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Through the Leopard's Gaze
- Jacaranda Twenty in 2020
- Narrated by: Njambi McGrath
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
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Through the Leopard's Gaze
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Summary
Through the Leopard's Gaze is an amazing memoir chronicling the award winning comedian's difficult but inspiring life growing up in Kenya. Her book illuminates family abuse, racism identity and emotional triumph through the lenses of the author's personal history and the history of Kenya.
In her captivating memoir Through the Leopard's Gaze, Njambi McGrath details the harrowing circumstances of her life as a young girl in Kenya, who one fateful night was beaten to a pulp and left for dead. Thirteen-year-old Njambi, fearing her assailant would return to finish her, courageously escaped, walking through the night in the Kenyan countryside, risking wild animals, robbers and murderers, before being picked up by two shabbily dressed but safe men.
She buries the memories of that fateful day and night, and years later ends up in London with a British husband and children. Then one day a simple unassuming wedding invitation arrives in her mailbox causing her to have to confront the remnants of a past she had thought was behind her. This is a book about survival, and courage when all else fails. It’s a searingly honest examination of human cruelty and strength in equal measure.
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Critic reviews
"Trail blazing." (The Guardian)
"Important Voice" (The Times)
"Deliciously tart lines." (Evening Standard)
What listeners say about Through the Leopard's Gaze
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- Nancy Smith
- 26-05-21
very poignant
True story told in the authors own words revealing the real impact of colonialism and genocide in Africa. This was heartbreaking but also brought history to life for me. Excellent read.
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- hannah shephard
- 14-12-21
amazing story about coming to terms with trauma
Amazing writing, so open and honest and powerful because of that. I loved it, and it helped me a lot on a personal level.
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- Aqasa Nu
- 08-04-22
Diamonds in the ashes
The decent into family breakdown is just a reflection of the societal corruption following the barbarism of British rule.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-09-20
Beautiful, heartbreaking story
I loved the way it ends with a reflection of her parents' background. How no matter what happened, the bottom line is they were also a product of their experiences and in the end it kind of makes sense why everything happened the way it did.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- B. Taylor
- 23-12-22
A rollercoaster of emotions
Absolutely loved it. Her(story) is raw and pure. Information of this nature should be taught in every school in East Africa. There's a lot of similar stories but untold heavy colonial atrocities within East Africa and Africa in general, of which the Western countries have long twisted and reframed themselves as heros. Loved her style of narrating the story, I felt like I was there with her as the events unfold. I have learned a lot through her family tree and culture.
I highly recommend to everyone.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mrs SL
- 08-05-20
An honest but painful story
I couldn’t stop listening to this! Written so beautifully, Njambi tells the story of her life with unexpected twists and turns - had to re-listen to parts to comprehend them. Such shocking reading in places too. It’s the first book I’ve read that gives the perspective of colonialism from the African side but it’s beautifully mingled with the innocence of a little girl growing up in Kenya. Very highly recommended.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Ace
- 28-08-24
Powerful interrogation of generational trauma
This was a wonderful memoir. Njambi McGrath brings her childhood to life with incredible honesty, and places her upbringing within the context of generations of Kikuyu subject to unspeakable atrocity under British settler colonialism.
Njambi McGrath narrates the book with the same infectious vivaciousness that anyone familiar with her shows, or from Radio 4, or elsewhere, will know already.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 25-02-20
very inciteful
heart opening story of a woman making peace with generations of pain from British rule in Kenya.
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1 person found this helpful
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- TheRealMrsB
- 07-11-21
So heart rending
I loved the narration by the author. This lent authenticity to the story. it was a fully engrossing account from start to finish. The chapter chronicling the history of Kenyan colonisation was agonising to listen to. These stories need to be told, since we are taught a very different "whitewashed" version of events in our schools.
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- Elly
- 05-02-22
amazing and insightful..
I read the book when it came out, but loved to hear it narrated by Njami herself.
I could feel.the passion and was transported to her formative years.
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