Welcome to Litsy!

Started this after seeing a discussion video on @shawnmooney ‘s BookTube channel about the author. It explores the complexities and nuances of human struggle for survival, contemplates morality in a world corrupted by colonialism, and asks, “What does it mean to be free?” A book which does not seek to provide easy answers. I took many notes and underlined a lot. Destined to be a top read of the year for me.

Finished my first #FabulousFebruary book. I only had 50 pages left on Friday but this is a book required close attention. There is some untranslated Kikuyu/Swahili throughout, the names are unfamiliar to Westerners and the narrative has subtle time shifts.

Well worth the investment, however. Fantastic look into Kenya on the cusp of Independence; the terror & repercussions of colonial oppression & the destructive weight of guilt on the psyche.

This is my stack for the #FabulousFebruary readathon. All are in various stages of completion and I might even manage to finish the tagged book tonight. 😃

Also, on my e-reader, I just downloaded Breast and Eggs from the library-my last #TOB2021 🐓 book other than the pictured The Down Days.

A random book off the shelf...off that particular shelf. Not sure how to review this, although for some reason I like the sound of the description—“a book on post-colonial Kenya”. For all there is about Kenya‘s Mau Mau Rebellion, it‘s the way he is able to capture the emotional state of characters the really struck me - especially jealousy and disappointment.

WOW. I wish I‘d already known the history in this book, the history of Kenya and British repression and torture and concentration camps there, the history of Uhuru, before - but since I didn‘t, I‘m so glad that I read this book, and I will read more not only of Ngugi wa Thiong‘o‘s books but also other Kenyan & East African authors - preferably women! In any case, the multi-voiced book about life under colonial rule is complex and great. #classic

“His faith in British Imperialism had once made him declare: To administer a People is to administer a soul.”

The utter fire of this and other quotes from white British officers in this book, so convinced they are right, so inspired by Kipling, so deeply racist and wrong. Damn.

Reading a #classic this month!

I kind of closed my eyes and pulled a book off the shelf, and this was it. Enjoying...and also trying to figure it out, and trying to figure out 1960‘s Kenya.

A beautifully written book but my inner feminist did not enjoy this at all

This book was not an easy read, mainly because 1) there are many characters and I can't even tell what gender Kikuyu names are (a list of characters would have been helpful), and 2) the narrative jumps back and forth in time in a great way, but it demands quite a lot of focus from a reader who can't even remember who's who. Don't read this book over a long period of time, but do read it.

Now that I can remember who's who I'm starting to enjoy this book! It only took me 160 pages 😁

All of a sudden it struck me how relevant this combo is.

I'm increasingly getting the feeling I'm not going to just fly through this book...

I completely forgot that I am supposed to have this book read for my final tomorrow.

#FuckingHell #AfricanHistory #History #AfricanLiterature

Up here in Scandinavia we don't have a lot of book boxes, but there is at least ONE! And this is the second box they've sent out. Unfortunately, I've read the Alekseyevitch book (if you haven't read her books you should be embarrassed and go do so right now), but it's not that big of a deal since I didn't actually own it and her books can be read 10 times. Quite excited about Thiong'o!