First published in 1979, The Joys of Motherhood is the story of Nnu Ego, a Nigerian woman struggling in a patriarchal society. Unable to conceive in her first marriage, Nnu is banished to Lagos where she succeeds in becoming a mother. Then, against the backdrop of World War II, Nnu must fiercely protect herself and her children when she is abandoned by her husband and her people.

Powerful, moving and profound, The Joys of Motherhood paints a rich, nuanced portrait of life in colonial Nigeria and dramatizes the changing role of women in the twentieth century.