Mau Mau and Kenya

 Mau Mau and Kenya: An Analysis of a Peasant Revolt by Wunyabari O. Maloba
1998
Weight: 1.47 lbs
Method of Disposal: Donating

In college, I took a Women, War, and Militarism in Africa course.  It was hard, valuable, and a lot packed in.  How to cover all of Africa in one semester?  Our teacher tried to help us scratch the surface and inspire us to look further and regularly.  I remember her telling us that it is important to read news from other countries' media outlets and not just those in the United States.  At the time, my French Professor was encouraging the same.  It seems like obvious advice, though it definitely is not something a lot of people I know do.

This book was much like that course.  A detailed description of the Mau Mau but trying to pack a lot into one book.  It was valuable and insightful, and it made you want to look further.  It brings to light the strength of people standing up against colonialism and also the terrible things that they suffered and endured at the hands of the British.  It shows the complexity and problems with trying to define and easily contain people within one label.  It paints the Mau Mau in a very different light than what others had previously said about the them, something that was needed.

It has been a long time since that class, but it was a memorable one.