Books from Kenya
52 popular kenyan books
Travel the world without leaving your chair.
The target of the Read Around The World Challenge is to read at least one book written by an author from each and every country in the world.
All books that are listed here as part of the "Read Around Africa Challenge" were written by authors from Kenya.
Find a great book for the next part of your reading journey around the world from this book list. The following popular books have been recommended so far.
11.
Devil on the Cross by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o EN
Description:
This remarkable and symbolic novel centers on Wariinga's tragedy and uses it to tell a story of contemporary Kenya.
12.
Dreams in a Time of War : A Childhood Memoir by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o EN
Description:
Recounts the story of the author's childhood, covering his early years in World War II-era Kenya as the fifth child of a third wife, his thirst for learning that singled him out, and the political struggles that shaped his life.
13.
Dust by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor EN
Description:
An audacious and beautiful novel that is both a unique family saga and a spellbinding story of the country of Kenya
14.
Facing Mount Kenya by Jomo Kenyatta EN
Description:
Facing Mount Kenya, first published in 1938, is a monograph on the life and customs of the Gikuyu people of central Kenya prior to their contact with Europeans. It is unique in anthropological literature for it gives an account of the social institutions and religious rites of an African people, permeated by the emotions that give to customs and observances their meaning. It is characterised by both insight and a tinge of romanticism. The author, proud of his African blood and ways of thought, takes the reader through a thorough and clear picture of Gikuyu life and customs, painting an almost ... continue
15.
From My Mother's Back: A Journey from Kenya to Canada by Njoki Wane EN
Description:
In this warm and honest memoir, celebrated academic Njoki Wane shares her journey from her parents' small coffee farm in Kenya, where she helped her mother in the fields as a child, to her current work as a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Moving smoothly between time and place, Wane uses memories, painful and tender, to show how her early lessons and the support given by her family allowed her to succeed as a woman of colour in the academy, and to later lift up her students facing their own difficult journeys.
16.
Going Down River Road by Meja Mwangi EN
Description:
After an exhausting day of hard labour, Ben finds oblivion in the seedy bars and clubs of River Road – anything to leave his cockroach-infested rooms and ignore the reality of living paycheck to paycheck. At times, it's difficult to remember that it wasn't always this way. Somehow, he went from a promising career as a soldier to a disgraceful dismissal and a steady decline into poverty. Now the only thing Ben has left to lose is hope. Writing with colourful realism, Meja Mwangi paints an unforgettable depiction of life in Nairobi's slums – drawing attention to the hardships of the working poor... continue
17.
Herr der Krähen by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o DE
Description:
Ngugi wa Thiong'o wurde 1938 als Sohn einer Bauernfamilie in Kamirithu/Limuru in Kenia geboren. 1967 wurde er Dozent für Literatur an der University of Nairobi, wo er bis 1977 lehrte. Wegen seiner kritischen Auseinandersetzung mit dem postkolonialen Kenia und eines regierungskritischen Theaterstücks wurde er 1977 ohne Anklage inhaftiert und erst nach einer Kampagne von Amnesty International ein Jahr später aus dem Gefängnis entlassen. Nachdem sein Leben unter dem Regime von Daniel arap Moi bedroht wurde, ging er 1982 ins Exil nach London. 1989 übersiedelte er in die USA, wo er heute an der Uni... continue
18.
How to Write About Africa : Collected Works by Binyavanga Wainaina EN
Description:
From one of Africa’s most influential and eloquent essayists, a posthumous collection that highlights his biting satire and subversive wisdom on topics from travel to cultural identity to sexuality “A fierce literary talent . . . [Wainaina] shines a light on his continent without cliché.”—The Guardian “Africa is the only continent you can love—take advantage of this. . . . Africa is to be pitied, worshipped, or dominated. Whichever angle you take, be sure to leave the strong impression that without your intervention and your important book, Africa is doomed.” Binyavanga Wainaina was a pioneer... continue
19.
Matigari by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o DE
Description:
Viele Jahre stand Matigari im Krieg gegen die weißen Kolonialisten und ihre schwarzen Handlanger. Jetzt will der Kämpfer, der dem Tod entkam, nach Hause, zu Frau und Kindern. Zu spät erkennt er, daß sein Freiheitskampf vergebens war. Zuhause ist kein Platz für ein aufrichtiges Leben, dort herrschen nun die Söhne derer, gegen die er einst kämpfte. Aber Matigari widersteht auch den neuen Machthabern. Seine Reden und Taten, vom Volksmund ausgeschmückt und überhöht, lassen ihn bald zur Legende werden, zu einer mystischen Figur. Eine Wiederkehr Ch... continue
