Weep Not, Child

by Margaret Tarner (Adaptation), Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

This is a simple and powerful tale of the effects of the Mau Mau war on individuals and families in Kenya. Two brothers must decide where their loyalties lie; Njoroge, the dreamer and accomplished student, finds it hard to give up schooling and is drawn relentlessly into turmoil. Good and evil are portrayed somewhat more starkly than in Ngugi's later works.

Genres: Africa, Fiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 27, 2005

Reviews

[Nafea Mohsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice story and history of Kenya

[NJ K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t like it, really. It was extremely simplified. Then again, it was marketed as such since this was a school copy or whatever. It has potential. But as it is, no. Not that good.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review is based on this specific edition.
This version of the book by MacMillan readers is meant for English language learners, so it is abridged and includes a note on the historical background, a character guide, illustrations, reading questions and a glossary separated by each book's thematic section (ex: first one is "light and darkness"). The thematic approach for the glossary serves two purposes: it helps identify Thiong'o's literary device for a higher-level read, and it helps encourage understanding of specific vocabulary at the highest/"upper" level of the readers series. A reader working in a class or independently can sense growth in literacy based on her/his understanding of these terms. Except for the illustrations, the set of extras are all useful additions; however, I felt that the abridged text did detract from the story. The reader sees moments of pain and conflict, courage and doubt--but often the action moves too quickly. I felt I did not know the characters well enough. Perhaps the extras could be paired with the original, unabridged text for use in schools.

[b bb bbbb bbbbbbbb · Rating 2 out of 5]

ok