Nigerians in Space

"It's time to end the brain drain and move to brain gain. It's time for a great mind of Nigeria to return home. You're the mind we need, Doctor."

1993. Houston. A lunar rock geologist gets an outlandish request: steal a piece of the moon. Dr. Wale Olufunmi has a life most Nigerian immigrants would kill for, but then most Nigerians aren't Walea great scientific mind in exile with galactic ambitions.  With both personal and national glory at stake, Wale manages to pull off the near impossible, setting out on a journey back to Nigeria that leads anywhere but home.

Nearly twenty years later, in present day South Africa, street kid Thursday Malaysius takes up smuggling something almost as preciousSouth African abaloneand quickly finds himself in over his head, with the police, the mob, and just about everybody else on his tail.

Compelled by the actions of these two menand the nosy, troubled young daughter of a South African freedom fighter who has gone missingNigerians traces intersecting arcs in time and space from Houston to Stockholm, from Cape Town to Bulawayo, as the lives of Thursday and Wale spiral toward an unlikely collision.

Deji Olukotun's debut novel, "Nigerians in Space," defies categorizationa story of international intrigue that tackles deeper questions about exile, identity, and the need to answer an elusive question: what exactly is brain gain?

Praise from Charles Yu, National Book Award 5-Under-35 winner and author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

"Nigerians in Space is two really good books in one. On one level, it's an action-packed crime story, full of color and detail and sharply drawn, memorable characters. At the same time, it's a moving and emotional story about families and orphans, about leaving home and going home, about wanting more for yourself, your family, and your country. Fast-paced, well-written and packed with insight and humor. Olukotun is a very talented storyteller."

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