Kid Moses: A Novel

by Mark R. Thornton

This lean, raw, and surprising debut is a deeply moving and powerful story of Moses, a nine-year-old survivor of the harsh streets of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Moses longs for something outside the grim existence he has known. He and his friend Kioso hitch a ride out of the city on the back of a truck only to find themselves in the wilderness where their street wisdom no longer helps them as they encounter poisonous snakes, cruel jungle travelers, and a brutal shoot-out with elephant poachers. Separated from Kioso and on the verge of starvation, Moses is saved and sheltered by an unlikely cast of characters, including a prostitute, a crippled fruit vendor, and a hunter-gatherer.

Unsentimental, honest, brutal, and lyrical, this hypnotically written book provides insight into the issues that affect modern Africa: the relationship between human beings and the wilderness, the needs of the displaced and the dispossessed, and the ties that bind us together. Mark Thornton uses the experiences of one unfortunate but resourceful child to juxtapose urban homelessness with societies found in the wild, showing that even in places of violence and indifference, human compassion can be found.

Genres: Fiction, Africa

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe the SJWs have gotten to me, but I couldn't free myself to "like" this book when it was a white transplant to Africa writing about the plight of an African boy, in which one of the plot points was a white transplant to Africa dying while saving the boys life. I don't know, something just made me feel icky about this.

[Lane D. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book at a library display; it caught my eye and seemed interesting enough, particularly with my interest in East Africa, so I decided to give it a go.

I wanted to like this book. But the plot just didn't really go anywhere, which is fine; stories can absolutely be character driven. To do that, however, there has to be good character development, and this story didn't really have that either. Lastly, I found the syntax and sentence structure a bit simple, better suited for a young adult novel.

[Hugh Hopkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alas! Mark Thornton’s novel “Kid Moses” is truly one of the most underrated novels of 2019! The story takes place in Tanzania with the POV coming from the protagonist Moses. Moses is a 9 year old homeless boy who must face the challenges and the adversity that his adventure in the wilderness holds. He must go on this adventure whilst holding the guilt of his best friend dying and having to bury him. Along Moses’ roller coaster of an adventure, he runs into many people who some people might never expect to help a young 9 year old orphan on the run. That is what makes this a great novel, symbolizing how even people who have all different sorts of life paths can be good. I really liked how Moses created these relationships with all these different kinds of people. Although it was a great story, I think it lacked character development. It seemed like Moses was the same person at the end of the story. I would have liked to see how Moses evolved at the end of the story. I am also not happy about a specific part in the story where Moses is innocently yet inappropriately touches one of the people he meets along the way. Unfortunately, me being a 6th grade English teacher, I could not imagine my students reading tha part of the book so I will not be letting them use it for their independent reading project. For that reason I cannot give it a perfect rating. However, this is a great story for a young adult who is getting ready to enter the real world, as Thornton gives a comparison of what other people in the world are going through and is a reminder to be grateful and appreciative. I would say the overall theme of this book is to not judge a book (one of my pet peeves) by its cover because anyone can do good. The overall tone of the story is hopeful, as Moses is always determined and resilient throughout all the events of the story. I am a big fan of adventure books so I thought it was a fun quick read. If you like adventure books and do not really care about character development in stories, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!

[Jada 📚☕️]

2 1/2 stars. I wish good reads would let us do 1/2 stars on here. The author according to the synopsis on the back of the book is a wilderness guide in Tanzania and has been doing so for quite awhile which makes sense bc his descriptions of the wildlife, the landscapes were my favorite. The scene with the poachers the most lively. A few google searches to help me get the image in my mind really helped drive home the surroundings and what little Moses was faced with. I always enjoy books that take me to different areas of Africa it helps with my knowledge of the continent and I do feel like I get to travel to these different areas through books! This time I’m in Tanzania 🇹🇿 which is near Kenya on the east side of Africa. Moses is from Dar Es Salaam, which is the big city in Tanzania, from the richest to the poorest. So Moses goes from I guess the urban jungle of Dar to the Serengeti wildnerness like areas. The native language is Swahili, also this is the area where the famous jumping Massai are from. Boyd and Toroye hunt with a few. The story itself at first I felt like it wasn’t going anywhere lol, I was waiting for Moses to get his come uppance, then I settled into the story being about Moses’ journey. He wonders, he makes mistake after mistake. I got mad! Why Moses why did you do that!?? Then I remember he’s a kid. It’s learning in its rawest form. he gets lost, he meets good and bad people on the way. He feels shame, warmth, yearning, love, fear. I have read stories like this where the protagonist is a child or pre-teen and they wonder and go on these adventures where it’s literally just them, their mind, and whatever world they are living in around them, but they still had some kinda direction to the story. I felt just as lost as Moses. Maybe that is what the author intended.

[Fr. Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw definite shape to this story, and a real character journey. Moses has routine, loves routine, has his shaken up many times, and finds a sense of peace in late adolescence. After this story, one suspects that he will eventually grow restless again and that peace will once again be disrupted.

Add to this beautiful writing, an exceptional sense of space and the environment, and a deep, creeping sadness that for me, by the end of the book, had me nearly in tears.

Thornton is amazing. I look forward to reading more of his books.

[Randal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thornton has created the setting for a fine novel about East Africa ... he just doesn't do much with it. The core conflicts (between characters or between the title character and his environment) aren't really resolved. I definitely wanted more than the ending offered. Not badly written, just not enough there, there.

[John Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book quite well as someone who has lived for a long time in Tanzania. Mark Thornton accurately brings out the hopelessness of lives of Tanzanian street children. At times, I was troubled by using Swahili words like "matatu" to describe buses in Dar when the term used most in Dar is "daladala". It seemed that he was transferring Nairobi terms to Dar. His description of the Tanzanian bush is very strong but I felt urban Tanzania was brought out more generically.

[Carolyne Janssen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this short novel. Unless you know a lot about Africa or maybe did time there in the Peace Corps, this tale will be unfamiliar to you. It's well told and compelling. I wanted Moses to have a happy ending.

[Ginger Dodds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this book just as we finished up our safari in Tanzania with the author. Vivid descriptions of the landscape in the area, much of which we experienced. A quick read - definitely recommend.

[Gaby Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An orphaned boy, Tanzania, in his quest for survival

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoughts coming shortly

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

So very sad but gripping. Well worth the read. It's a quick read. Be aware though it's filled with sadness and heartache.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting peek into the life of a boy struggling to survive in a tough world. I love how it's written.

[Meg]

very sparse, stripped down.