One Day I Will Write About This Place: A Memoir Audiobook

" Really a 3 star and 5 star book--vibrant and illuminating, it particularly coalesces in the latter half. A little fragmented in the beginning, sometimes specific and sometimes too general. I wanted more from the book, but at the same time enjoyed the uniqueness of Wainaina's voice and would look forward to what he writes next. A book about becoming a writer, as much or more so than it is about a place--though history and politics are tied up in the story as well. "

" I am very glad that I read this book during and after my visit to Kenya. While I found the writing disjointed and sometimes hard to follow, I recognize the author's intent to convey the many-cultured, complicated nature of his home country as well as that of several other African nations. It was the kind of writing that made me expect a horrifically graphic account of a first sexual encounter, but such never materialized, specifically. The whole of the book, rather, was completely visceral and sometimes disturbing in its paranoid descriptions of seemingly ordinary people and events (see cover art for a preview of the book's mood). I most appreciated the political and cultural history imbedded within Wainaina's unique perception of the world around him. I would recommend that Western travelers to Kenya read, if not this book, some work by an African author and not just the guidebooks marketed to us. While simply reading a book can never make one an insider to a culture(s), it lends a less shallow understanding than is offered by documentaries or geo-political summaries. "

" Amazing memoir of the author's life. Told in an unusual (but very memorable and beautiful) fashion. I highly recommend this story of growing up in Kenya and the Congo...and living in South Africa and the United States. Very evocative language and imagery. "

" A fascinating, unconventional memoir written by one of Kenya's top contemporary writers. "

" Hero. What style. "

" I wanted so badly to like this book, and I read some reviews that said it takes a while to get into it, but I got more than halfway through, and each time I put it down, it was such a struggle to pick it up again. I finally gave up. I didn't care about him or his life. "

" i'm not ready to write a review yet. phew. whoa. i got really caught up in it and i am not quite sure i really understand that i finished...well: i finished reading, but i have a lot of thinking to do. this book is quite something. "

" There was a huge cultural divide for me with this book. I spent a lot of time confused. "

" Got about halfway through this audio book but just couldn't get interested. "

" Stay with this book if you find it difficult and flat, at first. It gets so good as Wainaina starts extending his personal experiences and observations to deconstruct the political and social turmoil in Kenya and much of Africa from mid-20th century to the present. "

" The characterisation of pentecostalism hits close to home, and was a reminder - somewhat harsh mind - of the oddities of that peculiarly emotional form of devotion... "

" To be honest, I didn't finish this whole book. The story would be really interesting, but his writing style really isn't about the story at all. Entire paragraphs are taken up with him discussing what it sounds like to make certain noises. Just not my thing. "

" The sentences are beautiful. Fragments are really lucid and lush and amazing. But overall it felt kinda meh. For a memoir, the author wasnt very open or giving. I felt constantly held at arms length, and like I didn't get to know the writer in any depth. "

" My favorite thing I've read about Kenya yet. "