Yorùbá Boy Running

By Biyi Bandele | Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

About the book

SHORTLISTED FOR THE DIVERSE BOOK AWARDS 2025
LONGLISTED FOR THE ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE 2026

Yorùbá Boy Running charts Samuel Ajayi Crowther's miraculous journey from slave to liberator, boy to man, running to resisting

'Run, Àjàyí, run!'

The day the Malian slave traders invaded the Nigerian town of Òsogùn, thirteen-year-old Àjàyí's life was split in two.

Before, there was his childhood, surrounded by friends and family, watched over by the ancient Yorùbá gods of forest and water, earth and sky. After: capture, slavery - and release, into the service of a new god, his own culture left far behind. So Àjàyí becomes Samuel Crowther - missionary, linguist, minister - and abolitionist: driven to negotiate against his own people to end the miserable trade in human beings which destroyed his family.

From the heart-stopping drama of Àjàyí's last day of freedom to his consecration as the first African Bishop of the Anglican Church, Biyi Bándélé's kaleidoscopic reimagining of Crowther's life is a brilliant tour de force.


WITH AN INTRODUCTION FROM WOLE SOYINKA

'A true artist. A brilliant writer. An original thinker' Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

‘Biyi Bándélé had a prolifically talented and creative mind, shown in everything he touched. Yorùbá Boy Running is no exception’ Chiwitel Ejiofor


Cover artwork Chris Ofili, Blind Leading Blind, 2005 © The artist.

Editions of Yorùbá Boy Running

Hardcover
ISBN 9780241562697
Paperback
ISBN 9780241995464
EBook
ISBN 9780241562703
AudioStreaming
ISBN 9781405959179

Read an Excerpt

SHORTLISTED FOR THE DIVERSE BOOK AWARDS 2025
LONGLISTED FOR THE ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE 2026

Yorùbá Boy Running charts Samuel Ajayi Crowther's miraculous journey from slave to liberator, boy to man, running to resisting

'Run, Àjàyí, run!'

The day the Malian slave traders invaded the Nigerian town of Òsogùn, thirteen-year-old Àjàyí's life was split in two.

Before, there was his childhood, surrounded by friends and family, watched over by the ancient Yorùbá gods of forest and water, earth and sky. After: capture, slavery - and release, into the service of a new god, his own culture left far behind. So Àjàyí becomes Samuel Crowther - missionary, linguist, minister - and abolitionist: driven to negotiate against his own people to end the miserable trade in human beings which destroyed his family.

From the heart-stopping drama of Àjàyí's last day of freedom to his consecration as the first African Bishop of the Anglican Church, Biyi Bándélé's kaleidoscopic reimagining of Crowther's life is a brilliant tour de force.


WITH AN INTRODUCTION FROM WOLE SOYINKA

'A true artist. A brilliant writer. An original thinker' Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

‘Biyi Bándélé had a prolifically talented and creative mind, shown in everything he touched. Yorùbá Boy Running is no exception’ Chiwitel Ejiofor


Cover artwork Chris Ofili, Blind Leading Blind, 2005 © The artist.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Yorùbá Boy Running about?

SHORTLISTED FOR THE DIVERSE BOOK AWARDS 2025
LONGLISTED FOR THE ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE 2026

Yorùbá Boy Running charts Samuel Ajayi Crowther's miraculous journey from slave to liberator, boy to man, running to resisting

'Run, Àjàyí, run!'

The day the Malian slave traders invaded the Nigerian town of Òsogùn, thirteen-year-old Àjàyí's life was split in two.

Before, there was his childhood, surrounded by friends and family, watched over by the ancient Yorùbá gods of forest and water, earth and sky. After: capture, slavery - and release, into the service of a new god, his own culture left far behind. So Àjàyí becomes Samuel Crowther - missionary, linguist, minister - and abolitionist: driven to negotiate against his own people to end the miserable trade in human beings which destroyed his family.

From the heart-stopping drama of Àjàyí's last day of freedom to his consecration as the first African Bishop of the Anglican Church, Biyi Bándélé's kaleidoscopic reimagining of Crowther's life is a brilliant tour de force.


WITH AN INTRODUCTION FROM WOLE SOYINKA

'A true artist. A brilliant writer. An original thinker' Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

‘Biyi Bándélé had a prolifically talented and creative mind, shown in everything he touched. Yorùbá Boy Running is no exception’ Chiwitel Ejiofor


Cover artwork Chris Ofili, Blind Leading Blind, 2005 © The artist.

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Yorùbá Boy Running?

Fiction > Biographical fiction / autobiographical fiction

Where can I read a sample of Yorùbá Boy Running?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780241562697

Who is/are the Author/s of the book Yorùbá Boy Running?

Biyi Bandele

Who is the Publisher of the book Yorùbá Boy Running?

Penguin Books Ltd

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

Yorùbá Boy Running is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780241562697) and paperback(ISBN 9780241995464) and ebook(ISBN 9780241562703) and audiostreaming(ISBN 9781405959179)

Where can I buy Yorùbá Boy Running online or support local independent bookshops?

You can buy Yorùbá Boy Running from below

Where can I buy Yorùbá Boy Running?