Hell in Heaven

Modou Gueye
AuthorHouse (2009)
ISBN 9781438966373
Reviewed by Deb Shunamon for Reader Views (10/09)


Have you ever been in a verbal discussion and wished the other person would just be quiet and listen to you without interrupting? Modou Gueye says he did not write “Hell in Heaven” for anyone, which has freed him to do just that - openly present his many, often uncomfortable, views and observations on a variety of issues regarding the U.S.A. The thoughts of this educated African immigrant from Senegal, who went to the States for a two-week visit and ended up staying for nineteen years, will be an eye-opener for many.

Hopefully readers will not get distracted by the writing style. The author writes in African English where the pacing and expressions are different, and it is an inconsistent book. For example, the personal first quarter of the book is quite different from the remainder. However, Mr. Gueye is worth paying attention to. American Blacks and Africans are different, and while the information lag in the author’s home country sometimes made him appear to be more innocent than he actually is – such as hoping he will not have to witness any lynchings while in the States, as he saw on TV programs back home – his views are current and thought-provoking. Observations on the amount of food available and wasted, and the roles of men and women, for example, are interspersed with his explanations on how Africans survive in the U.S.A., and harsh questions on worldwide religious terrorism, and Islamic countries and the United States.

Africa is a huge continent with a diversity of peoples, cultures and histories, so it must be remembered that Modou Gueye’s opinions are not, necessarily, representative of all Africans.
However, anyone who thinks they know Africa, its countries, and peoples without ever having met someone from there; anyone who has trouble understanding how fault can be found with their great American nation; or anyone willing to step outside their comfort zone to become the observed, will find “Hell in Heaven” well worth the read.

Make comment on weblog