By Mercy Mutava - December 7, 2024
Vengeance for MenFred has been my close friend for the past three years. The other afternoon he opened up to me that he would not make efforts to woo me into being his girlfriend. ‘Why?’ I asked with feigned concern.‘Because you would obviously give me a no, Jenny’. And you expect…a yes?“I detest hearing a no from any girl leave alone you. Rejection kills a man’s will to live and love. Rejection robs men off their dignity, make them doubt their art of winning girls’ attention, while some go as far as questioning their physical appearance.It’s better to have a ...
By Mercy Mutava - December 7, 2024
Title; God Dies by the NileAuthor; Nawal EL SaadawiYear of Publishing; 1985Publisher; Zed Books LtdPages; 138God Dies by River Nile illustrates religious, political, and social issues in Kafr EL Teen, a village located on the banks of the River Nile. Nawal El Saadawi describes the life of a peasant woman, Zakeya, her son, Gala, brother Kafriwa, and two nieces, Zeinab and Nefissa. The Mayor is a strong political figure in the community and is surrounded by four individuals who help him control the village. These include the village guard, Sheikh Zahran; the village mosque's Imam, Sheikh Hamzawi; and the village ...
By Mercy Mutava - December 7, 2024
My father got me this text when I joined Form 1, and I was thrilled to own a book. I had lost the first copy he had ever gotten me at a younger age, and I promised to guard this copy selfishly. Its cover has witnessed the test of time and moving with me wherever I go. “Never Say Never” is a sad story of a young boy, Muthini Njoki, and his torturous growth. His life begins with a failure to pass the nursery school examination and being taken to an approved school that belonged to inmates. In my culture, Muthini ...
By Mercy Mutava - December 6, 2024
 My professor noted that "Africa Kills Her Sun" is among his preferred texts. Like him, I fell in love with its contents after reading it for the first time. Ken, a Nigerian author and economic activist, published this story in 1989. "Africa Kills Her Sun" is a riveting account of a bandit about to be executed and is excited about the ordeal. Bana, the narrator, narrates to his childhood girlfriend, Zole, the events that led him to be a thug and bid her goodbye in the form of a letter. First, he expresses the emotions of a love story almost forgotten ...
By Mercy Mutava - December 6, 2024
After a long, busy day, I wanted something interesting to read, and I chose to select one of the fourteen stories in “Memories We Lost” compiled by Chris Wanjala. The title, “No Need to Lie,” caught my attention, and I opened the pages. It was worth the selection.“No Need to Lie” is a section of Rolf Schmid’s memoir whose origin is Germany, but he is based in Kenya. At fifty, his concern for better health pushes him to visit a health spa to detox and relax. He lost 12 kilograms after the three weeks, which is a remarkable growth. However, ...
By Mercy Mutava - December 6, 2024
You will agree that a man can try and needs to try constantly. After all, in society, especially in the African setting, men have unique burdens that they have to bear. When I first read this title, I thought that a man could try to love two women concurrently or a man could try to fit into societal expectations by giving up his wishes. What do you think a man can try?Jones is a Sierra Leonean literary critic and author famous for introducing a different perspective to studying Shakespearean texts and the study of modern African literature. In his text, ...
By Mercy Mutava - December 5, 2024
When my friend gave me this book to read, I was almost sure I might not. It seemed huge, and after reading the first page, I did not want to keep going. After all, who wants to read old-age stories about arranged marriages between selfish parents who want to ensure their company survives after their demise without being concerned about their children’s love references? I was wrong to prejudge this text. It is one of the books I would want to read more than twice since its content is quite relatable after the first page, and the language is interesting ...
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