I couldn't get through this title. It ended up not being for me, but I hope it finds a hope with other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a powerful book tackling a very difficult subject. Bush's impactful, emotional writing does not allowed the reader to turn away from the struggles of these young boys, forced to beg and mistreated under the guise of religion. Excellent novel.

“No one can mistake the sight of a Talibé; toting the economy-size red tin tomato can, bare callused feet, shaved heads patched with eczema, skinny bodies, and faces of children without love.”

In Senegal and other Moslem countries young boys, a talibé, are sent to a man called a marabout to be educated in the Quran. To support the maribout these children must spend their days begging in the streets for money and food. It is a relationship that is full of abuse and exploitation. This book is about Ibrahimah 7 and his older cousin Étienne who are sent by their families to Dakar to live with, and work for, Marabout Ahmed. Ahmed is one of the worst maribouts - greedier and more abusive.

This book is really relentlessly depressing. There is just no excuse for the treatment of these children. The whole custom is a human rights violation and I don’t know how it is permitted to exist. The book was generally written well and there were a few hopeful moments, but there was also a lot of repetition because there was not a lot of variety in the days of these boys. The book exposes a shameful situation, but it wasn’t a fun read. 3.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Your heart will go out to these young Senegalese boys who have been sent to the capital, Dakar, to study the Quran under the tutelage of their religious mentor. Instead they are used and abused as a moneymaking scheme, forced to beg for money and food. Keisha Bush's writing will transport you to the streets of Senagal and have you rooting for the boys as they struggle to survive and plan their escape to return to their village and families. Disturbing to read at times, but beautifully written.

This was a hard book for me to read. But that doesn't mean it was bad. It was just hard. The cultural and language stuff the setting and traditions that I had no background in. Combine that with the heavy painful.life of the characters the abuse and struggle this was a book I had to read in small doses. However it was beautifully written which is part of why it was hard to read, because I felt like I was right there in the story on the streets with the boys and in the home mourning with the mother and all of it. I felt the sun and the heat even in the middle of winter. I don't want to spoil the book and therefore I won't discuss the plot. In summary this is an important book but not a pleasant book.

Wow. I maybe just read one of the best books of 2021. How is this a debut? This is a total gut punch and will stay with me forever. Read this!!

Keisha Bush's "No Heaven for Good Boys" is centered around Ibrahimah's life as a Talibe and his family's grief around the loss of their youngest living child. This book was really great from the characters, to the setting, plot, and overall flow of the story. While some of the subject matter is hard to read and it took some web searching to learn a bit more about Talibes, I really enjoyed this read.

This was a gut punch of a novel. Child abuse, starvation, murder, and betrayal are frequent occurrences throughout the book. The story centers on a young child named Ibrahimah who was taken from his home and his family in Southern Senegal to live as a talibe (student of the Quran) in the capital city of Dakar. Each day, Ibrahimah and the other talibe arise from their cardboard mats to venture out and collect enough earnings for their marabout (teacher) to avoid his physical abuse. Throughout the book, Ibrahimah thinks of his family back home and tries to figure out a way to return.

As devastating as this book is, there is immense beauty in its narrative. Bush weaves feelings of hope and resilience tethered to the love of family and community throughout the heartbreak. There are beautiful moments of joy and spiritual/dreamy scenes that take you beyond the hurt the characters face. Above all, it is a moving tale that teaches about the power of the human spirit as well as an intimate look into Senegalese culture.

Absolutely stunning novel of two resilient Senegalese boys helping each other survive.

This book is so beautifully written I barely have words to describe it. It's so alive. As we follow little cousins Ibrahimah and Etienne through the streets of Dakar, Keisha Bush stimulates all of our senses - both beautifully and painfully. On one hand, we're watching and smelling the food being prepared; on the other hand, we see the two boys beg for food and money, as is forced upon them by their abusive marabout (teacher), Marabout Ahmed.

