Uzodinma Iweala (born November 5) is a Nigerian-American author and medical doctor. His

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

, ''

Beasts of No Nation ''Beasts of No Nation'' is a 2005 novel by the Nigerian-American author Uzodinma Iweala, that takes its title from Fela Kuti's 1989 album of the same name. The book won the 2005 Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and was adapted as a mov ...

'', is a formation of his thesis work (in creative writing) at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. It depicts a child soldier in an unnamed African country. The book, published in 2005 and adapted as an award-winning film in 2015, was mentioned by ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', ''

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'', and ''

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.'' In 2012, he released the non-fiction book ''Our Kind of People'', about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Nigeria. He later released a novel titled ''

Speak No Evil ''Speak No Evil'' is the sixth album by Wayne Shorter. It was released in June 1966 by Blue Note Records. The music combines elements of hard bop and modal jazz, and features Shorter on tenor saxophone, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Herbie H ...

'', published in 2018, which highlights the life of a gay Nigerian-American boy named Niru. Iweala is currently the CEO of The Africa Center in Harlem, New York.

Family and education

The son of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Iweala attended St. Albans School in Washington D.C. and later

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

, from which he graduated with an A.B., ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'', in English and American Literature and Language, in 2004. His roommate at Harvard was the future mayor of

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

and U.S. transportation secretary

Pete Buttigieg Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg ( ; ; Sometimes pronounced or , but not by Buttigieg himself. born January 19, 1982) is an American politician and former military officer who is currently serving as the United States secretary of transp ...

. While at Harvard, Iweala earned the Hoopes Prize and Dorothy Hicks Lee Prize for Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis, 2004; Eager Prize for Best Undergraduate Short Story, 2003; and the Horman Prize for Excellence in Creative Writing, 2003. He graduated from

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the graduate medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founded ...

in 2011 and was a fellow at the

Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University—also known as the Harvard Radcliffe Institute—is a part of Harvard University that fosters interdisciplinary research across the humanities, sciences, social sciences, arts, a ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

Novels

''Beasts of No Nation'' (2005)

''Speak No Evil'' (2018)

In his second novel, Iweala explores the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, nationality and the diaspora through the story of Niru, a Nigerian-American high-school senior living in a middle-class

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separ ...

of Washington, D.C., who comes out as gay to his white straight friend Meredith. The first two thirds of the book are narrated by Niru while the last third is narrated by Meredith. Niru must learn how to negotiate his many identities: being a Black man in America, being the child of Nigerian immigrants, coming from a middle-class background, as well as being gay. Niru is forced to confront the many ways in which he is privileged, as well as disenfranchised. Iweala also interweaves themes of religion, cultural dislocation, mental health, police brutality, and more, all of which further add to and further complicate Niru's life and identities.

Literary awards

In 2006, Iweala won the

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's Young Lions Fiction Award. In 2007, he was named as one of '' Granta'' magazine's 20 best young American novelists.

References

External links

Audio: Uzodinma Iweala reading from ''Beasts of No Nation''
at the Key West Literary Seminar, 2008.
Audio: Iweala reads from work-in-progress about people living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria
From Key West Literary Seminar, 2008.
Radio interview
on ''Bookworm''. * Andrea Sachs

''Time'' magazine, November 29, 2005. {{DEFAULTSORT:Iweala, Uzodinma Igbo writers Nigerian male novelists 1982 births Living people Harvard College alumni John Llewellyn Rhys Prize winners St. Albans School (Washington, D.C.) alumni Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni American people of Igbo descent African-American novelists American male novelists 21st-century American novelists 21st-century Nigerian novelists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American people African-American male writers Vanity Fair (magazine) people