First Love’s Embrace
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"She had never had to talk to a man alone like this in a strange place, let alone a handsome one like the one standing next to her. His voice was like a caress and it did funny things to her heart and her whole body. She was wondering whether it was the malaise coming back..." "They walked out of the airport hand-in-hand... It was as if he wanted the world to know that she was the woman God had created for him. Once found he would never let her go."
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About the Book
It is 1973 in Livingstone, Zambia, and seventeen-year-old Liseli Mwenda has overcome insurmountable odds to become a beautiful, well-behaved young woman with superior intelligence. Normally swarmed with suitors, Liseli detests them all. But when Liseli falls ill and steps outside a church service for fresh air, she meets Banda Zulu, the handsomest man she has ever seen in her life. As they begin to create their own unique love story, Banda and Liseli seem destined to be together forever. But life soon intervenes and disrupts all their seemingly certain plans. When Banda receives a bursary to study abroad, he asks for Liseli’s hand in marriage—certain that his proposal will ensure happy future together forever. As he meets with Liseli’s family, he feels hopeful, even though their families come from two different tribes. Unfortunately, Banda has no idea he is about to be forbidden from seeing his one true love ever again. In this poignant love story, Liseli must wrestle with contradictions between her culture and her dreams as she decides whether to follow her heart or her head.
About the Author
Mwangala Akapelwa is a graduate of the University of Zambia and Harvard University. A mathematician, information technology expert, and corporate leader who served the African Development Bank for over twenty years, she speaks three languages and currently lives in Zambia. This is her first book.