Literary deep dive into pre & post colonial Kenya

I had heard many great things about this book from other Agikuyu people. The title piqued my interest because I was able to translate it to Mukuru-we wa Nyagathanga, and it brought back memories of being a small child and asking my parents about how our people came to exist.

From the very beginning, I was gripped by the strong imagery and non-linear writing style that captivated my usually very poor attention span. It was the use of Gikuyu words and names that made this all the more an authentic experience for me. I could almost smell the goats and farm life being described.

A good book should take you on an emotional journey. It should warm your heart, it should make you cry, make you laugh, confuse you.
This book did all of these things and more.

I really appreciated the subtle political references that arose without deviating from the plot and the literary aspect of the book. They made me reflect deeply on the things that I hold as fact.

The attention to detail in the imagery; the depiction of places familiar and familiar to me was exquisitely done. In my minds eye, I could see all of the many settings within the book.

I was initially surprised to hear Lee Goettal's voice at the beginning saying Gikuyu words, and wished that the author had read this book or at least a native Gikuyu actor. However, towards the end. I came to appreciate this juxtaposition in performance. The pronunciation of words was good and it almost felt like an intentional choice from the author; contributing further to the complexities around migration, home and belonging explored within the book.

Overall, I would listen to this book again. I would also highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be taken on a literary journey through time, space and nations, with an almost microscopic lens into the intimacies of everyday people who just want to be great.

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