Book description
Finalist for the Man Booker International Prize 2015
Michel is ten years old, living in Pointe Noire, Congo, in the 1970s. His mother sells peanuts at the market, his father works at the Victory Palace Hotel, and brings home books left behind by the white guests. Planes cross the sky…
- Coming soon!
Why read it?
1 author picked Tomorrow I'll Be Twenty as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I was taken to Congo Brazzaville in the 70s. I know that 10-year-old boy, Michel, the narrator of this exploration of urban, postcolonial childhood. As the continent oscillates between cold war ideologies, Michel innocently observes the world around him and truthfully arrives at philosophical conclusions based on his intelligence. The skillful mix of moments of sad reflection with the joys of childhood thrills the adult perspective, thus giving us 1970s Pointe Noire and the air around it.
From Feyisayo's list on The best novels about African post-colonial life.
If you love Tomorrow I'll Be Twenty...
December on 5C4
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
Want books like Tomorrow I'll Be Twenty?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 39 books like Tomorrow I'll Be Twenty.
Share your top 3 reads of 2026!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
186
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Tomorrow I'll Be Twenty, you might also like...
Child of Vanris
At five years old, Kasiel was found with the pointed ends of his ears cut off. Despite that brutal start, he’s lived twelve peaceful years with the man who took him in. Keeping his hair long over his mutilated ears helps him hide the fact that he is Vanrian, a…
Almost Home
Almost Home is a fictional retelling of the last great tragedy of the Civil War.
In late April 1865, almost 2,000 newly freed Union prisoners of war are packed onto the steamer Sultana, in poor repair and with a listed capacity of 376 passengers. Among them are four Indiana soldiers…
