A powerful tale told through the eyes of three children from different backgrounds and their devastating encounters with terrorism.
Ahmed never imagined that leaving home would mean losing himself. Sent to an almajiri school, hunger, beatings, and forced faith leave scars on his body and mind. But when the school delivers him into the hands of militants, his world shrinks to the trigger of a gun and the promise of paradise.
Stephanie knows how to stay quiet, how to shrink herself in a home where silence is survival. But when a terrorist attack takes her best friend, the silence swallows her whole. Her father, powerful in politics but absent in her life, offers no answers. And when Deborah, a girl from an IDP camp, is brought into their house, grief collides with guilt, forcing Stephanie to ask questions.
Deborah has lost everything, her family, her home, even the right to her own memories. Now she is in a house where she does not belong, surrounded by people who do not understand. But ghosts do not stay buried, and the past does not stay silent. As her presence forces open wounds no one wants to face, Deborah must decide if survival is enough or if she will demand for more.
Big-Small People is a haunting, unflinching exploration of what it means to be young in a world that devours its children. Brutal, urgent, and deeply human, this is a story of loss and longing, of boys made into weapons and girls silenced by grief.
Oreoluwa –
I went in blind, not knowing what the plot was about, and this surprised me. Starting off with the writing which was quite easy to get into, there’s a mix of proper English and broken English (which fans of A Girl With The Louding Voice would love) belying the different realities and backgrounds of each of the 3 main characters: Deborah, Stephanie and Ahmed.
This book touches on various themes such as religion as a manipulative tool, parenting, abuse in various forms, grief, trauma, friendships, familial ties and more. Since I went into this book blind, I didn’t have any expectations but bruh, was this book heavy?!
I know telling stories from the POV of children would shed light on how helpless children can be and how the minds of children worked but reading it being set against a backdrop of insurgency had my mind blown. The interconnectedness of each tale made my heart race and had tears forming in my eyes.
This was a good read. As heavy as the story was, I loved and enjoyed the contrasting ease and fluidity of Jesudubami’s writing style and I look forward to reading more books from this author.
Wonderful debut. 👏🏽
Senami –
Really great book! Amazing storyline, easy read…love love love!!!
Princess Ufe –
When I first picked up this book, I didn’t like the writing style because it was told from a child’s perspective. Surprisingly, that ended up being one of the very reasons I fell in love with it.
The story follows the lives of three children who were forced to grow up too quickly. From an abusive father, to an absentee one, to another who thought abandoning his child to an Almajiri would somehow correct his son’s stubbornness.
My favorite character has to be Ahmed, a young boy still trying to navigate the complexities of adolescence, who desperately needed the guidance of a good parent. Instead, he was robbed of his childhood and fell into the hands of terrorists.
Without giving too much away, if you’re looking for a quick read that will keep you on the edge of your seat, I highly recommend this.
Lady –
“𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘸 .”
Have you ever wondered what the world looks like through the eyes of children?
𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘶𝘣𝘢𝘮𝘪’𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘶𝘵, Big Small People, offers a front-row seat into that world: 𝘳𝘢𝘸, 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭.
Told from the perspective of three children: 𝘋𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘩, 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘥, this story brings together voices from very different walks of life. Their worlds collide in ways that feel both devastating and divine.
They are children, yet life doesn’t let them just be children. There’s no room to simply play, laugh, or be carefree. Instead, they face the weight of religion, terrorism, politics, grief, and survival.
It’s a powerful reminder that children are not immune to the storms we try to shield them from.
That everything that happens in our society echoes in the hearts of the smallest among us.
𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝:
✍🏼 A writing style that is simple, sincere, and stirring
👧🏽👧🏽👦🏽A narrative voice that is innocent but never naive
✍🏼 Themes that run deep:childhood trauma, resilience, grief, silenced voices, and mental health
𝘐 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥. 𝘐 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥. 𝘐 𝘱𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵.
A must read!!!!
Chidalu Iduma –
I can’t say that this is my first reading a book written from the perspective of children, but this is my first time a book written from children’s perspective made me feel. It was raw, almost feeling heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.
The author’s language brought each book character to life, exploring their feelings, their thoughts, and their pain. And that was what made the book remarkably memorable.
It’s a book I’ll recommend more than a thousand times because it’s brilliant, and it’s profound, making children’s stories matter more than anything else. It’s one book everyone should read.