…but she is very correct. In truth, nearly all the men in Lagos are mad because I don’t understand this outrage with the book’s title, especially by men.
Note: ‘Mad’ in this context does not mean ‘angry’ as Americans might have made us to believe. I believe that ‘Mad’ in the context that Damilare Kuku meant when she wrote this book means ‘crazy,’ ‘insane’, ‘not normal’, or ‘ment,’ as we say and use on the streets of Twitter. I am not capping when I say that these are the best qualifiers to describe Lagos men and trust me when I say that I am talking from first-hand experience.
It is only if you are one of the men that felt ‘attacked’ by this book, or if you are a desperate ‘pick me’ who lives for validation, that is when you will hate this book. Contrary to popular belief, this book is not full of feminist propaganda. It is not male-bashing. It is just a collection of relatable stories that have either happened to you or someone you know. Trust me; you know somebody who knows somebody that one or two of these stories have happened to.
Spoiler alert!
‘Nearly all the Men in Lagos are Mad’ is a selection of short stories that cut across people from all walks of life who have one thing in common; relationship issues.
There’s the boli seller whose husband wants a soft life for, because he doesn’t see the need to work. Then, there’s the social climber who uses women (and his friends) to ‘chill with the big boys.
Also featured is a pastor’s wife who will do everything and anything to keep the ‘marriage asunder’ to the girl whose man was determined to keep her as a baby mama and not a wife. Then, there’s a nurse who was too eager to leave her husband, and the girl who didn’t know that her long-time boyfriend who refused to commit to her was married to another woman.
There is also the girl who just wanted an oyinbo boyfriend because she is tired of Nigerian men, the mama’s boy who met the perfect girl but let her slip through his hands because mama disagreed; the housewife who knew her husband was ‘swinging across oceans’ but milked the situation dry; the upcoming superstar who slept with two friends in one night; the one who paid her cheating her husband in his own coin by cheating back; and the one whose innocent childhood was cut short by a senseless rape.
Damilare Kuku, without mincing words, created a masterpiece. People will be talking about this one for years!
Set in contemporary Lagos, these stories are not interwoven, but they have a central theme. The language is very simple, everyday words and even some slangs were thrown in for good measure. The book is also highly imaginative.
Read this book if you can. If not for anything, read it for the really interesting stories of other people.
