Michela Wrong, the author of It's Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistle-Blower and a former journalist at the Financial Times, has been making the rounds promoting her new book. It's Our Turn to Eat tells the story of John Githongo, a Kenyan anti-corruption crusader who was eventually forced into exile. Wrong has kindly to agreed to give a talk on June 29 at the World Bank, and I think this is an event not to be missed.
For useful reviews of the book, check out Chris Blattman, the Financial Times, and the Economist. Also check out this recent interview with Wrong on NPR.
Comments (9)
Delicious
E-mail
Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Should be interesting. What is more interesting however is that none of the reviews of the book you recommend as useful are from Kenyans.
Is it that Kenyans have not read that book or is it that they are not impressed by it? Or is it that they are not talking about it or that you did not bother to find out?
Posted by: Anonymous | Jun 18, 2009 2:46:03 PM
To Anonymous:
The FT and the Economist usually give a good first cut, but I'd be very interested to hear views from Kenyans - would you care to recommend any?
Ryan
Posted by: Ryan Hahn | Jun 18, 2009 2:50:02 PM
Corruption and government: they go together like peanut butter and jelly. It looks like an interesting book. Thanks for the link.
Posted by: Tom | Jun 18, 2009 3:55:28 PM
Ryan, looking forward to Michela Wrong's turn at the World Bank.
Anonymous seems concerned about having a Kenyan's point of view on John Githongo's book specifically at the World Bank. It is not the only platform. Anonymous, your anonymous, paternalistic questions with regard to Kenyans can be answered if you get informed and read widely elsewhere as well, anonymously of course.
While Corruption and government may make for a delicious spread, Corruption and Wall Street, Corruption and Real Estate, Corruption and Mortgage, etc also fit together like a hand in a glove.
Posted by: Keith | Jun 18, 2009 9:53:44 PM
Amazon has plenty of comments from Kenyans.
Posted by: Anna Latz | Jun 23, 2009 11:38:53 AM
@Ryan Hahn,
Here's my review: http://bit.ly/RXspB
Posted by: daniel.waweru | Jun 24, 2009 12:05:39 AM
As a kenyan who has lived out of kenya for more than a decade, the book was informative on the current government. I was extremly dissappointed though given that i held the current government in high regard given the good things that i had heard, e.g.growing the economy. The ending was also an anti-climax in the sense that "why would i have expected anything other than that from kenyan politicians."
Posted by: judy | Jun 24, 2009 5:51:19 AM
Dear Anonymous - the book has been commented on by many, many Kenyans and it doesn't take too much digging to find those comments. It was positively reviewed, amongst others, by the Daily Nation, the Sunday Nation and the East African - all Kenyan newspapers - and there have been many long reviews on the Kenyan blogs - here's one as a taster. Look, and you will find!
http://wherehermadnessresides.blogspot.com/2009/05/michela-wrong-its-our-turn-to-eat.html
Michela Wrong
Posted by: Michela Wrong | Jun 27, 2009 9:55:52 AM
It's tough to follow up a post from the author. I would add that the book is much discussed here in Nairobi. This despite the fact that book stores are not selling it because they are afraid they will be sued by the powerful people named in it. Fortunately, it is possible to buy it from hawkers on the street.
Posted by: Kenny Scheffler | Jul 15, 2009 5:07:26 AM