March 3, 2025
Book Travel: Maame
“They just won’t understand, you know? We’re Ghanaian, so we do things differently,” writes one of the characters in Jessica George’s Maame.
Maame, whose title means “woman” in Africa (according to Ancestry.com), is a 2023 fictional coming-of-age novel set in Croydon, a borough of London. George has you hanging out with the main character, Maddie, who straddles the line between her Ghanaian roots and her life in England while she works through cross-cultural (and other) struggles. She is battling with all the usual suspects of being a young adult: family and illness, love, career, and figuring out her place in this world.
Now, let’s plan a trip to Croydon!
Who likes zombies? Go to the TripAdvisor app where, for $21, you can sign up to participate in a game/tour where you will encounter zombies and learn if and how well you would survive during a zombie apocalypse!
Not into zombies? There are several hiking and biking trails surrounded by lush forests and hills, and landmark sites like towers and windmills. From Croydon, you can take tours of Cambridge, the Cotswolds, Stonehenge, and other nearby London well-knowns.
After your zombie encounter, you will probably be ready for some non-human sustenance. Croydon has a decent food scene with choices like the raved-about Sri Lankan wings at Machan Kitchen, Chicken Shish from Mithras Restaurant, South African cuisine, Turkish, Taiwanese, European, and more! You will not go hungry in Croydon!
Looking for somewhere to hang up your zombie garb for the night? Croydon has plenty of lodging options starting at $65/night and up. You can slumber in places like the Hampton by Hilton, Premier Inn, Leonardo Hotel, or what Expedia calls the best hotel in Croydon, the Hilton London Croydon. Personally, my curiosity is intrigued by CitizenM (www.citizenm.com). With views of the famous London Bridge, common areas that are filled with books, 370 smart rooms, views of the London skyline near the Gherkin and Sky Garden, and a rooftop bar, this sounds like the place for me!
If you’re interested in seeing how Maddie of Maame lived, doing some zombie chasing, or snuggling into a bed with a view of the London skyline, think about checking out the UK and making your way over to Croydon, London.