Coming to Birth

By Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye

Book Overview

In this quietly powerful and eminently readable novel, winner of the prestigious Sinclair Prize, Kenyan writer Marjorie Macgoye deftly interweaves the story of one young woman's tumultuous coming of age with the history of a nation emerging from colonialism.

At the age of sixteen, Paulina leaves her small village in western Kenya to join her new husband, Martin, in the bustling city of Nairobi. It is 1956, and Kenya is in the final days of the "Emergency," as the British seek to suppress violent anti-colonial revolts.

But Paulina knows little about, about city life, or about marriage, and Martin's clumsy attempts to control her soon lead to a relationship filled with silences, misunderstandings, and unfulfilled expectations. Soon Paulina's inability to bear a child effectively banishes her from the confines of traditional women's roles. As her country at last moves toward independence, Paulina manages to achieve a kind of independence as well: She accepts a job that will require her to live separately from her husband, and she has an affair that leads to the birth of her first child. But Paulina's hard-won contentment will be shattered when Kenya's turbulent history intrudes into her private life, bringing with it tragedy--and a new test of her quiet courage and determination.

Paulina's patient struggles for survival and identity are revealed through Marjorie Macgoye's keen and sensitive vision--a vision which extends to embrace the whole of a nation and a people likewise struggling to find their way. As the Weekly Standard of Kenya notes, "Coming to Birth is a radical novel in firmly asserting our common humanity."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558612491
• ISBN13: 9781558612495
• Release Date: December 2000
• Publisher: Feminist Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

The real Kenya

A social history of Kenya 1957 to 1978, interwoven with the political changes of the times. At the center of the story is Paulina, who progresses from a 16-year old farm girl from Western Kenya to a self-assured and matured woman in Nairobi. Maybe for the first time, an author who lives in Nairobi, tells us about the common people and the disenfranchised masses in that city - something a tourist would never see or even think of. It is a fascinating story, and so very well written. Interwoven with this tale are the political happenings, from MauMau to Uhuru and to the final statehood under Kenyatta. She describes the feuds between the different tribes, such as the Luo from Lake Victoria, the Swahili from the East Coast, and the dominant but persecuted Kikuyu from the Rift valley. Murder and mayhem did not bode well for the new country and the inside readings from this book are fascinating.On a personal note: early in 1969 I had the very special experience to meet Tom Mboya, who was then 39 years old and a rising star in Kenya's politics. At that time, my stated view was that he would either be president, or be killed. Tom Mboya was assassinated in July of that year. I am very glad to see from this book that this brilliant young man has not been forgotten.