Reviews
National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist "Brilliant and essential. . . . A work of understated and heartfelt prose that relates one man's intimate view of the epic cultural and political shifts that created modern Africa." -- Los Angeles Times "Extraordinary. . . . Among the major works of history and literature of our time." -- The Washington Post "Elegantly written . . . a testament to the power of education." -- Chicago Tribune "Ngugi's memoir eloquently telegraphs the complicated experience of being simultaneously oppressed and enlightened at the hands of a colonial regime." -- The New York Times Book Review "More than 60 years later, Ngugi continues to wrestle with the greater significance of each event in his formative years, searching for resolution but often only discovering more questions. . . . A useful firsthand look at circumstances which have played out, and continue to play out, on countless stages around the world." -- The Boston Globe "Richly moving. . . . [Ngugi's] reconstruction of the era is lucid, the incidents he records from these years are vividly recorded; it's very easy to see the young man slowly changing directions as he becomes one of Africa's great writers and thinkers." -- Counterpunch "Strong and memorable. . . . Ngugi has a remarkable lightness of touch. . . . A document of a remarkable writer's political coming-of-age." -- The Independent (London) "Luckily there was such a sharp mind present at this time and place to record with such perspicacity the confluence of race, politics, war, and literature." -- The Daily Beast "Amazing. . . . The author easily keeps the balance between the whimsical, political, spiritual and personal." -- Ebony "A particularly powerful indictment of British colonialism and a lasting testament to the healing power of literature. Never bitter or one-sided, tempered throughout by a love of language that cuts across deep cultural divisions, including inter-tribal rivalry. . . . There's much to ponder here." -- Times Higher Education (London) "A fine and fiery book. . . . A compelling memoir." -- The Scotsman "An inspiring story of a young man determined to excel and escape." -- Kirkus "Alternately youthfully innocent and politically savvy, this is a first-rate telling of that African revolutionary elite who determined the future of their continent." -- Publishers Weekly, Praise for In the House of the Interpreter National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist "Ngugi''s memoir eloquently telegraphs the complicated experience of being simultaneously oppressed and enlightened at the hands of a colonial regime." -- New York Times Book Review "It''s a work of understated and heartfelt prose that relates one man''s intimate view of the epic cultural and political shifts that created modern Africa . . . . Ngugi wa Thiong''o''s Kenya endures. And it comes alive in the pages of his brilliant and essential memoir." -- Los Angeles Times "Many incidents in In the House of the Interpreter will remind readers of the great novels of the African American canon, particularly Richard Wright''s Black Boy and Ralph Ellison''s Invisible Man , both about blacks pursuing an education in a nation riddled by racial prejudices . . . . Considering the scope of Ngugi''s life, when completed his extraordinary memoirs encompassing colonialism, post-colonialism, English racism, African despotism, exile, and fame may well belong among the major works of history and literature of our time." -- Washington Post "Elegantly written...a testament to the power of education." -- Chicago Tribune , "Editor''s Choice" "More than 60 years later, wa Thiong''o continues to wrestle with the greater significance of each event in his formative years, searching for resolution but often only discovering more questions...a useful firsthand look at circumstances which have played out, and continue to play out, on countless stages around the world." -- The Boston Globe " In the House of the Interpreter stands out as a particularly powerful indictment of British colonialism and a lasting testament to the healing power of literature. Never bitter or one-sided, tempered throughout by a love of language that cuts across deep cultural divisions, including inter-tribal rivalry, this memoir leaves the reader eager for the next installment." -- The Times of Higher Education "Richly moving...[Ngugi]''s reconstruction of the era is lucid, the incidents he records from these years are vividly recorded; it''s very easy to see the young man slowly changing directions as he becomes one of Africa''s great writers and thinkers." -- Counterpunch "Luckily there was such a sharp mind present at this time and place to record with such perspicacity the confluence of race, politics, war, and literature." -- The Daily Beast "Amazing...The author easily keeps the balance between the whimsical, political, spiritual, and personal." -- Ebony "An inspiring story of a young man determined to excel and escape." -- Kirkus Reviews "Alternately youthfully innocent and politically savvy, this is a first-rate telling of that African revolutionary elite who determined the future of their continent." -- Publishers Weekly Praise for Dreams in a Time of War "Absorbing . . . Infused with a child''s curiosity and wonder, this book is deeply touching in its revelation of a whole community''s stake in nurturing a writer." --The Guardian "Startling, vivid, [and] inspiring . . . Whether recalling joyful or challenging times, Ng~ug~ý displays a plainspoken yet beautiful prose style." --The Christian Science Monitor Praise for W izard of the Crow "In his crowded career and his eventful life, Ng~ug~ý has enacted, for all to see, the paradigmatic trials and quandaries of a contemporary African writer caught in sometimes implacable political, social, racial, and linguistic currents." --John Updike, The New Yorker "A great, spellbinding tale, probably the crowning glory of Ng~ug~ý''s life''s work . . . He has turned the power of storytelling into a weapon against totalitarianism." --The Washington Post Book World "One of Africa''s greatest writers, and certainly the foremost voice of Kenyan literature . . . Possibly the best comparison to make is with Salman Rushdie''s Midnight''s Children. " --San Francisco Chronicle
