A Grain of Wheat Audiobook By Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o cover art

A Grain of Wheat

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A Grain of Wheat

By: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
Narrated by: Ron Butler
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About this listen

Set in the wake of the Mau Mau rebellion and on the cusp of Kenya's independence from Britain, A Grain of Wheat follows a group of villagers whose lives have been transformed by the 1952-1960 Emergency. At the center of it all is the reticent Mugo, the village's chosen hero and a man haunted by a terrible secret. As we learn of the villagers' tangled histories in a narrative interwoven with myth and peppered with allusions to real-life leaders, including Jomo Kenyatta, a masterly story unfolds in which compromises are forced, friendships are betrayed, and loves are tested.

©1967, 1986 Ngugi wa Thiong’o (P)2019 Tantor
African American Fiction Historical Fiction World Literature Village
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What listeners say about A Grain of Wheat

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great book, wrong narrator

The narrator did not even bother to pronounce the author's name correctly. Otherwise, amazing book.

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2 people found this helpful

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One of Kenya's Great

I am glad I reread this book. Having read it as a student over 25 years ago I didn't appreciate the nuances of the stories Prof Ngugi wove. My one feedback for the Audible edition is for a better pronounciation of the book's characters and places...since they often repeat them....it can get irritating a bit how off the names were read out.

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4 people found this helpful

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Intriguing story

An interesting look at a tumultuous period in kenyan history, read in a clear compelling voice.

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A stirring story

I enjoyed this book the first time I read it years ago, and I found it just as riveting years later. A powerful story of Kenyan independence and the anti-colonial struggle, but also how devastating colonialism was to the African people. Ngugi should've already won the Nobel Prize for the bodybof his work. Maybe one day.

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1 person found this helpful

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Slow start

For me, The story seemed to meander for several before a coherent story appeared, but it was a thought-provoking story with well-written characters.

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A piece of Art

Ron Butler, narrated this to perfection.
The beautiful memories this book brings can’t be matched.
A great piece for sure. Thiongo never disappoints

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