Ugali…grits…polenta…lots of variations of what many of us eat across the world. I think it is fascinating to see how many of our meals are very similar. As a Southerner, I love grits. I literally can eat them with every meal, especially cheese grits. Ugali is somewhat similar. This recipe called for maize meal. This article stated that you probably wouldn’t want to eat this dish alone (you have to pair with another dish). She is not lying! Thankfully I had some crack dip (cream cheese, sausage, and rotel) in the fridge, so I added some to the ugali. I think for now I will stick with my grits.
For the book…
My mom gave me this book to read. It was one that she could not get into. After reading the book, I can see where some will like it and some will not. It is historical fiction, which I love, AND about a time period I have not read about. I saw this as an opportunity to learn about a historical event in Kenya that I knew nothing about.
If you have read any of my previous posts, like the one on Crazy River by Richard Grant, you will know that one of my favorite time periods to teach is colonialism in Africa. Regardless if I am teaching World History, Economics, or Advanced World Geography, I have always spent time on the “Scramble for Africa” and how colonialism shaped Africa. What I usually do not have time to teach, though, is the individual movements within countries who fought for their independence. This book is one of those movements – the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya.
A little about the book…
After six years in England, Rachel has returned to Kenya and the farm where she spent her childhood, but the beloved home she’d longed for is much changed. Her father’s new companion—a strange, intolerant woman—has taken over the household. The political climate in the country grows more unsettled by the day and is approaching the boiling point. And looming over them all is the threat of the Mau Mau, a secret society intent on uniting the native Kenyans and overthrowing the whites.
As Rachel struggles to find her place in her home and her country, she initiates a covert relationship, one that will demand from her a gross act of betrayal. One man knows her secret, and he has made it clear how she can buy his silence. But she knows something of her own, something she has never told anyone. And her knowledge brings her power.
I liked this book. It brought awareness to an uprising that I knew little about (more like seen in textbooks but never studied). The way the book is written helps bring to light the complexity of events during this time. On one hand, you totally get their desire for independence. On the other hand, you see how violent extremism (basically, domestic terrorism) can do more harm to a movement, taking the focus away from what you are fighting for. Then…you have the pushback on the British response against the Mau Mau society. Through the characters in the book, you struggle with these issues when trying to understand this violent movement. I researched many articles about this event and found it interesting that perspectives vary based on interpretation. I came across one article that I thought summed up what this book presents – history is never black and white. Here is the article that I suggest you read. If you are needing a little more into the history of this movement, read the article linked here. Here is a video on the Mau Mau movement (with interviews and actual footage…one of the family’s massacred in the video is also in the book):
So should you read this book?
If you like historical fiction, I think yes. It presents a complex, historical situation where you grapple with both viewpoints while still cringing at the brutality of the movement. Thinking about this movement, I can’t help but consider many events that take place even today – how a legit issue that should be discussed can be hijacked by a radical, extremist group which then takes the focus off the issue, leaving one to focus on the group instead of the issue! Think about it…
