Around the World for a Good Book selection for: Botswana
Author: Gothataone Moeng
Title: Call and Response
Narrator: Warona Setshwaelo
Publication Info: Penguin Audio, 2023 
Summary/Review:
This debut collection of short stories depict life in contemporary Botswana, typically from the perspective of women and girls. Many stories are set in the capital and largest city of Gaborone, and contrast the traditional ways of the outlying villages to the modern ways of the big city when young people move there for work. Generational conflict is also a major theme. The lingering effects of colonialism color the stories, as does ongoing crises like the AIDS epidemic. The longest story “Early life and education,” follows the life of Lerako, a man raised by extended family after his mother’s unplanned pregnancy, and takes place over many decades paralleling the changes in Botswana at the time. Moeng is an interesting writer and it will be worth seeing what she publishes next.
Rating: ***
Panorama of the Mountains 