Reviews

Burn My Heart by Beverley Naidoo

audreyjginay's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I am not an expert on any of the issues this book deals with, however I found it very informative regarding Kenyan history. I liked the writing and enjoyed reading from the perspective of two children. From what I can tell, this seems like a good introductory historical fiction regarding this time period. It brought to light extreme injustices that everyone should be aware of.

jillccox's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Heartbreaking and eye-opening. I wish the characters were a little more well-developed, but I learned so much. I’m ashamed to admit that I knew very little about these events.

afro8921's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Burn My Heart chronicles the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya. The story is told through the view of a 12 year old white African boy and a young servant in his household. I admit that the servant's story resonated more readily with me, however the other voices within the story also have merit. The historical context of this book is a perfect introduction to the complexities of revolutions within Africa.

mconnell420's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

I chose to read it for my Young Adult Literature class. I found this book very interesting to read because it introduced me to a culture and world that I knew very little about. I would use this book in a middle or high school classroom to talk about racial conflict and demonstrate how that is still an issue in today's world.
Content Warnings:
Drugs: no
Sex: no
Rock & Roll: racial violence and tension
Language: offensive racial terms
Violence: not too much

afro75's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Burn My Heart chronicles the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya. The story is told through the view of a 12 year old white African boy and a young servant in his household. I admit that the servant's story resonated more readily with me, however the other voices within the story also have merit. The historical context of this book is a perfect introduction to the complexities of revolutions within Africa.

vilhelmiina_h's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

I wish I had read this when I was 10-11 as opposed to now. Still interesting (and horrifying) to learn about the colonial history of Kenya.
More...