You Will See Fire: A Search for Justice in Kenya

by Christopher Goffard

A nonfiction mystery dwelling on timeless themes: an individual’s stand against corruption, the complexity of the human heart. Whether gunning down a warthog, raising the beams he'd hewn himself for a new church, or standing up for landless refugees and abused girls, Father John Kaiser was a figure larger than life. He was fierce in his commitments, devoted to the poor and displaced, and fearless―what some would call reckless―in the pursuit of justice. For this he was beloved by his parishioners, seen as a loose cannon by his superiors in the church, and despised by Kenya's strongmen under the tyrannical leadership of Daniel arap Moi. When Kaiser was discovered dead on a remote roadside in the bush, the FBI ruled it a suicide. Kenyans were sure he'd been murdered.

In a new Kenya, post-Moi, it would fall to Charles Mbuthi Gathenji, a prominent dissident and the son of a man himself murdered for his beliefs, to find out what really happened to Father John Kaiser. 8 pages of black-and-white photographs

Genres: Nonfiction, Africa, True Crime, Kenya, History

330 pages, Hardcover

First published December 5, 2011

About the author

Christopher Goffard is one of America's most acclaimed literary journalists. He has written for the St. Petersburg Times and the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of You Will See Fire: A Search for Justice in Kenya, based on his Los Angeles Times series; the novel Snitch Jacket, which was a finalist for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel; and Dirty John and Other True Stories of Outlaws and Outsiders. His work appears regularly in the Best American Newspaper Narratives series.

Reviews

[Salem Lorot]

After reading this book, I cannot tell whether Fr John Kaiser committed suicide or was killed, whether to go by the FBI Report of suicide or the Inquest whose findings were murder.

The book reveals so much detail on Fr. Kaiser and I thank Christopher Goffard for writing this book and leaving us to make out for ourselves who Fr Kaiser was. The story helps one to understand Kenya's justice system.

[Mugenyi Gideon]

A glimpse into how a dysfunctional state permits a level of impunity unrivaled anywhere.The judicial system,armed apparatus and the machinery of the republic of Kenya was geared towards realising the aspirations of Daniel Arap Moi and his cohorts to the detriment of the rest of the society.Its this kind of structure that Father John Kaiser stood against and lost his life.

[Linda]

The story of an American priest in Kenya begins on a slow note, long descriptive passageways of text in order to get your mind adjusted to the who, what and where of the book. During his 36 years of missionary work, the priest has incited both love and hatred among people in his parish. His death has been foretold for years and he receives threats from unknown persons but he is determined to complete his work. When he is finally forced to leave by the Vatican it seems others decide to take matters into their own hands and the morning after he was to fly out, he is found dead. Nonfiction that wants to be fiction: the writing is dry, factual reading almost like a school history report but the elements of a novel have been sporadically placed in the text (a mystery, a hunted priest, political madness) to perhaps increase appeal? I’m not really sure why the joining of the two genres was attempted. As a nonfiction text it serves well to educate the reader and the fiction elements draw away from the legitimacy of the text. I think perhaps tightening up of text and taking out the obvious attempts to sensationalize the story would serve the book better and help make it appeal to a specific audience as it currently seems to be lost the reading slush pile for most people.

ARC Galley Proof

[Brian Trinder]

An interesting well researched read, however a bit too much detail for me.

[Vicki]

couldn't get into it at this time