5 reasons ‘Jostice’ is a must-read

A collection of 22 short stories, ‘Jostice’ is a debut book of Plateau State Authors’ Group (PLASAG) and is set to be unveiled on June 1 2018 at a dinner at Zumji Event Centre, Jos. There are many reasons why this book should be on your to-read list. Bookshelf gives you ten.   It’s about […]

A collection of 22 short stories, ‘Jostice’ is a debut book of Plateau State Authors’ Group (PLASAG) and is set to be unveiled on June 1 2018 at a dinner at Zumji Event Centre, Jos. There are many reasons why this book should be on your to-read list. Bookshelf gives you ten.

 

It’s about the Plateau

A number of thoughts run through your mind when Plateau State, and particularly, Jos, is mentioned. First, perhaps, is it’s often freezing weather. This was probably why it used to have one of the highest number of visitors, particularly Caucasians, at some point in Nigeria’s history. But then, the upheavals began, religious and ethnic crises that rocked the state to its very foundations. However, the state still stands, even when these clashes continue. This is some of what you find in the depth of this collection, stories about the plateau’s rocky beauty, and the blood that taints sweet memories. But wait, these stories will also take you far away, to places where you will smile, laugh and marvel.

Lessons

The very first story in this collection, ‘Halal for Chairman’ prepares a reader’s mind for the journey ahead. It introduces you to present-day Jos, its glory almost completely stripped off, remnants fighting to stick like glue. You will find the city through the eyes of Emeka’s father, love what it once was, and abhor what it has become. Two family friends come together to celebrate Easter in the city, but before then, you will feel the trepidation, see the scars and the city’s lost glory. The host family, the Audu’s will later, over a dilemma as to what to offer their Muslim neighbours, rediscover friendship and unity in the most unusual manner. Perhaps, perhaps…there’s hope after all.

How a lie becomes true

It isn’t April yet, and it doesn’t appear to be the first day of the month when Dazi decides to play a prank on his friends. But you are likely to sympathise with Dazi. Unlike some pranksters, his friends included, he seems to have a good reason. It happens on an adventure with his friends, this prank our central character plays, and little does he know, it will solidify an age-old superstition in his community and leave him staring wide-eyed. Unlike some stories in this collection, ‘Dazzled Dazi’ will trick you away from the urban life of the plateau and take you to rocky terrains where stories begin. 

Variety

You will not see it coming (okay, now you do), but meeting Coach Poleeyo may just change your life, forever. Who is Poleeyo? You will realise that having a handicap, of any kind, isn’t the end of the world. After all, this man ends up living his dream through the boys he coaches. This is another ingredient ‘Jostice’ doesn’t miss, variety and the element of surprise. Before you bat an eyelid, you’re reading a story that unearths some of Nigeria’s present challenges, and this one, the fight to eradicate polio and the country’s challenging health system. You may find yourself recalling how Nigerian leaders fly abroad to attend to their health, but most of all, the reminder that dreams carry life.

Romance

A necessary ingredient, romance, is what you find in ‘Against All Odds’. It’s no news that inter-marriages between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria always comes with a dose of controversy. This is the case when Nengak, a Christian courts Zara. He gets thrown out of the girl’s home by the father who calls him an infidel. This is where the tale really begins. The love birds had met in the University of Jos, and Nengak had saved Zara from an angry mob (who would have killed Zara because she is Hausa and a Muslim) during a crisis. 

‘Jostice’ sometimes reads like a well-balanced investigative report. Anyone familiar with religious or ethnic upheavals in Nigeria knows both sides have their villains and there’s hardly a group that’s never at the receiving end. Just like Kaduna, which is divided along religious lines, with Muslims mainly in the northern part and Christians in the south, Jos is no different.