Imagine Sade

Sade Adeniran is the author of “Imagine This”, a novel,  which won the 2008 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book (Africa Region), and was shortlisted for The Book to Talk About 2009. “Imagine This” is the journal of Lola Ogunwole as she charts her survival from childhood to adulthood. Born in London, Lola and […]

Sade Adeniran is the author of “Imagine This”, a novel,  which won the 2008 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book (Africa Region), and was shortlisted for The Book to Talk About 2009. “Imagine This” is the journal of Lola Ogunwole as she charts her survival from childhood to adulthood. Born in London, Lola and her brother Adebola grow up in a foster home after their mother abandons them. They are reunited with their father who then moves them back to Nigeria. In addition to the trauma of relocation, leaving all you know and have known for the unknown, Lola is soon separated from her father and her brother as they are sent to live with different relatives. Sade describes “Imagine This” as Lola’s search for love and acceptance and her resilience against the odds. But this is only part of the story.

The other is that Sade self published her book when many of the UK publishing houses refused her manuscript. Not everyone who self-publishes is successful and we were interested to know what motivated Sade, what she did, and why in the end she thinks she was successful. Listen to Sade tell us her story, in her own words.