WINNER OF THE 2017 CONNECTICUT BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION
A HARTFORD COURANT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BIG INDIE BOOK OF FALL 2016 Praise for
Never Look an American in the Eye "This page-turner memoir is an immigration narrative that begins with a young man's lucky accident in Nigeria, proceeds with culture shock at an American airport and carries us through the adjustment to citizenship. At times it's laugh-out-loud funny. Its more serious moments offer a poignant look at culture change in a land of steady habits. This book changed my understanding of American immigration."
--The Hartford Courant "Okey Ndibe is a natural raconteur, and his tales of coming to America are winsome and lyrical and absorbing. But within lies a larger narrative: about the education of a new American--and a writer's power to span continents in his imagination."
--Joshua Wolf Shenk, author of Lincoln's Melancholy and Powers of Two
"Okey Ndibe brings a keen eye to his delightful and insightful new memoir. His vision is clearer than 20-20. A writer who can arrive in America, be falsely accused of bank robbery in just 10 days, and still manage to keep his sense of humor is a man with a story to tell. He writes it beautifully."
--Sally Denton, author of The Profiteers: Bechtel and the Men Who Built the World "Full of beautiful writing."
--WBUR Boston
"[Ndibe's] memoir could not be more enjoyable."
--CounterPunch "[Nidibe's] candor and sense of humor make this an enjoyable read."
--Minneapolis Star-Tribune "Uplifting . . . [Ndibe's] writing can induce the sort of laughter that make the ribs ache."
--Herald Scotland "Ndibe's eminently readable tone is marked by humour, honesty and humility, so that it's impossible to imagine anyone not liking him tremendously by the end of the book."
--The Big Issue "A thrill to read, and yet offers powerful insights into the trials, prospects, and triumphs of being an immigrant in America. In a style that is impressively skillful, Ndibe masterfully conveys the odysseys of his early life in Nigeria and as well as his immigrant life in the US. I have never laughed harder in recent years when reading a book."
--SaharaReporters
"A generous, encompassing book about the making of a writer and a new American."
--West Hartford News "Ndibe shapes an entertaining and endearing tale from his many struggles. This enjoyable and quick read is recommended for all memoir lovers."
--Library Journal "A moving and often laugh-out-loud account of one man's immigrant experience."
--Booklist "Seeing this country through Ndibe's eyes is a pleasure everyone should have."
--LitReactor Praise for Foreign Gods, Inc. "Razor-sharp."
--The New York Times "A story of sweeping cultural insight and absurd comedy."
--The Washington Post "Unforgettable . . . A page-turning allegory about the globalized world."
--Los Angeles Times "A hard look at the American dream, which seems to be receding further and further into the distance these days."
--GQ
"We clearly have a fresh talent at work here. It is quite a while since I sensed creative promise on this level."
-Wole Soyinka, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature