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Twenty in 2020
Through the Leopard's Gaze: Jacaranda Twenty in 2020
Through the Leopard's Gaze is an amazing memoir chronicling the award winning comedian's difficult but inspiring life growing up in Kenya. Her book illuminates family abuse, racism identity and emotional triumph through the lenses of the author's personal history and the history of Kenya.
In her captivating memoir Through the Leopard's Gaze, Njambi McGrath details the harrowing circumstances of her life as a young girl in Kenya, who one fateful night was beaten to a pulp and left for dead. Thirteen-year-old Njambi, fearing her assailant would return to finish her, courageously escaped, walking through the night in the Kenyan countryside, risking wild animals, robbers and murderers, before being picked up by two shabbily dressed but safe men.
She buries the memories of that fateful day and night, and years later ends up in London with a British husband and children. Then one day a simple unassuming wedding invitation arrives in her mailbox causing her to have to confront the remnants of a past she had thought was behind her. This is a book about survival, and courage when all else fails. It’s a searingly honest examination of human cruelty and strength in equal measure.
In her captivating memoir Through the Leopard's Gaze, Njambi McGrath details the harrowing circumstances of her life as a young girl in Kenya, who one fateful night was beaten to a pulp and left for dead. Thirteen-year-old Njambi, fearing her assailant would return to finish her, courageously escaped, walking through the night in the Kenyan countryside, risking wild animals, robbers and murderers, before being picked up by two shabbily dressed but safe men.
She buries the memories of that fateful day and night, and years later ends up in London with a British husband and children. Then one day a simple unassuming wedding invitation arrives in her mailbox causing her to have to confront the remnants of a past she had thought was behind her. This is a book about survival, and courage when all else fails. It’s a searingly honest examination of human cruelty and strength in equal measure.
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Published January 30, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 20, 2020
This was a powerful story told through the life and experience of Njambi McGrath that sheds light on the deep inter-generational trauma created by white-supremacist British colonisation of Kenya. The book is unfortunately let down by the editors who could have done it far better justice if elements of part 3 were weaved into parts 1 and 2. It is this 3rd part that contextualises and takes you deeper into the history and lives of the main characters. But perhaps it was an artistic choice to take us on that journey...?
Something about the narrative didn’t sit right, Not enough depth in certain parts left me wanting more and I often felt I went back to reread earlier chapters to understand sudden new developments in the story. However overall a deeply moving memoir and an important contribution to the canon of stories exposing the irraparable damage and brutal destruction of communities in Kenya by the British.
Something about the narrative didn’t sit right, Not enough depth in certain parts left me wanting more and I often felt I went back to reread earlier chapters to understand sudden new developments in the story. However overall a deeply moving memoir and an important contribution to the canon of stories exposing the irraparable damage and brutal destruction of communities in Kenya by the British.
April 23, 2022
Quote: “White people bite Africans and when it hurts they blow to soothe us before biting us some more.”
My Review
Most people automatically link Kenya with a safari, lions, elephants, giraffes, idyllic settings, maasai warriors, etc but this is nothing along those lines. Here you will learn about the cruelty during British colonial times and interesting facts from the tribes. But you need to stick with the book during the beginning to understand it, as I found that the three sections do not intertwine smoothly. Part three is also much better written than the other two parts.
This memoir has some very captivating moments, some very heartbreaking moments, but it is simply written and each chapter reads like a short story which could be better written..
There are three parts.
Part one, the past when the author was a child, here you learn all about the author's life as a child.
Part two, the present, when she is an adult and suddenly her past is brought back to her, and
Part three, past again, but this time long before the author was born. This part was the historical part, where the author has done some stunning research on the British colonial rule in Kenya. This was my favourite part from the entire memoir and the most harrowing.
The author is an amazing person, with a difficult childhood and I understand how difficult it would have been to listen to her mother tell her her life and write this book.
The interesting parts were the details of living under colonial British rule in Kenya, which was actually the most heartbreaking part, sad, and detailed, the past of Maitu and Baba, as they lived through such a difficult moment during the life of their country, the invasion of the British and the treatment which was so ridiculously violent and tough. This is not light reading.
Interesting family tree at the beginning of the book often helped with understanding who is who.
It makes you think who is to blame for this tough childhood, colonialism, parents….In this memoir there is love, emotional distress, hardship, survival.
If there are any readers wanting to learn about British colonialism in Kenya. This book might open your eyes a little. I am giving this book 3 stars.
My Review
Most people automatically link Kenya with a safari, lions, elephants, giraffes, idyllic settings, maasai warriors, etc but this is nothing along those lines. Here you will learn about the cruelty during British colonial times and interesting facts from the tribes. But you need to stick with the book during the beginning to understand it, as I found that the three sections do not intertwine smoothly. Part three is also much better written than the other two parts.
This memoir has some very captivating moments, some very heartbreaking moments, but it is simply written and each chapter reads like a short story which could be better written..
There are three parts.
Part one, the past when the author was a child, here you learn all about the author's life as a child.
Part two, the present, when she is an adult and suddenly her past is brought back to her, and
Part three, past again, but this time long before the author was born. This part was the historical part, where the author has done some stunning research on the British colonial rule in Kenya. This was my favourite part from the entire memoir and the most harrowing.
The author is an amazing person, with a difficult childhood and I understand how difficult it would have been to listen to her mother tell her her life and write this book.
The interesting parts were the details of living under colonial British rule in Kenya, which was actually the most heartbreaking part, sad, and detailed, the past of Maitu and Baba, as they lived through such a difficult moment during the life of their country, the invasion of the British and the treatment which was so ridiculously violent and tough. This is not light reading.
Interesting family tree at the beginning of the book often helped with understanding who is who.
It makes you think who is to blame for this tough childhood, colonialism, parents….In this memoir there is love, emotional distress, hardship, survival.
If there are any readers wanting to learn about British colonialism in Kenya. This book might open your eyes a little. I am giving this book 3 stars.
August 12, 2020
Powerful, moving and beautifully written x
February 27, 2022
"Our family would have been perfect if brute history had not been the defective gene embedded into our being, rendering us incapable of normal functionality."
I could not stop reading this amazing memoir by Njambi McGrath! She beautifully represents her childhood and relationship with her family. There were moments I audibly gasped (the wedding) and felt every moment as I read. This book is important not only for its story but for the history it reveals that many of us are unaware of. You learn with the author about her family's history and the legacy of the Gikuyu who could have easily been lost to history and memory.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more bout global history and how white colonization shaped the world around it and is still impacting families generations after it "ended".
I initially rated it four stars because of some typos missed by the editors and some phrases were repetitive but four stars would not do this story justice.
August 14, 2023
A Review of 'Through the Leopard's Gaze
As a denizen of Kenya and an action thriller author, I am always on the lookout for books about my adopted country. Through the Leopard’s Gaze, is a story of the Kikuyu tribe towards the end of colonial rule. Njambi writes with real empathy for the times, and she is spot-on with her history.
This captivating memoir follows Njambi through her formative years spent in Kenya from the perspective of her settled life now in the UK. The novel grabbed me from the very beginning, as Njambi describes her idyllic early life of running to school barefoot and just doing what I see so many youngsters do in Kenya.
However, as with all lives a little rain must fall, with Njambi when it came it was like the Kusi monsoon! Living in an era where the Colonial British ruled Kenya with an iron fist must have been hell on earth. Njambo describes horrific scenes of colonial officers using whips and clubs. She even goes as into the internment camps used by the British to try and contain the Mau Mau freedom fighters of the time.
When the British left Kenya, a void was created. The people were free from the oppression of colonial rule, but there was nothing to take its place. The British had done their best to stamp out most of the Kikuyu culture, so the people were left wanting. Njambi’s father, as an entrepreneur, was able to take on the newfound freedom and starts several successful businesses which lead Njambi to a very happy place. A large house and a farm to live on with a wonderfully loving mother. She enjoyed this newfound freedom with her siblings, and it comes across in ‘Through the Leopard’s Gaze’ as a real-time of pleasure and freedom.
But as always, the monsoon comes around again. Njambi’s father, like so many Kenyan men falls prey to alcohol and soon the happiness is torn from Njambi’s life. Her father descends into a world of narcissism, alcohol, and self-pity which he takes out on his family. When Njambi’s father beats the final straw into Njambi’s back, she must leave the compound and her siblings to forge a new life on her own where she is thrown into poverty and suffering.
As the book is a memoir, there are a lot of flashbacks drawing comparisons between Njambi’s new life and her difficult upbringing. She has a constant struggle with her emotions regarding her father and her family with the final chapters drawing it all together in a celebration.
Overall, I enjoyed Through the Leopard’s Gaze and would definitely read more from Njambi McGrath. The book was so well written I could not put it down. As a student of African history, I found the descriptions of life over the colonial period and beyond very informative. Njambi was able to paint a picture of the times and the people.
A Review by Steve Braker-Author
Author: African Slaver
www.stevebrakerbooks.com
As a denizen of Kenya and an action thriller author, I am always on the lookout for books about my adopted country. Through the Leopard’s Gaze, is a story of the Kikuyu tribe towards the end of colonial rule. Njambi writes with real empathy for the times, and she is spot-on with her history.
This captivating memoir follows Njambi through her formative years spent in Kenya from the perspective of her settled life now in the UK. The novel grabbed me from the very beginning, as Njambi describes her idyllic early life of running to school barefoot and just doing what I see so many youngsters do in Kenya.
However, as with all lives a little rain must fall, with Njambi when it came it was like the Kusi monsoon! Living in an era where the Colonial British ruled Kenya with an iron fist must have been hell on earth. Njambo describes horrific scenes of colonial officers using whips and clubs. She even goes as into the internment camps used by the British to try and contain the Mau Mau freedom fighters of the time.
When the British left Kenya, a void was created. The people were free from the oppression of colonial rule, but there was nothing to take its place. The British had done their best to stamp out most of the Kikuyu culture, so the people were left wanting. Njambi’s father, as an entrepreneur, was able to take on the newfound freedom and starts several successful businesses which lead Njambi to a very happy place. A large house and a farm to live on with a wonderfully loving mother. She enjoyed this newfound freedom with her siblings, and it comes across in ‘Through the Leopard’s Gaze’ as a real-time of pleasure and freedom.
But as always, the monsoon comes around again. Njambi’s father, like so many Kenyan men falls prey to alcohol and soon the happiness is torn from Njambi’s life. Her father descends into a world of narcissism, alcohol, and self-pity which he takes out on his family. When Njambi’s father beats the final straw into Njambi’s back, she must leave the compound and her siblings to forge a new life on her own where she is thrown into poverty and suffering.
As the book is a memoir, there are a lot of flashbacks drawing comparisons between Njambi’s new life and her difficult upbringing. She has a constant struggle with her emotions regarding her father and her family with the final chapters drawing it all together in a celebration.
Overall, I enjoyed Through the Leopard’s Gaze and would definitely read more from Njambi McGrath. The book was so well written I could not put it down. As a student of African history, I found the descriptions of life over the colonial period and beyond very informative. Njambi was able to paint a picture of the times and the people.
A Review by Steve Braker-Author
Author: African Slaver
www.stevebrakerbooks.com
February 2, 2021
It’s been an age since I read any Kenyan books (…shame on me) but we’re here now. I found this very randomly when I was browsing Audible and decided that it sounded like some stuff I’d like to get into. This book had me leaking tears right off the bat.
It’s a memoir of the author’s childhood growing up in a difficult domestic situation and how she overcame all that and emigrated to London where in the present day, she’s married with kids. The book starts off on a difficult note with Njambi running away after having been assaulted and finding some good samaritans who help her get to safety and then follows her life as she grows up with flashbacks woven through the narrative that give us insights into her early life as well as her parents’ and grandparents’ lives.
The thing that really got me were the passages that delved into what it was like to live through the colonial era in Kenya. I mean, we know objectively that things were bad but it’s always so much more harrowing to hear actual accounts from people who were there and survived it...it is once again made clear to me that human beings can be terrible creatures. And the thing is, these atrocities have lasting effects not only on those that experienced them but on their kids and grandkids and so on. These actions shaped generations of people who may not even be aware why their lives are the way they are. I got so steamed...f*ck these colonizers, man.
Anyway, I’m glad that if nothing else, Njambi’s life got better after all she went through.
It’s a memoir of the author’s childhood growing up in a difficult domestic situation and how she overcame all that and emigrated to London where in the present day, she’s married with kids. The book starts off on a difficult note with Njambi running away after having been assaulted and finding some good samaritans who help her get to safety and then follows her life as she grows up with flashbacks woven through the narrative that give us insights into her early life as well as her parents’ and grandparents’ lives.
The thing that really got me were the passages that delved into what it was like to live through the colonial era in Kenya. I mean, we know objectively that things were bad but it’s always so much more harrowing to hear actual accounts from people who were there and survived it...it is once again made clear to me that human beings can be terrible creatures. And the thing is, these atrocities have lasting effects not only on those that experienced them but on their kids and grandkids and so on. These actions shaped generations of people who may not even be aware why their lives are the way they are. I got so steamed...f*ck these colonizers, man.
Anyway, I’m glad that if nothing else, Njambi’s life got better after all she went through.
February 26, 2021
New African novels bring back what Wester European and American ones lack more and more this days: emotions. Told in simple words, the story of Njambi McGrath is deeply moving, straightforward, genuine. In audiobook read by the author herself, it gives a chill down the spine when it comes to true trauma of the family. One person's choices affect every single member of the family and affect them badly. Flashbacks of good moments, trips, shopping, dinners at home mix with the violence where you only want to scream: stop! Slightly claustrophobic due to limited number of characters and venues, this novel took me to the middle-class modern Kenya, financially steady and completely torn apart as a family. Kenya far away from tourists and their fake perspective of the country. Worth spending a couple of hours with.
February 19, 2022
This memoir talks through her the author’s childhood in Kenya, the abuse she suffers and the resulting trauma she faces. We also learn about colonialism in Kenya but the way that it’s introduced is really odd and felt disjointed from the rest of the book.
I always feel a bit weird rating serious autobiographies, like putting a star rating on someone’s life. It wasn’t a bad book, just not a top read for me.
I always feel a bit weird rating serious autobiographies, like putting a star rating on someone’s life. It wasn’t a bad book, just not a top read for me.
April 19, 2023
Brilliant insight into the troubles in Kenya and the appalling treatment of and fallout for the indigenous peoples there. Truly shocking in places but often written from a child's viewpoint this was an excellent book.
I listened on audible read by the author - great to hear it from her directly but I found the reading style difficult and tiring to follow at times. However there is a price for authenticity and I was happy by then as everything fell into place. Glad I read it.
I listened on audible read by the author - great to hear it from her directly but I found the reading style difficult and tiring to follow at times. However there is a price for authenticity and I was happy by then as everything fell into place. Glad I read it.
July 17, 2020
I was absorbed by this story from the beginning. This is a powerful story of a woman's struggle to overcome an abuse of the past and also come to terms with trauma suffered by her family in colonial Kenya. Njambi's writing is clear and strong. It is interesting that sometimes when trauma takes place in our lives we can look at it through different mirrors. Njambi is a comedienne.
January 6, 2021
This book was very interesting but hard to read knowing it is a memoir. Part 3 was enlightening and taught me a lot about the parts of colonialism that are not taught! I went to school in Kenya myself and these parts of Kenya's history were not mentioned.
I highly recommend this, however please be prepared for a very emotional journey.
I highly recommend this, however please be prepared for a very emotional journey.
September 30, 2023
Sometimes the jumping timeline was confusing and there were moments that I really wanted more from the story being told, but I had to keep reminding myself that this was true life and it was emotionally devastating. The final part detailing her mother and grandmothers life under colonialism was emotionally hard but so important to listen to. A definite recommended book from a great Kenyan author
July 7, 2020
So much I didn’t know
Kenya, Colonialism, Gikuyu, Mau Mau. I sort of knew of it all from a white British perspective. To hear it from the Black Kenyan perspective was educational and extremely shaming. A must read
Kenya, Colonialism, Gikuyu, Mau Mau. I sort of knew of it all from a white British perspective. To hear it from the Black Kenyan perspective was educational and extremely shaming. A must read
July 20, 2022
Relentless brutal. She makes no room for hope or relief from her trauma, even when it’s readily available, for example she glosses over her presumably happy and healthy children with barely a mention. She also lost me to some extent when she criticised the British outlawing FGM…
May 22, 2020
Couldn't work out where this book was going so just stopped reading it.