Ibrahimah and Etienne are not orphaned; their families entrusted the boys to a teacher who is meant to educate them in Quran, but the abuse they endure is truly heart-wrenching. Yet, we can't help but root for the two playful boys who find the strength to survive every day.

I absolutely loved the characters, as well as the very vivid setting in urban and rural Senegal. Keisha Bush's writing is extraordinary and I want to thank her for taking me all the way to Senegal in the time when I can't leave home.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

NO HEAVEN FOR GOOD BOYS by Keisha Bush is a heart breaking novel about a boy, Ibrahimah, who leaves his family in Salloulou, Senegal at the age of six to become a Talibé (a boy who studies the Quran at a daara) in Dakar but then must endure a hard life put upon him by his marabout (teacher). It was oftentimes hard to read this sad story. We follow the day to day life as Ibrahimah and his cousin have to beg strangers for food and money in order to avoid beatings from their marabout. It was difficult to read about these boys struggling to survive. It was also difficult to read about his mother who was so distraught to live without her son. In the end I found so many parts disturbing that I was just glad to have finished reading it. Msg me for the many content warnings!

Fictionalized account based on a religious custom in Senegal of giving boys to a Marabout who is supposed to educate them in Quran. Over the years this practice has become abused and thousands of these Talibe children are starved, mistreated, abused and forced to beg for food and the daily quota alloted by their Marabouts. Well-written, heartbreaking story!

Even though I’ve never been to Senegal, I could picture the scenes these boys were living through. It was a compelling and devastating story and I was rooting for Ibrahimah the whole time not to give up. Beautiful writing. Can’t wait for her next one.

I really enjoyed this book even though the subject is depressing. For some reason it seemed like I had read this book before. It is not the most deep book but it brings up a lot of questions and educates you on a subject even though it is fiction

This powerful story taught me about a culture and part of the world I didn’t know much about. One thing I love about reading is it can transport you to places you’d likely never be able to visit. The ending left me thinking and while there was an element of magical realism, I found it was woven throughout the story very well.

Ugh. This book hurt my soul. "No Heaven for Good Boys" is a beautiful debut novel by Keisha Bush. The plot is dark and depressing but so rewarding as well. We follow 6 year-old Ibrahimah and his cousin, Etienne through the streets of Dakar, as they beg for money for their abusive teacher, Marabout Ahmed. I thought the opening scene where Ibrahimah and Etienne go to the zoo was gorgeously written. Beautiful imagery and excellent dialogue throughout this whole novel. And even though this book might upset some due to the abuse that the two cousins endure, but you will wholeheartedly root for them every step of the way. I had to dock a star only because of the magical realism elements. Not badly written, just not my cup of tea. I appreciated the cryptic ending, not cookie-cutter or patronizing. The cover art is stunning as well. Such an emotive and heartbreaking novel. You might shed a tear of two.

Thank you, Netgalley and Random House for the digital ARC.

Release date: October 13, 2020

This may end up being one of my favorite reads this year. The setting, the story, the characters are all intriguing. If you know nothing of Senegal this is your book. You'll be caught up in the story of the boys who are forced to be out begging everyday and the families they have left behind. This book needs to shoot right up to the top of the best seller's list and I look forward to reading her next work.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Gorgeous. Heartbreaking. "No Heaven for Good Boys" transports you to Senegal, a country I confess I knew little about. From the talibés with their tomato cans begging for coins on the streets of Dakar to the yassa poisson being prepared in a village kitchen, this book brings it all alive. The characterizations of the young cousins, Ibrahimah and Étienne, is brilliant; they're a realistic blend of naive and knowing, wise and silly. It would have been easy to make them symbols, but instead they were rendered as flesh-and-blood boys.

The reason I'm not giving this five stars is that there were a few elements of magic realism/mysticism that didn't work for me, though that's purely subjective on my part (I'm not a fan of that sort of thing, so I felt those instances made the story drag). Regardless, if you want to be immersed into a culture little known here in the States and are open to a few emotional sucker punches, this is the book for you.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.