Staring at the Nyanza Sun: A Kenyan-American Memoir

This is a historical memoir of a father's coming to America, and a son's return to his African roots. It begins in colonial Kenya, when at age seven, Otieno is forced .
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In this book, we find a young Odenyo, raised in a polygamous family, bouncing from one relative to another; still, his is a full and a rich childhood experience. In Kisii high school he forms life long friendships. Upon arrival in the US he learns to adjust to a life of hard work, and studies all the way to a Phd.

New PDF release: Staring at the Nyanza Sun: A Kenyan-American Memoir

This first half of the book also paints a detailed village life in Kenya before independence. Odenyo maintained a close link with his Kenyan relatives, his life in the US is that of an intensely private person who does not seem to interact with other Kenyans in New York. Also, he does not talk about issues like: We are introduced to his wife Mayonne, but are left asking who is she? How was she received by his family?

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What cultural issues did they both face? What did she think of Kenya? As one reads his son Odera's half, it becomes clear Prof.


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Odenyo did little to experientially introduce his children to his own culture. For instance, Odera is shocked by certain aspects of Luo culture, ex. He sees the Kenyan cultural life through his father's lens, and seems to channel his father's repremanding thoughts. Kenya is a world where you have to be on the lookout for relatives who are out for handouts, and he devotes about a third of the book chastising them and family friends, just as his father would, it seems.

Still the book is a good read. One person found this helpful. A son's journey of self-discovery takes him to Kenya -- the birthplace of his father. Not a book, however, to be read solely by those of African descent. The values of determination and sacrifice are human values, and are the core of this memoir.

One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful. Fascinating story about a Kenyan immigrant arriving in the U. I am glad I found this book. Young Odenyo is born to one of the first Christian converts in colonial Kenya. They live in a monogamous home surrounded by many traditional Luo households.

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For that he is labeled a troublesome Luo. Otieno decides to start a new life in America, where he overcomes many more struggles and finally obtains a Phd, and marries a white American. He dedicates the rest of his life to quietly helping his Kenyan family. This first half of the book made me learn a lot of historical things about colonial Kenya that I did not know. The second half of the book is from their son Odera, who seems to provide much more emotion and family detail than does his reserved father. Odera tells of his family's bi-racial origins, interracial and cultural struggles, mother's impressions of Kenya, Kenyan family's visit to her home in Minnesota.

Odera grows up admiring the many Kenyan friends who come to visit his father in New York. Odenyo takes effort to expose his children to Kenyan culture by taking them to Kenya on repeated visits. There is much debate between the two which is interesting. When his father dies Odera decides to bury his father in Kenya per Luo burial traditions - seeking comfort that his father might hear the beating of drums and know that he is being buried at home.

Towards the end of the book, Odera is also labeled a troublesome Luo.

New PDF release: Staring at the Nyanza Sun: A Kenyan-American Memoir - Yia Mas 88 Greek Books

While he is often willing to accept the community's views - they do not accept his. He refuses to leave his brother's memorial service to buy alcohol for the crowd and is considered "un-Luo. When he refuses to blindly give money to friends, family, and strangers he is considered selfish. He tries to help his cousins define and accomplish their goals but he is considered rude.

He seeks out his father's best friends for solace, only to discover they have taken off to Toronto with much of Dr. Odera asks for the money back - he is told he is greedy and does not respect his elders.

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This chapter 15 was the saddest of all the 16 chapters. In the last chapter, Odera returns to Kenya to try to remain connected to his Kenyan family and continue his father's dream of providing educational opportunities. He tries to focus on the young people who have not yet been caught up in corruptive activities. I found this very encouraging and I hope Kenya produces many more troublesome Luos like Odera and his father for they seem to be principled people unlike what you see going on in Kenya today.

This book should be made mandatory reading for the youth in Nyanza-Kenya.

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This is a very moving book which I greatly enjoyed reading. I think it is especially valuable reading for individuals trying to understand how people who were born into one culture country meet the challenge of adapting to the circumstances they find themselves in when they move to another culture country. This book charts the life of a wonderful man who was born in Kenya but spent much of his life in the United States. I was very impressed with the book and I had a hard time putting it down. See all 7 reviews.

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Get to Know Us. English Choose a language for shopping. This is a historical memoir of a father's coming to America, and a son's return to his African roots. At age fourteen he endures the painful adult-initiation ceremony required by the traditions of his Luo community in Gem, Nyanza Province. Now considered a man, Otieno is required to leave his father's house and build his own. Barefoot, poor, and living in his earth and grass "simba," Otieno is rich with personal ambition and the priceless inspiration of the village elders. However, his desire for higher education propels him to join the "Kennedy Airlift" and start a new life in South Dakota, U.

It is the height of the civil rights era in America, and Otieno's personal struggle has only just begun.

Otieno's American-born son, Odera, grew up listening to his father tell inspirational stories of Nyanza. Odera heard tales of the Luo migration from Uganda into Kenya, the rise and fall of the great Luo warrior Luanda Magere , the legacy of Chief Odera Akang'o of Gem, and the contributions of pre-independence leaders from Nyanza. However, of all these great stories of Nyanza, which are documented in this ground-breaking memoir, it was the story of his own father that most inspired Odera.

Amos Otieno Odenyo was the first Kenyan to obtain a Ph.