Your Pan-African Bookstore

A one-stop shop for book-related solutions.

Welcome to the new Soma Nami...

What started out as a blog for book reviews and a gathering of friends in a book club, has grown into a one-stop shop for book-related solutions. We are now a bookstore, a book café, a book box service, and a book club.

We are located at The Greenhouse Mall, Ngong Rd, Nairobi,  Suite 12, Ground Floor, West Wing, 

Book of the month

The History of a Difficult Child

by Mihret Sibhat

የወሩ መጽሃፍ- የከባድ ልጅ ታሪክ በምህረት ስብሃት።

ኢትዮጵያ የራሷ የሆነ የግእዝ ፊደል አላት አሁንም በሃይማኖታዊ ጽሑፎችና ጽሑፎች ውስጥ ጥቅም ላይ ይውላል። በዓለም ላይ ካሉት ጥንታዊ ፊደላት አንዱ ሲሆን የተለየ እና የሚያምር መልክ አለው።

Did you know? Ethiopia has its own unique script called Ge’ez, which is still used in religious texts and literature. It is one of the oldest alphabets in the world and has a very distinct and beautiful appearance.

This month, we take a trip up north to the land of the world’s most ancient civilization and language – Ethiopia 🇪🇹 to discover what happens when mother, God, and country are at odds, and how one difficult child finds her voice.

Synopsis:
Wisecracking, inquisitive, and bombastic, Selam Asmelash is the youngest child in her large, boisterous family. Even before she is born, she has a wry, bewitching omniscience that animates life in her Small Town in southwestern Ethiopia in the 1980s. Selam and her father listen to the radio in secret as the socialist military junta that recently overthrew the government seizes properties and wages civil war in the North. The Asmelashes, once an enterprising, land-owning family, are ostracized under the new regime. In the Small Town where they live, nosy women convene around coffee ceremonies multiple times a day, the gossip spreading like wildfire.

As Selam’s mother, the powerful and relentlessly dignified Degitu, grows ill, she embraces a persecuted, Pentecostal God and insists her family convert alongside her. The Asmelashes stand solidly in opposition to the times, and Selam grows up seeking revenge on despotic comrades, neighborhood bullies, and a ruthless God. Wise beyond her years yet thoroughly naive, she contends with an inner fury, a profound sadness, and a throbbing, unstoppable pursuit of education, freedom, and love.

Trending Books

Our Book Categories

Gift Boxes

For All Your
Special Occasions

You know when we take a break it’s because we are working on something grand! We paused our book boxes so we could rebrand and make it a value add product, incorporating all your feedback. 

Re-introducing the Soma Nami Book Box – revamped, rebranded and so much value for you our dear clients. We have curated our current Holiday Book box as the perfect gift for yourself and your loved ones.

Upcoming Events

Contact Us Today

Email: info@somanami.co.ke | Tel: +254 705 548 052

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.