One Day I Will Write About This Place
Kevin Mwachiro tells us about Binyavanga Wainaina’s memoir, One Day I Will Write About This Place.
I took my time in getting to buy myself a copy of One Day I Will Write About This Place by Binyavanga Wainaina. I’d read all the reviews and listened to other bookies discuss it. Yet, I waited. I wanted to let the hype settle and then dive into the book. I could hear Binya’s voice in my head as I read it. It was familiar, personal, funny, and filled with colour only in the way Binya writes. This was an enjoyable and swift read.
The book brought Nakuru to life for me. Being a Nairobi boy, I was excited to read about what it was like growing in the city, especially during Kenya’s teenager to young adult days. I bonded with this book in so many ways, but more so in the way Binya and his siblings call his dad, Baba. We call my father Baba too. I’d love to read more Kenyan memoirs like this because they are about us, our places and our stories.
Kevin Mwachiro is a Kenyan journalist and cancer fighter. He hosts a fortnightly podcast called Nipe Story.
