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The Trial of the GODS
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The Gong: A collection of Poems
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Callused Hands
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Kenyan coffee is renowned all over the world for its distinctive quality and hence reputation. It graces tables of the finest eateries from London to New York, and has been romanticized by those who visited the country and were enchanted by it. At one point it was the leading contributor to the country’s foreign revenue. Unknown to many in the world the slavery-like conditions under which it is produced. Callused Hands explores some of these difficult conditions under which this precious ‘black gold’ is produced, and the unseen faces that grovel under the surface in ensuring that gourmet consumers in the West are fed.
“This is a great book! It makes me feel like it is a fresh and imaginative story that makes sense the entire time of reading it. It is well written and exceptionally compelling.” – Sheena Brennan – Publishing Editor
“The novel celebrates the spirit and bravery of disempowered women who can, together, tip the balance in favour of workers and justice. This is a compassionate and ultimately triumphant story. – Linda Cracknell, Writer-in-Residence at Edinburgh Sick Kids Hospital
“Stanley Gazemba’s Calloused Hands is an exciting work that re-imagines hopelessness. In a sluggish almost non-committal fashion, the novel creates ground for the readers to take a peek into the lives of the ‘wretched of the earth.’ One feels as though he has been sucked into that bottomless pit from which the characters are struggling to come up for air. The never-ending suffering becomes a bitter-sweet element that angers and then provokes one to want to change the story- to make it sweeter for all.” – Dr. Fred Mbogo, Moi University
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The Forbidden Fruit
Devolution of governance and management of public services came as a blessing to many at the grassroots. It generated hope and raised expectations for the many that wallowed in poverty for years on end. With twists and turns, Tumbocracy etches out Democracy and, inevitably, things take the wrong-turn! Is doom the ultimate destination for the many a citizen at the grassroots? Forbidden Fruit is a fast-paced drama that raises important questions about the legitimacy of the many flagship initiatives of devolved units!
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“The play captures happenings in devolved units in Kenya. Poor governance, mass corruption, and leaders’ amassing of wealth for themselves, is evident. The playwright creates the content anew and makes it sensitive to the society again as these issues have been taken as obvious and normal.” – Rose Keya Kong’ani, Editor
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The Hidden Rock
In this breathtaking tale, Ochieng MC Okoth invites us into the vibrant and dangerous world of the Kingdom of Ogwato. The story follows Oba, a young man whose life is a beautiful, but a messy tangle of loyalty and love. While he navigates the delicate balance between two very different women, his world is suddenly set on fire by a violent struggle for the throne.
The author does a magnificent job of showing how one man’s quiet life can be swept up into the grand history of a nation. When the noble King Awaje is murdered, the story transforms into a heart-pounding mission of survival. Oba becomes a hero not because he wants to be, but because he must protect the innocent Princess Abiero and the sacred “Hidden Rock”; a powerful symbol of the kingdom’s true soul. This is more than just a story; it is a stunning journey about the heavy price of a crown and the incredible courage found in an ordinary young heart. It is a must-read for anyone who loves a story that is as emotional as it is exciting.
The Winding Road
The Winding Road is a heart rending tale about identity. The main protagonist, Yuna hits the road on a journey of self discovery on realising the woman she has known as her mother is not actually her biological mother. . . a journey to discover her roots. Its a journey that's fraught with dazzling highs and distressing lows. From desolation she's swung to the pinnacle of the modeling industry and is crowned Miss Africa. The undreamed of success gets into her head and she dramatically temples from grace to scavenge in the streets with her old question of identity haunting her. Will Yuna discover her roots?
My Safari Through Life: Extracts
Korondo-Panic: A Satirized Diary of a Kenyan’s Experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic
“Articles in this book overflow with humour and thought provoking jokes. The way Araka twists and plays around with names of public figures, their actions and inactions, and blends it with the joys and disappointments of ‘ordinary’ citizens is on another level. The style is readable and appealing. The articles revolve around the novel Coronavirus disease. This is a time to be told and retold to present and future generations.” - Rose Kong’ani Keya, Book Editor and Teacher
“The author has banked on wordplay to offer his contribution in chronicling a critical moment in our lives when COVID-19 threw the world into panic and confusion. The book tells of humanity’s inadequacies, hits and misses. Through his trademark satire, Araka shows that as human beings, we deserve better and can do better even when caught up in difficulties. - Edna, Gutenbergschule, Leipzig
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As the 1950s Mau Mau war breaks out in the foothills of Mt. Kenya, Wambũi, a fourteen-year-old girl leaves her besieged village to join a prestigious boarding school a half day’s journey away by train. There, she becomes aware of her extraordinary mathematical abilities discovered by her teacher, Eileen Atwood. Initially, Wambũi views Eileen’s attentions with suspicion and hostility, but over time, the two grow close and form a lifelong friendship. Unfortunately for Wambũi, the mid-twentieth century isn’t ready for a female math prodigy, particularly in Kenya.
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The Mau Mau rebellion, as it is often called, which began in Kenya in the early 1950s, was a nationalist, anticolonial armed resistance against the British colonial state.
The guerrilla movement called itself the Kenya Land Freedom Army; the British dubbed the movement “mau mau,” a meaningless name, to obscure the aims otherwise so clear in the resistance army’s name.
Ngugi Wa Thiongío’s Petals of Blood examines, among other things, the betrayal by the postcolonial regime of the ideals of this anticolonial struggle that helped Kenya achieve its independence.
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Brief Summary
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From the exiled Kenyan novelist, playwright, poet, and literary critic--a magisterial comic novel that is certain to take its place as a landmark of postcolonial African literature. In exile now for more than twenty years, Ngugi wa Thiongo has become one of the most widely read African writers of our time, the power and scope of his work garnering him international attention and praise.
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