aqilahreads's review against another edition
2.0
i dont know what to feel about this one, i really adore ngugi's works but this memoir just feels like its missing something......
one of his works that i rlly enjoyed is called the perfect nine ((its one of my top 5 reads in 2020!!!)) which was written in epic poem, generally about feminism and gender equality if you guys would like to check it out
one of his works that i rlly enjoyed is called the perfect nine ((its one of my top 5 reads in 2020!!!)) which was written in epic poem, generally about feminism and gender equality if you guys would like to check it out
jada's review against another edition
4.0
similarly to wizard of the crow, his writing style has this appeal which I can't really explain much. i liked learning about what was going on in kenya in the 50s, and i saw the inspiration for some things seen in wizard of the crow (some names and stuff said about satan and temptation). also, his realisation about the black+white monolith gave something to think about. surprisingly, I also enjoyes reading about his journey with spirituality.
letitiaharmon's review against another edition
3.0
While a fairly easy read as auto-bios go, there was just not a compelling enough narrative. The back and forth from village to school which dominates the first 2/3 was not stimulating. Ngugi's thoughts on religion were much more compelling, as was the dynamic of being a beneficiary of the system which his brother fought against and he later opposed. Captured the dualistic nature of colonialism pretty well, but not necessarily in an interesting way.
jaclyn_youngblood's review against another edition
4.0
This was a nice companion to the pre-high school days laid out in Dreams in a Time of War. I enjoyed the interspersing of commentary about how the author came to think a certain way, or hold a certain expectation of the world. The introduction of things familiar from summer camp (lights out, being woken in the morning in your bunk, preparing for performances while also attending classes) also brought this second volume to life for me in a way the first volume didn't necessarily. Throughout both, though, it was illuminating to hear the author's perspective on, and means of coming by the information, world events. A trick of the trade for memoir, I suppose. I'd read more by Ngugi.
p_tremuloides's review against another edition
3.0
Well written, but about halfway through I found my attention lagging, as it stayed until the last 15-20 pages.
ninkadp's review against another edition
this book was abandoned in the lobby of my old apartment in DC, and i didn't realize it was the second memoir, chronologically, of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o until i spotted the first at a used bookstore in philly yesterday. now that i'm finished with this book, back in time i go...
beatricks's review against another edition
3.0
Probably a more relevant read if one is familiar with Ngugi's body of work and story; probably a richer read if one has read his childhood memoir (I had plenty of opportunity to read his other works in the six months since I began this book in March and then left it unfinished on a plane, but stubbornly chose to stick to this, which I picked up on a whim at the library). Still, with very little context, a smoothly told and thought-provoking presentation of colonial Kenya.
lieslindi's review against another edition
Excerpt:
[Someone reads] a passage from Pilgrim’s Progress in which Christian, while visiting the Interpreter’s house, is taken into a parlor full of dust. As the room is being swept, the flying dust almost chokes the onlookers. Then a woman sprinkles water on the floor and all is well:
Another excerpt, news to no one but worth repeating:
This tendency to make Europe the reference point for human experience was exacerbated by the content and approaches in other subjects as well. In geography, the European landscape, mountains, rivers, and industrial locations were the primary formations to which the African versions, secondary of course, could now be contrasted. (106)
[Someone reads] a passage from Pilgrim’s Progress in which Christian, while visiting the Interpreter’s house, is taken into a parlor full of dust. As the room is being swept, the flying dust almost chokes the onlookers. Then a woman sprinkles water on the floor and all is well:
Then said Christian: What means this? The Interpreter answered: This parlor is the heart of a man that was never sanctified by the sweet grace of the gospel. The dust is his original sin and inward corruptions that have defiled the man. He that began to sweep at first is the Law; but she that brought water and did sprinkle it is the gospel. (92)
Another excerpt, news to no one but worth repeating:
This tendency to make Europe the reference point for human experience was exacerbated by the content and approaches in other subjects as well. In geography, the European landscape, mountains, rivers, and industrial locations were the primary formations to which the African versions, secondary of course, could now be contrasted. (106)
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