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November 5, 2021
Okezie Nwoka's Playlist for Their Novel "God of Mercy"
In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book.
Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others.
Okezie Nwọka’s novel God of Mercy is a powerful, moving, and inventive debut.
Foreword Reviews wrote of the book:
"In Okezie Nwọka’s dazzling and disquieting novel God of Mercy, battles between gods reignite a war between religions . . . Rife with magical realism and full of promise . . . God of Mercy undertakes a scrupulous review of the destructive power of colonialism through an imprisoned, gifted girl."
In their own words, here is Okezie Nwoka's Book Notes music playlist for their debut novel God of Mercy:
In my debut novel, God of Mercy, I write about a girl whose “disabilities” disrupt the traditions of her village causing foundational systems and beliefs to be dismantled. It’s a novel about belief, change, duality, and magic and is also a novel that is a love letter to members of the Igbo diaspora and the larger Black community. I set out to write a novel that engages with the idea of how black communities can evolve without the influence of white colonizers and I think readers will come away with immersive experience with culture and what it means to re-create it.
Music is a great love of mine. If I couldn’t be a writer I would quickly pick up a pen to draft lyrics to songs (something I have done many times before). That being said, music was influential in my crafting of God of Mercy. I love to listen to music before I write and sometimes during the editing process. The following are songs that played some role in my journey with this novel of magic and miracle.
1. “Ekwueme” by Prospa Osinachi
This song carries the same title as a character in God of Mercy. Ofodile, the father of the protagonist Ijeoma, is also called Ekwueme. This song is sung partially in English and partially in Igbo. It’s a gospel song that I imagine would have been sung in Precious Word Ministries the church where Ijeoma is imprisoned. I think beauty can exist in the most contradictory of spaces and even though this fictional church did terrible things, I believe it could house a wonderful song like “Ekwueme.” The song itself talks about how everything God says God does which is the meaning of the name Ekwueme and is an accurate depiction of how God or Chukwu is depicted in God of Mercy.
2. “I Love Being Black” by Jonathan Lykes & Black Youth Project
The title of this song speaks for itself. “I Love Being Black” was a song gifted to me by my sibling Jovan Julien for a birthday I spent writing God of Mercy. The song itself goes through all the different aspects of black identity and reinforces how beautiful they all are. I wrote God of Mercy in part as a love letter to my black community. I see how the legacy of colonization has disrupted black security and building our own sense of beauty and purpose. “I Love Being Black” then is a perfect antidote to the toxic messages our communities hear about the black experience. I also love that children are artists featured in the song.
3. “Uwa Bu Olili” by Celestine Ukwu
This song is a classic! To my Igbo brothers, sisters, and siblings who grew up listening to High Life this song will be familiar. My Igbo is not good enough to know what “Uwa Bu Olili” translates to in English. My best attempt and translation would be “The world is consumption” though my dad seems to think olili translates to entertainment or enjoyment. My dad is most likely right so we can say the song means “The world is for entertainment.” In any case, I love this song because of its smooth vibe. Celestine Ukwu the song’s composer is known as a philosopher and although I can’t understand everything he’s saying I can feel the wisdom emanating from his words. I did a lot of translating to write God of Mercy. I worked toward “Englifying” the Igbo I grew up hearing and I think the novel is more successful because of this.
4. “Reborn” by Kanye West and Kid Cudi
I first listened to “Reborn” by Kanye West and Kid Cudi when I was experiencing some depression during my writing of God of Mercy. Things were bad. I couldn’t figure out how to edit the novel to make it “work.” My agents at the time seemed dissatisfied with me as a client. I was afraid I would never sell the book. My whole life seemed to be in disrepair. Thankfully the song kept repeating its mantra “Keep moving forward” and I did. I listened to this song many, many times to get me through the funk of being a writer and with it I found light at the end of the tunnel. I was able to move forward with the writing, complete my edits, and make God of Mercy the novel it is today. I truly appreciate this song and recommend it for anyone experiencing hard times.
5. “Shine” by Swoope
“Shine” is such a happy song. I remember playing it on repeat during a trip to visit my best friend, Reggie Cole, in Seattle. It was my vacation but Reggie still had to work and I still had to write. So I packed up my laptop and headed to his office in downtown Seattle and I wrote my revisions to God of Mercy in an empty cubicle by Reggie’s desk. This song reminds me of the close bond we have as brother-friends and of the close bond between Ijeoma, the novel’s protagonist, and her best friend Chinwe. “Shine” has a lot of light in it and it is sure to cheer up anyone that listens to it.
6. “Chinedum” by Flavour
“Chinedum” is another Igbo song that I listened to a lot while writing God of Mercy. Chinedum translates to “My personal god (or God) leads me.” It’s a song about resilience, courage, faith, and patience all qualities that any writer needs to survive in this industry. I listened to it while writing God of Mercy on those days when I didn’t have an agent and I didn’t know how I was going to sell this book and have my dreams as of being a published author materialize. Listening to this song was in many ways a prayer––my way of believing that everything was going to work out for the best. Also, a fun fact is that the first three letters of word i.e., “chi” is a character that appears in God of Mercy.
7. “Wanting Memories” by Sweet Honey in the Rock
“Wanting Memories” is probably one of the most beautiful songs ever written. It was composed and sung by Sweet Honey in the Rock: an all-black, all-female acapella group with a rich social justice history. This song got me through some tough times during the writing process and soothed me when I thought everything was going downhill. It’s a song about navigating the memories of the past, which I had to do a lot of while writing God of Mercy. Writing the novel brought up a lot of nostalgic moments for me, like by first visit to my mom and dad’s village in Igboland and all the wonder that came with that experience e.g. meeting family for the first time, eating new foods, playing new games and new songs, etc. I put all that nostalgia into the writing so that my reader would get a strong sense of place and setting. This is a beautiful song and I hope it gets some more air time.
8. “Lonely” by Jamila Woods
“Lonely” by Jamila Woods is a gem. I listened to this song while visiting my brother-friend Ian Allen in New York. I was trying to figure out some feelings of melancholy that were following me and apart of processing those emotions was accepting that so much of life is done in loneliness. I appreciate Jamila’s celebration of loneliness and her reminder that we need it to ground and to remember who we are in this crazy world. I specifically remember listening to this song over and over while eating lunch at IHOP and wondering what the future would hold for me as an aspiring writer. Its songs like this that help get one through uncertain times––when you don’t know what the outcome will be but you are truly praying for the best.
9. “Crazy Tings” by Tems
So I’ve got to admit; I encountered this song after God of Mercy was published. But I count it as part of the list because I am still on a journey as a debut author. Crazy things are seriously happening and I am so excited to see what the future holds for my career as a writer. I hope to publish more books and connect with readers that understand the importance of a Spirit-led liberation. I hope that the goals that I’ve set out to accomplish as a writer materialize so that we can live in a more just and merciful world. This whole process of debuting is so crazy and is so filled with wonderful things. I am so grateful to Chukwu and my ancestors for guiding me through this wild ride called life.
Okezie Nwọka (he/they) was born and raised in Washington, D.C. They are a graduate of Brown University, and attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop as a Dean Graduate Research Fellow. They teach and live in their hometown.
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