Today we talk about Beyond the Goat Pen: An African Woman’s Journey, a book by Latifah Ajetunmobi published with our Publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author, Latifah Ajetunmobi, to get to know her better, where and when she found the inspiration to write her book Beyond the Goat Pen: An African Woman’s Journey, as well as what the crucial themes of her story are.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- Where and when did you find the inspiration to write your book?
The inspiration for this book is deeply personal, it begins with my mother, my number one fan and the woman I dedicated this book to. Twenty-three years ago, I lost my father. My youngest sibling was only seven years old at the time. Almost immediately, my father’s relatives descended on our family and took everything including his gratuity. They threatened to take us children away from our mother. But she stood her ground. As a widow with nothing but her strength and her faith, she raised eight children, and today, all eight of us are graduates. I always say she is stronger than Superman and Wonder Woman put together. But my inspiration did not stop at home. As I moved through different communities and workplaces, I kept encountering women whose stories mirrored my mother’s pain. Women who had just lost their husbands, only to be accused by their in-laws of causing their husbands’ deaths. Women who were subjected to dehumanizing treatment, stripped of their properties, and left with nothing. The faces changed, but the story remained the same. I realized this was not just my mother’s story, it was the story of countless African women suffering in silence. I knew I had to write it. Not just to honour my mother, but to give a voice to every woman who has been robbed of her dignity simply for the act of surviving.
- What are the crucial themes of your book?
At the heart of Beyond the Goat Pen are three interconnected themes. The first is resilience — the extraordinary ability of a woman to bend without breaking. My mother lost everything overnight, yet she refused to be destroyed. That spirit of rising in the face of devastation runs through every page of this book. The second is the strength of African women. African women carry so much grief, responsibility, cultural pressure, and injustice often all at once, and often in silence. This book is a celebration and an acknowledgement of that strength, which I believe is unmatched anywhere in the world. The third, and perhaps the most urgent, is the abolition of harmful cultural practices. Widowhood rituals that strip women of their dignity, accusations of killing their husbands, and seizure of properties, these are not traditions worth preserving. The book also addresses the deeply painful issue of infertility. In many African communities, women are automatically blamed when a couple cannot conceive, often before any medical investigation has taken place. This blame brings shame, isolation, and sometimes the destruction of marriages yet the conversation is rarely had. This book refuses to stay silent about it. The fourth theme is parenting teenagers. Adolescence is a season of exploration, and with that comes mistakes some small, some life-altering. The book looks at how parents can navigate this season with wisdom, patience, and connection rather than fear and control. This theme bridges naturally into my broader work as a parent and teen coach. Together, these themes tell one story: that African women deserve better, that our children deserve better, and that silence is no longer an option.
- What is the message you want to convey to your readers?
The message is simple but powerful no matter where you start, even behind a goat pen, your story is not finished. You can rise, redefine yourself, and use your pain as your platform. To every woman who has been stripped of her dignity, accused, mistreated, or silenced, this book is for you. To every woman who has been blamed for infertility and shamed before she was even heard, before a single medical test was run your pain is valid, and your worth is not measured by your womb. And to every parent raising a teenager this book reminds you that mistakes are part of the journey. Your child is not broken; they are growing. Your job is not to be perfect but to stay connected. When we speak up, when we tell our stories honestly, we begin to change the world our children are growing up in.
- How would you define your writing style?
I would describe my writing style as narrative and conversational I write the way I speak, from the heart. The book is rooted in real lived experiences, yet told through the lens of storytelling, which allows the reader to feel like they are sitting with me, walking through these moments firsthand. My style is also deeply cultural and authentic. I do not sanitize the experiences I describe; I tell them as they happened, with all their rawness and emotion, because that is the only way to honor the women whose stories inspired this book. At the same time, there is a thread of hope running through my writing. I am not just documenting pain; I am pointing toward the possibility of change. So, while the subject matter can be heavy, the voice is warm, personal, and ultimately empowering.
- Are you working on a new writing project you can tell us about?
Yes! What many people may not know is that Beyond the Goat Pen is actually my second book. My first published work, The Phone-Free Teenager, focuses on helping parents navigate the challenge of social media and phone addiction in teenagers. It comes from my work as a certified parent, teen, and life coach, and from a deep understanding that the teenage years are a season of exploration, one that requires parents to be present, informed, and connected. The two books are more connected than they may first appear. Both speak to the importance of protecting the vulnerable, whether that is a widow who has lost everything, a woman blamed for infertility, or a teenager navigating a world full of digital pressures and peer influence. At the core of both books is the same message: that families, communities, and cultures must do better. As for what is next, I continue to develop resources, frameworks, and content that sit at the intersection of family wellness, cultural advocacy, and empowerment. There is certainly more to come.
Europe Books thanks the author, Latifah Ajetunmobi, once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside her on the editorial path that led to the publication of her book Beyond the Goat Pen: An African Woman’s Journey. We wish her the best of luck for her future works.
To you, my readers, may this book remind you that we never stop growing, rising again, transforming suffering into strength, and that everything can change in our world if we want it and if we believe in it.
So, my dear readers, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your Editor!