Jun 19, 2013


Bead Bai Review on Amazon.com
by Mehboob Habib 









Sultan Somji has done an superb job of collecting personal stories from family/community Elders and weaved these stories into an amazing narrative of the trials and tribulations of a community in migration.

Jun 9, 2013

Bead Bai - Review by Elaine Miranda (Painter)



Bead Bai - Review Written by

Elaine Miranda (Painter) on Amazon.ca


5.0 out of 5 stars - A must read. May 23 2013

There are two ingredients that I require in a book selection, a great story and engaging complex characters. Bead Bai meets both of these expectations and delivers so much more. Sultan Somjee is the consummate storyteller and he writes with the same artistic vision as his main character, Sakina. She exhibits incredible depth and strength in her journey to become the artist she is destined to be. Somjee's Bead Bai took me to an exciting colourful world and he taught me things about a culture I knew nothing about and all with the breathtaking canvas of Africa setting the stage. The writing is rich and textured and weaves like a tapestry taking his characters on a journey towards their respective destinies.

Although I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters in Bead Bai I especially connected with Sakina. I now feel that she is a friend of mine and I have been there to share in her fears, to lament her losses and to celebrate her triumphs. I have watched her grow from a young girl, to a wife, mother and ultimately into the artist every fiber of her being demands of her.


To quote Somjee "one needs to eat this story" chew it slowly and savour every morsel.

Bead Bai - Reader Review on Amazon.com by Mathew



5.0 out of 5 stars Lyrical. Fascinating. Magical, May 9, 2013

A lyrical journey through the eclectic atmospheres and vibrant cultures of the East African Coast.
Through the eyes of the protagonist we experience the diversity of thought, language, expression, ritual and tradition as she deals with the challenges, trials and tribulations of life as a woman and as a merchant in East Africa. A must-read, for those who would like to understand the cultural diversity and get a taste of the cultures during a time of large changes to coastal East Africa. Who better to tell the story than an ethnographer, who grew up and experienced these cultures first hand. Get ready to be swept away on a magical journey of forbidden desires and fascinating characters in this spellbinding novel.

Link to the review