Johnny Mad Dog

Set amid the chaos of West Africa's civil wars, Emmanuel Dongala's striking new novel tells the story of two teenagers growing up while rival ethnic groups fight for control of their country. One young narrator, Johnny "Mad Dog," is a member of the Death Dealers, a rebel faction bent on seizing power in war-torn Congo. The other, Laokole, dreams of becoming an engineer, but as rogue militias sack the city, she is forced to leave home - and then finds herself running from the likes of Johnny.