Whenever you buy a book from our online store, we may make a small commission which supports our work. Visit our online store here.
In the past, I didn’t really associate books with comedy. That is not to say that I had never read a book that made me laugh—certain scenes in random books can be humorous or even downright hilarious. But I never really went to books for humour; I never imagined that humour could be central to the concerns of a book.
So, imagine my surprise—and delight—the first time I read a book that did not just make me laugh occasionally but had humour woven into its very narration, with a joke in almost every paragraph. A book whose entire enterprise was based on humour. That book was Zadie Smith’s White Teeth; and I have eagerly sought out books like that ever since.
In our latest book recommendation, we have compiled a list of books that are funnier than a front-row seat at a comedy show. From the story of the childhood of one of Africa’s foremost comedians to a biting satire about the Nigerian society, the books on this list will certainly make your belly rumble with laughter.
Read our recommendations below.
mr loverman
Author: bernardine evaristo
Genre: Fiction
Husband, father, and grandpa, Barry Walker is 74. Though he has been married to Carmel for about 50 years, he has maintained a secret relationship with his best friend and soulmate, Morris, since childhood.
Now, at old age, Barry’s marriage is falling apart. Carmel, who believes he’s having an affair with other women, cannot stand the sight of Barry. For his part, Barry is sick of her nagging and of hiding his true self. Now, he wants to divorce Carmel and move in with his one true love. But it just might be too late for Barry to live the kind of life he has always wanted.
Mr Loverman is a profound and affecting story told partly in Barry’s voice, the witty, streetwise and humorous voice of a ‘flamboyant Hackney personality.’
Be(com)ing Nigerian: A Guide
AUTHOR: elnathan john
GENRE: non-fiction
Be(com)ing Nigerian is a satirical guide to Nigeria. It explores the quirks and contradictions of Nigerian society, politics, and daily life, unpacking behaviours, cultural norms, and survival strategies that Nigerians are known to adopt. It has been described as ‘an affecting, unrestrained and satirical guide to the Nigerians you will meet at home and abroad, or on your way to hell and to heaven.’ In the book, Elnathan John explores various topics—from corruption and religiosity to social etiquette and dealing with family expectations—with sharp wit and humour.
Tomorrow I Will Be Twenty
AUTHOR: alain mabanckou
GENRE: fiction
Michel is a ten-year-old grown up. He has grown up problems, from his twelve-year-old girlfriend who threatens to leave him for another boy, to a witch doctor who tells his mother that Michel is the reason why she can’t have another child. According to the witch doctor, Michel has hidden the key to his mother’s womb. Now, he must find this spiritual key and unlock his mother’s womb.
Tomorrow I Will Be Twenty is Congolese author Alain Mabanckou’s fictionalized memoir about his childhood in Pointe Noire, Congo, in the 1970s.
Cassava Republic Press is proud to announce the launch of their inaugural $20,000 Global Black Women’s Non-Fiction Manuscript Prize dedicated to exceptional works by Black women. Deadline: 30th June 2024. Learn more here.
His only wife
AUTHOR: peace adzo medie
GENRE: fiction
Afi Tekple wants a better life. A young seamstress, she lives with her widowed mother in a small town in Ghana. Most of her time is spent away from home, in her uncle’s house, with his many wives and children. Afi despairs, until, one day, she receives an offer of an arranged marriage from a wealthy family, the Ganyos. If she marries their son Elikem, she will have an entirely new life of comfort. She agrees, but soon finds that things won’t be as rosy as she expected. On the wedding day, Elikem fails to show up, sending a stand-in instead, so that Afi doesn’t meet her new husband until weeks after the wedding. She soon learns that her husband is in love with another woman whom his family disapproves of, and it is her responsibility to win his heart. By this time, Afi has moved into a posh apartment in Accra, and has absolutely fallen in love with the city and the independence it gives her.
born a crime
Author: trevor noah
Genre: non-fiction
Trevor Noah has earned a reputation as the ultimate funny guy. A stand-up comedian and former host of America’s The Daily Show, in 2016, he upped his game by gifting the world an autobiography that is just as hilarious as any of his stage performances.
In Born a Crime, Noah takes us back to his childhood in apartheid South Africa. A mixed-raced child of a Black Xhosa mother and a Swiss-German father, Noah’s very existence is in defiance of the law that illegalizes interracial relationships during the apartheid era. This made his birth essentially a crime.
In his memoir, Noah details his experiences growing up ‘a crime’ in South Africa with his usual wit and humour. The book has been described as an ode to his strong-willed mother, who raised him in poverty with the help of her mother. Like the master comedian that he is, Noah recounts troubled and difficult experiences from his childhood in a way that makes readers roll over with laughter while appreciating the profundity of the situation.
white teeth
AUTHOR: zadie smith
GENRE: fiction
In 2000, British-Jamaican novelist Zadie Smith stunned the world with her debut novel, White Teeth. In this book, we meet two unlikely friends, Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal, both veterans of World War II who settle in London and build families. Archie’s wife, Clara, is a Jamaican immigrant, and Samad’s arranged marriage to Alsana produces twin sons with clashing views on tradition and modernity.
As the two families navigate life in multicultural London, they confront the complexities of immigration, religion, and assimilation. Through its humour and vividly portrayed characters, White Teeth examines how history, culture, and family shape identity in a changing world.
the trials of brother jero
AUTHOR: wole soyinka
GENRE: drama
In his 1963 play, Nigerian Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, explores the perennial Nigerian problem of religiosity and religious hypocrisy. In it, we meet Brother Jero, a self-proclaimed prophet. Though he runs a beachside church in Lagos, Nigeria, Brother Jero is far from being a man of God. He manipulates his followers, giving them fake prophecies that feed their illusions and make them do his bidding. Soyinka approaches his subject with his famous wit and keen observation, detailing the escapades of a religious fraud.