"No Heaven for Good Boys" is the story of two young boys living as talibe in the city of Dakar, Senegal. Their day to day life consists of begging on the street for change, finding new ways to eat, and something still fitting in small ways to be a child. Each night, they return home to their marabout who beats them if they do not reach their daily money quota.
While this is horrific, the story drives home how commonplace this seems because they are two of many and people never seem to do anything. Furthermore, the book is often highlighting the divide between the rich and the poor, the privileged and the less fortunate. The arbitrary boundaries of religion and culture make any chance of rescue almost taboo, seeming to trap the boys in their situation. The book drives this home by jumping to the perspective of one of the boys' mothers, who struggles against the powerless brought by this boundary.
After finishing this book, I grieved it. Reading the experiences of a 6 year old who is going through such unimaginable amounts of struggle is hard, but it is someone's reality, and his story must be told.
Feel free to check out this book and let me know what you think!
- Leo
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