Pack Light: Memoirs of Growing Up in Africa – An Anthology of Short Stories & Poetry Review

Ok, ok! So if you know anything about me you know the FOMO has been killing me. I have wanted this book since the first review of it I read on the blog Benjamin WATCH. I just fell in love. I had to have it.

Cue an angel who saw my agony (called Mable from amuron.com) and saw it deserving to be soothed. Here I am gratified and reviewing the book myself.

This book feels a bit too familiar, the names may be different and the settings may be different but it awfully feels likes my life story. From the expectations of parents narrated in Flicker to life as a foreign resident as depicted in Wild Wild South.

This a phenomenon that seems to be quite visible recently ( to me anyway). How it feels like we are living the same life as Africans. No matter which part of African you are in like is evident in the trending hashtags against police brutality like #EndSarsNow in Nigeria, #ShutItAllDown in Namibia and #ZimbabweanLivesMatter in Zimbabwe. Or the terms some of our presidents serve for. Its sad that its mostly sad stuff we are relating to (not say there isn’t any good stuff we can relate to as Africans).

I did get a laugh though when I read Kipchumba’s Book even though I felt bad after. Growing up I was taught not to laugh at others’ misfortunes (seka urema wafa) but hey we have all fallen for a scam of two. It’s life (especially if you live in Africa).

Eating butter took me through the motions of loss, the blaming and the anger. It tells of coming to terms with it and how in the end we have to move on. Only then can we become better.

Reading these memoirs was really enjoyable.

Nothing would be better than a laid back Saturday, chocolate and this read in your hand. I would definitely recommend this book.

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