I Am The Mau & Other Stories (Chemutai Glasheen, Fremantle)

Chemutai Glasheen delivers a powerful and vibrant collection of short stories in I Am the Mau & Other Stories. Inspired by her upbringing in Africa, each brilliant tale is infused with vivid imagery of the continent and its people. The 11 stories are set in Kenya and feature characters ranging from young children to adults; the anthology celebrates ubuntu, the invisible ties that bind all people together. There are stories of family and friendship, breaking and making cultural traditions, resilience, the role of food, the pain of moving house and leaving community behind, and many other themes relevant to readers of any age. A particularly evocative favourite was ‘One Last Breakfast’.  Glasheen writes with a searing authenticity, possessing the great talent to bring all five senses into a story and make it and the characters come to life. The imagery of her vivid descriptions and the character’s dialogue makes for intriguing and gripping reading and conjures the setting, place, characters and themes in our mind as though we were inside the story. The rich complexity of the cultures and traditions woven throughout the stories adds texture that enhances the anthology. A great read for young adults to enjoy, learn from, and remember long after closing the final page.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Brenton Cullen is an emerging children's author and freelance writer of articles, reviews and interviews when not working part-time in a bookshop. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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Category: Reviews