in the name of honor， tradition， submission， and religion。
Jill
，
A six year old boy's struggles in Dakar in Senegal， when his family is forced to give him to a Marabout， to teach him the Quran。。。but instead he is begging the streets， beaten。 I agree with the "modern day Oliver Twist" description。 Beautifully done。。。a difficult read， though。 Loved the relationship between Ibrahimah and Etienne， his older cousin。 A six year old boy's struggles in Dakar in Senegal， when his family is forced to give him to a Marabout， to teach him the Quran。。。but instead he is begging the streets， beaten。 I agree with the "modern day Oliver Twist" description。 Beautifully done。。。a difficult read， though。 Loved the relationship between Ibrahimah and Etienne， his older cousin。 。。。more
Faith
，
“No one can mistake the sight of a Talibé; toting the economy-size red tin tomato can， bare callused feet， shaved heads patched with eczema， skinny bodies， and faces of children without love。”In Senegal and other Moslem countries young boys， a talibé， are sent to a man called a marabout to be educated in the Quran。 To support the maribout these children must spend their days begging in the streets for money and food。 It is a relationship that is full of abuse and exploitation。 This book is about “No one can mistake the sight of a Talibé; toting the economy-size red tin tomato can， bare callused feet， shaved heads patched with eczema， skinny bodies， and faces of children without love。”In Senegal and other Moslem countries young boys， a talibé， are sent to a man called a marabout to be educated in the Quran。 To support the maribout these children must spend their days begging in the streets for money and food。 It is a relationship that is full of abuse and exploitation。 This book is about Ibrahimah 7 and his older cousin Étienne who are sent by their families to Dakar to live with， and work for， Marabout Ahmed。 Ahmed is one of the worst maribouts - greedier and more abusive。 This book is really relentlessly depressing。 There is just no excuse for the treatment of these children。 The whole custom is a human rights violation and I don’t know how it is permitted to exist。 The book was generally written well and there were a few hopeful moments， but there was also a lot of repetition because there was not a lot of variety in the days of these boys。 The book exposes a shameful situation， but it wasn’t a fun read。 3。5 starsI received a free copy of this book from the publisher。 。。。more
Beth
，
This is a book is filled with profound sadness， but the moments of childhood joy are so beautiful that they make the difficult parts bearable。 This is not a happy story， but the portraits of Ibrahimah and Etienne are so lovely。 The abuse in this story is heart wrenching， but the vivid descriptions of the brief moments of respite like the pride over blocking a goal on the soccer field or drinking a cold coke kept me going。 I loved Ibrahimah and Etienne from page one。
Marinel DeBerry
，
WoW！ I am left speechless after finishing this book。 The characters had my emotions in a whirlwind。 I felt for the mother especially but each character invoked an emotion of some form。。。sympathy， anger， disgust， etc。 However， the biggest emotion was hope。 Hope that things changed and there was a reuniting of mother and son。Although this book was a tough read， I enjoyed the fact it opened my eyes and took me to somewhere other than what is my comfort。
Skip
，
I am very surprised at the high ratings for this novel。 It is a very sad story about a six-year boy， Ibrahimah， who is sent by his family from a small village in Senegal （Salloulou） to the city of Dakar to become a Talibé （a boy who studies the Quran at a daara） to join his cousin， 12-year old Etienne。 Life is very hard for them and the other students， who basically are beggars for their marabout （teacher）， Ahmed， who beats them if they do not bring in a daily tithe， and who has several wives， b I am very surprised at the high ratings for this novel。 It is a very sad story about a six-year boy， Ibrahimah， who is sent by his family from a small village in Senegal （Salloulou） to the city of Dakar to become a Talibé （a boy who studies the Quran at a daara） to join his cousin， 12-year old Etienne。 Life is very hard for them and the other students， who basically are beggars for their marabout （teacher）， Ahmed， who beats them if they do not bring in a daily tithe， and who has several wives， befitting a devoted disciple of Allah。 The horrors of their lives in the city is one story， which is told in parallel with the story of his bereaved mother， who misses Ibrahimah terribly， cannot find comfort with her three remaining daughters， eventually lapsing into delirium。 Keisha Bush lived in Senegal and must have seen and spoken with these pitiful souls， who live off of the kindness/coins of tourists and the wealthy residents or are the focus of their scorn。 Too depressing for me。 。。。more
