My Life In Crime
Joan Kabugu takes us back to her favorite read from school.
John Kiriamiti’s epic tale My Life in Crime is a book that was too early for it’s time, way before the TV series Prison Break was created. When I read it in my early years, under the desk during classtime I vividly remember Jack Zollo the star of the book as a smooth criminal, his literal escapades were something else. Milly his girl added much spice, that love story was a clear indication that bad boy syndrome has been alive and kicking for along time!
The author’s follow up book about Milly, “My Life with a Criminal” was also a big hit. The world of Kenyan crime had never been explored so vividly before and it gave me a shot of adrenaline as I flipped through the pages that invited me into the mind of a bank robber.
This is one of those transformational stories, both fictitiously and in reality. The book sold out and gave a reformed criminal a new lease to life, he could have a chance to earn a living as an author second time round. How grand is that?
Joan Kabugu is a Writer and Filmmaker who believes that authentic African stories have the power to transform societies. She’s also Topcat at Ecila Films.
