Vitabu Books

Hardcover: 382 pages Publisher: AuthorHouse (March 29, 2014) Language: English ISBN-10: 1491874120 ISBN-13: 978-1491874127 In her debut novel, Smoke in the Kitchen , Gloria S.N. Allen introduces Sara, a third-generation auctioneer, who recently found the courage to let go of a lovelorn past. Perhaps, Ben Moses, a well-traveled policy adviser, was just the man to draw the shrewd businesswoman out of loneliness, but their first Easter together in the “extra-large home” they share brings the 40-something couple more than a symbolic new birth into living hope. Sara wants to fuel, and fill, her kitchen with wood-smoke as she cooks delicious dishes; fend off nagging claims to the old family business she's built up against the odds, and raise a family. Sara’s challenges are emotionally absorbing and Ben must find ways to help them see the world anew. But Smoke in the Kitchen is more than family drama. The book also sheds light on adoption in Sierra Leone, ...

In the United States, the month of April has been designated Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The goal  is to raise public  awareness about sexual violence and to educate communities and individuals on how to prevent sexual violence. Below is a short story by Mariama Seray Kandeh. She is a gender and rights activist and uses her voice as a journalist to convey her message. ----------- Sidi lay on the grass-filled mattress feeling angry and disgusted with a tradition he had come face to face with again. Light shone through the window and the morning felt very warm; the thatch hut had not helped to ease the heat. He took off his under vest and went to the petite window held up by a piece of stick. Feeling coolness from the light breeze of the fresh water river behind his compound, he told himself, “This is better than discussion with Papa and uncle.” Sidi had woken up early that morning and gone out for a jog in white shorts and under vest. He had also gone t...

Aminatta Forna will launch an eBook for children Friday, April 4, 2014. Forna wrote on Facebook that all proceeds from "The Angel of Mexico City" (Amazon Kindle) will go to Rogbonko Village School, a project she founded in 2003, and to Worldreader. "On Friday 4th April my ebook for children The Angel of Mexico City will be launching on Amazon. All profits to Rogbonko Village School, a project I founded and have been supporting since 2003 and Worldreaders who make kindles and ebooks available to primary school children in several different African nations. " Worldreader is a non-profit that eradicates illiteracy by delivering the largest culturally relevant library to people in low-income countries—digitally and inexpensively.  So far, 944, 300 e-books have been sent to Africa. Rogbonko is a village of 500 people in central Sierra Leone, the name means 'the place in the forest' in Temne. Rogbonko was founded by Aminatta Forna's grandf...