Theo
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'No woman， or man， can find the strength to conquer the wickedness in this world without family。' 'No woman， or man， can find the strength to conquer the wickedness in this world without family。' 。。。more
Danielle Symington
，
Epically beautiful yet heart wrenching。 Eye opening with an unpredictable ending。 Could not put down！
Electra Baskerville
，
Excellent book！ I will never forget Ibrahimah & his cousin Etienne， they took care of each other until the very end。 Their resilience to the suffering， abuse， all they had was love and hope in their little hearts。 🥰
Yvonne Sening
，
Great book， captivating but very difficult topics as well。 The one thing I wish were different。。。the ending。 Not that it was a deal breaker for me， I would read it again and highly recommend the book。。。。just wished it was a different ending。
Elizabeth Hart
，
This book grabbed my heart and didn’t let go。 I admit I had never heard of Telibe boys of Senegaland it made me want to know more 。 I absolutely loved the characters of 6 year old Ibrahimah and 13 year old Etienne。 I couldn’t believe all they went through and how they loved and cared for each other。 This book is heartbreaking and hard to read but I know this story will stick with me for a long time。 And I couldn’t believe this was Keisha Bush’s debut novel- amazing！
linda
，
I thought this would be a difficult book to read and I was right。 The word “hunger” pervades every page of this remarkable debut novel。 It is difficult to read about six year old boys who have to “work” for their masters aka as their marabout。 The story revolves around two cousins who are taken from their villages and called Talibe。 They are there to sacrifice for Allah but instead roam the streets everyday dirty begging for money; getting beaten if they don’t make enough and have sex with their I thought this would be a difficult book to read and I was right。 The word “hunger” pervades every page of this remarkable debut novel。 It is difficult to read about six year old boys who have to “work” for their masters aka as their marabout。 The story revolves around two cousins who are taken from their villages and called Talibe。 They are there to sacrifice for Allah but instead roam the streets everyday dirty begging for money; getting beaten if they don’t make enough and have sex with their marabout。 There is no such thing as childhood。 Parents believe that Allah will protect their sons while in reality they are starving and in one sordid case killed for his organs。 Seventy-two virgins hold no allure for these young boys。 Paradise is “outside of Dakar for sure”。 。。。more
Angie Winsler
，
This is a book I will never forget and found myself staying up late into the night to finish。 Yes the subject matter is difficult to think about but we mustn't turn our eyes from something just because it's difficult。 During these moments this author did a wonderful job of telling just enough so that you understood the meaning without going into great graphic detail。 Her character development was such that I felt as if I knew these two young boys and was rooting for them at every turn of the pag This is a book I will never forget and found myself staying up late into the night to finish。 Yes the subject matter is difficult to think about but we mustn't turn our eyes from something just because it's difficult。 During these moments this author did a wonderful job of telling just enough so that you understood the meaning without going into great graphic detail。 Her character development was such that I felt as if I knew these two young boys and was rooting for them at every turn of the page。 The author did a fabulous job of making the boys street smart yet still letting us see there young playful side。 The reason I didn't give this book a 5 star rating is because there were a few elements of magic realism/mysticism that didn't work for me。 This is a debut book for Miss Keisha Bush and I will anxiously be awaiting her next novel。 。。。more
Mark Rimelspach
，
Historical novel on two cousins trying to survive as Talibe boys in Senegal。
Terri Broemm
，
Compelling， heart wrenching。
Eric Rodriguez
，
One of my favorite reads so far this year。 A learned so much from this heartbreaking novel。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=No Heaven for Good Boys
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=No Heaven for Good Boys&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft