Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree

Based on interviews with young women who were kidnapped by Boko Haram, this poignant novel by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani tells the timely story of one girl who was taken from her home in Nigeria and her harrowing fight for survival. Includes an afterword by award-winning journalist Viviana Mazza.

A new pair of shoes, a university degree, a husband—these are the things that a girl dreams of in a Nigerian village. And with a government scholarship right around the corner, everyone can see that these dreams aren’t too far out of reach.

But the girl’s dreams turn to nightmares when her village is attacked by Boko Haram, a terrorist group, in the middle of the night. Kidnapped, she is taken with other girls and women into the forest where she is forced to follow her captors’ radical beliefs and watch as her best friend slowly accepts everything she’s been told.

Still, the girl defends her existence. As impossible as escape may seem, her life—her future—is hers to fight for.

• A Powerful Captivity Narrative: Drawn from the real-life interviews of young women kidnapped by Boko Haram, this novel offers a harrowing and unforgettable look at their fight to survive.
• Unbreakable Hope: Faced with unimaginable horror, a young girl holds onto her dreams of an education and a future, refusing to let her captors extinguish her spirit.
• A Test of Friendship: Forced into the terrifying world of a terrorist camp, she must watch as her own best friend begins to believe the radical doctrines they are taught.
• Social Justice Fiction for Teens: A vital, timely, and necessary read that illuminates the ongoing crisis in Nigeria and the importance of education for girls everywhere.