May 27, 2022
Hard to listen to, and an example of history still lost to curricula everywhere to the embarrassment of empirical forebears.
July 19, 2023
This is 3 X longer than it needs to be. Endless stories from the childhood that have no affect on the story/ reunion with her father. Seemed unnecessarily long.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2024
A difficult but very eye opening read. I loved the use of song throughout and learnt so much about the culture. It's one I'm very glad I did by audiobook.
July 6, 2024
A beautifully written story, a heartbreaking reality and a truthful glimpse into the disfunction that colonization left behind in the fabric of Gikuyu families.
September 8, 2020
Giving a 5 star review, because I think people should read it. I agree with others, it wasn't always flowing, especially at the beginning. But stick with it, sections 2/3 tie it all together. What amazing forgiveness she was able to show her father; understanding the situation was the key to it all. An incredible story, I learnt a lot. Thank you for sharing the story :)
July 20, 2020
3,5
When Njambi McGrath is invited to her brother's wedding, she is forced to confront the violence and trauma she experienced in her childhood. In this memoir, she lets the reader in on this journey as she shares what happened while she was growing up, recounts the wedding and the trials and failures with regards to reconciliation, and then dives into her family's (and thus Kenyan and specifically Gikuyu) history in order to gain more understanding for her parents. McGrath shows the rippling effects of colonial violence through generations and the depth of intergenerational trauma.
While this is a memoir I felt in parts reminded of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's debut novel Purple Hibiscus. (In a comment conversation @introvertinterrupted brought up Buchi Emecheta's Second Class Citizen as another fiction comparison.) But in the end, this here is non-fiction and has to deal with the messiness of life in very different ways. McGrath wrote a gripping book from these first pages of which I quoted here and which reminded me of an exposition in a symphony in which all the themes and melodies come up in the beginning. At some points, I wished for a bit deeper analysis and less clear cut conclusions. But this is, of course, someone's actual life and attempt to make sense of their experiences. So to be allowed to witness that is a privilege in itself.
Our family would have been perfect if brute history had not been the defective gene embedded into our being, rendering us incapable of normal functionality. We would have been fine if we were not Gikuyu and if the Gikuyu had not been farmers. It would have been fine if the white man had not coveted our land and thrown my tribe into concentration camps. My family would have been perfect if Cucu Hernia had picked a side: either support the white man like her brother Guka Robinson or fight the white man like her other brother Guka Mwaura. If she had picked a side Cucu Hernia and her three daughters would not have been amongst the women held on open fields that slowly became concentration camps which they built with their bare hands.
[...]
Of course, I would never have dared look into the dark well of my past; rousing ghosts from within. A journey that would leave me on the verge of a nervous breakdown, threatening to ruin my marriage and everything I ever worked for. The genie would have remained firmly trapped in the bottle, if Wainaina had not disturbed my peace by inviting me to his wedding
Me and everyone else.
When Njambi McGrath is invited to her brother's wedding, she is forced to confront the violence and trauma she experienced in her childhood. In this memoir, she lets the reader in on this journey as she shares what happened while she was growing up, recounts the wedding and the trials and failures with regards to reconciliation, and then dives into her family's (and thus Kenyan and specifically Gikuyu) history in order to gain more understanding for her parents. McGrath shows the rippling effects of colonial violence through generations and the depth of intergenerational trauma.
While this is a memoir I felt in parts reminded of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's debut novel Purple Hibiscus. (In a comment conversation @introvertinterrupted brought up Buchi Emecheta's Second Class Citizen as another fiction comparison.) But in the end, this here is non-fiction and has to deal with the messiness of life in very different ways. McGrath wrote a gripping book from these first pages of which I quoted here and which reminded me of an exposition in a symphony in which all the themes and melodies come up in the beginning. At some points, I wished for a bit deeper analysis and less clear cut conclusions. But this is, of course, someone's actual life and attempt to make sense of their experiences. So to be allowed to witness that is a privilege in itself.
April 21, 2020
Fascinating story... heartbreaking but educational from an historical point view. Badly edited, hence the 3 stars.
May 17, 2023
I loved this book. It's a beautiful window to Kenya, the country and its culture, traditions and history, it's a moving window to the author and her family life story and it's a sad, incomprehensible window to the atrocity of colonialism.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews