Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Join Leslie, (Books Gurrs and Purrs) and @ChroniclesofNoria as we discuss Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o first memoir, Dreams in a Time of War: A Childhood Memoir. What Thiong'o experienced in his lifetime is not just the past, but reflected in our present and to work towards better futures requires an understanding of both.
Remember, history is not behind you. It's knocking on your door right now.
Book Synopsis from GoodReads:
In Dreams in a Time of War , Ngugi deftly etches a bygone era, capturing the landscape, the people, and their culture; the social and political vicissitudes of life under colonialism and war; and the troubled relationship between an emerging Christianized middle class and the rural poor. And he shows how the Mau Mau armed struggle for Kenya’s independence against the British informed not only his own life but also the lives of those closest to him.
AUTHOR BIO:
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o was a Kenyan author and academic, who has been described as East Africa's leading novelist and an important figure in modern African literature.
Time Stamp:
00:00 Intro
10:30 Share an endearing childhood story
22:30 A Mother and Son Pact
24:30 Industrialization, Trains and Their Impact
50:39 A Father's Experience
1:04:02 Polygamy to Single Parenting
1:17:16 A Pear Tree
1:24:26 Building Up & Tearing Down an Education
1:29:22 Building Up & Tearing Down an Education Part II
1:43:13 Oral Media & Written News
1:52:40 Belonging
2:07:47 The Pen is His Weapon
2:15:30 Final Thoughts
FOUR MEMOIRS
goodreads.com/series/251585-memoirs
Readathon on Storygraph
app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/4a53d2d0-7a99-4fd7-a04f-60abe602ae04
#booktubecommunity #buddyreads #ngugiwathiongo
Join Leslie, (Books Gurrs and Purrs) and @ChroniclesofNoria as we discuss Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o first memoir, Dreams in a Time of War: A Childhood Memoir. What Thiong'o experienced in his lifetime is not just the past, but reflected in our present and to work towards better futures requires an understanding of both.
Remember, history is not behind you. It's knocking on your door right now.
Book Synopsis from GoodReads:
In Dreams in a Time of War , Ngugi deftly etches a bygone era, capturing the landscape, the people, and their culture; the social and political vicissitudes of life under colonialism and war; and the troubled relationship between an emerging Christianized middle class and the rural poor. And he shows how the Mau Mau armed struggle for Kenya’s independence against the British informed not only his own life but also the lives of those closest to him.
AUTHOR BIO:
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o was a Kenyan author and academic, who has been described as East Africa's leading novelist and an important figure in modern African literature.
Time Stamp:
00:00 Intro
10:30 Share an endearing childhood story
22:30 A Mother and Son Pact
24:30 Industrialization, Trains and Their Impact
50:39 A Father's Experience
1:04:02 Polygamy to Single Parenting
1:17:16 A Pear Tree
1:24:26 Building Up & Tearing Down an Education
1:29:22 Building Up & Tearing Down an Education Part II
1:43:13 Oral Media & Written News
1:52:40 Belonging
2:07:47 The Pen is His Weapon
2:15:30 Final Thoughts
FOUR MEMOIRS
goodreads.com/series/251585-memoirs
Readathon on Storygraph
app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/4a53d2d0-7a99-4fd7-a04f-60abe602ae04
#booktubecommunity #buddyreads #ngugiwathiongo
