"'Sweeping and quietly devastating . In Kosawa, Mbue has created a place and a people alive with emotional range . Profoundly affecting' - New York Times 'The unforgettable story of a community on the wrong end of Western greed, How Beautiful We Were will enthral you, appal you and show you what is possible when a few people stand up and say ""this is not right"". A masterful novel by a spellbinding writer engaged with the most urgent questions of our day' - DAVID EBERSHOFF, New York Times bestselling author of THE DANISH GIRL 'Imbolo Mbue would be a formidable storyteller anywhere, in any language. It's our good luck that she and her stories are American' - JONATHAN FRANZEN 'A David and Goliath story for our times, a riveting tale of how people coming together to make change can topple even the fiercest, best-financed foe' - O, The Oprah Magazine ' How Beautiful We Were goes to the heart of one of the most urgent matters of the day. The highly suspenseful story of an African village's struggle for survival and justice in the face of ruthless American corporate greed is written with remarkable acuity and compassion. Mbue has given us a book with the richness and power of a great contemporary fable, and a heroine for our time' - SIGRID NUNEZ, author of THE FRIEND, winner of the National Book Award 'Imbolo Mbue's revelatory novel of a fictional African village ruined by Big Oil is a mighty addition to the stacks' - ELLE".