The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood

by Elspeth Huxley, 288 pages

The author describes her early life on a Kenyan coffee farm with her parents in the years leading up to the first World War.

I watched the mini-series adaptation of this autobiography on Masterpiece Theatre when I was little and always meant to go back and read the book.  It's a fascinating look at the political, economic, and social issues of the period, especially as they pertain to race, as well as the physical and emotional struggles of starting a coffee farm from scratch in a world far-removed from one's own.  Huxley--who was just five at the time her adventurous but ill-prepared family moved to Thika in 1912--presents her story with a surprisingly non-judgmental perspective, observing without interpreting the actions and events she witnesses, acknowledging the faults of her contemporaries while focusing on the smaller-scale challenges, sorrows, and joys of day-to-day life in a land she has clearly grown to love (building a house, growing coffee, avoiding dangerous ants, hunting cheetahs, rescuing injured animals, negotiating with employees and neighbors of diverse backgrounds, and navigating the often-tumultuous currents of local, state, and world politics), resulting in a tale that has become a melding of cultural anthropology and personal history.

Little Bee

by Chris Cleave, 271 p.

Little Bee is a Nigerian refugee.  Sarah Summers O'Rourke is a widow and writer.  How their stories collide is as rife with tragedy as it is with hope.  Told from both perspectives, Little Bee is breathtaking, difficult, and wonderful all at once.

The only reason I might say it was painful to read is that there is so much emotion in the book that I had to put it down often.  Read it, do.

"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker

290 pages

This novel spans thirty years in the life of Celie, a poor, uneducated black woman living in the American South during the early 20th century. Her story is told through letters, the earliest addressed to God and the latest addressed to her sister, Nettie, who spent most of her life in Africa. Celie has been abused her entire life, first by her father, who rapes her and allegedly murders the consequent children, and then by her husband, who considers her worthless and knocks her around. She's never felt loved, but she doesn't seem to expect it because she's accepted that that's the way her life is. Then she meets a couple of remarkable women who show her that she's a beautiful person and that it's okay to stand up for oneself. As she slowly grows into her natural self, several big surprises change her life even more.

This is one of the books that was on my Librarian Shame List because I'd gone through high school, college, and the first few years of my adult life without reading it. I wish I hadn't waited so long! The intimate writing style drew me in right away (though I would have appreciated some punctuation!) and I immediately cared deeply for Celie, Nettie, Shug, and the others. The story is paced so well and there are so many shocking surprises along the way that it was hard for me to put the book down. There's so much to think about that's addressed in this book: racism, subjugation of women, human sexuality, colonialism, violence, self-esteem, and more. It will break your heart but also inspire you and stimulate some good thought and discussion (I led a book discussion on this title and it was a perfect pick!).

"How to Read the Air" by Dinaw Mengestu

305 pages

In the late 1970s, two young Ethiopian immigrants named Yosef and Mariam set off on a road trip from their new home in Peoria, Illinois, to Nashville, Tennessee. Thirty years later, their son Jonas retraces their steps immediately after losing his job and ending his marriage. He believes the trip will help him better understand his parents, with whom he has always had a strange relationship. The generational and cultural gaps between Jonas and his parents have always been huge, but he's recently realized that he can't figure out his own identity unless he knows where he comes from--meaning that he needs to understand his parents' experiences as immigrants in order to comprehend how their influence has shaped him.

I really wanted to like this book (I loved the author's first book, "The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears") and I did enjoy parts of it. I liked how the two stories weave together and the mystery about what had actually happened on Jonas' parents' road trip. However, I felt like what DID happen was anticlimactic. The story as a whole just didn't have enough going on for me. The writing is beautiful and I think those who like super-literary fiction will enjoy it, but personally I usually get bored if there's not lots of stuff happening (I'm not sure what this says about me, but there it is). For me, this story was definitely worth reading but certainly not a favorite.

Cutting for Stone

by Abraham Verghese  688 pages

Cutting for Stone's main focus is on Shiva and Marion Stone, twin brothers growing up in Ethiopa, but it is also an epic saga that includes the backstories of a variety of characters. We learn about their biological parents: Dr. Thomas Stone, an English physician who runs the Missing Hospital in Addis Ababa, and the late Sister Mary Joseph Praise, a nursing nun. We also meet their foster parents, neighbors, and the patients in the clinic. The novel takes place during the politically tumultous years of Hailie Selassie's rule and it includes a lot of Ethiopan culture and history. The two brothers both pursue medical careers in very different ways, and in different parts of the world. The author includes very vivid descriptions of medical procedures that might be too much for some readers. The reader will be compelled to see what happens to the vividly-described characters. There is foreshadowing of tragedy throughout that culminates in a dramatic ending.