Chemutai Glasheen, I Am the Mau & Other Stories, Fremantle Press, August 2023, 256 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760992576
Chemutai Glasheen a storyteller, Kenyan born but now living in Western Australia, is an academic, teacher and writer with a passion for human rights. The stories all show aspects of the Kenyan culture and are a great introduction for young adult readers to the differences between western cultures and life in Kenya, the differences between rich and poor and between men and women. There’s a story about bullying, about a wife struggling against her abusive husband, the tradition of beading, followed by bedding which needs to change so girls can be educated and not unofficially enslaved. Explore the others.
The voice used in the stories is similar, though the characters are all different, and sometimes older than the protagonist telling the story, but this doesn’t take away the interest generated by the subject matter. The settings are very different to what most readers will recognise.
The young adult audience for this book will be limited: to those who like short stories; to those who are open to the new cultural experiences they discover. The language glossary at the back of the book was a great help in understanding the specifically Kenyan terms. The cover is sure to attract some readers to pick up the book.
Reviewed by Maureen Mann
