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Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter
Written as a letter from a Zimbabwean mother to her daughter, a student at Harvard, J. Nozipo Maraire evokes the moving story of a mother reaching out to her daughter to share the lessons life has taught her and bring the two closer than ever before. Interweaving history and memories, disappointments and dreams, Zenzele tells the tales of Zimbabwe's struggle for independence and the men and women who shaped Zenzele's father, an outspoken activist lawyer; her aunt, a schoolteacher by day and secret guerrilla fighter by night; and her cousin, a maid and a spy.
Rich with insight, history, and philosophy, Zenzele is a powerful and compelling story that is both revolutionary and revelatory--the story of one life that poignantly speaks of all lives.
Rich with insight, history, and philosophy, Zenzele is a powerful and compelling story that is both revolutionary and revelatory--the story of one life that poignantly speaks of all lives.
194 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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2389 people want to read
About the author
J. Nozipo Maraire
2 books37 followersJ. Nozipo Maraire (born in 1966) is a Zimbabwean doctor and writer. She is the author of Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter. She is a practicing neurosurgeon in Klamath Falls, Oregon. She got her undergraduate degree from Harvard University and then attended The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. Soon after she entered a neurosurgery internship at Yale. She currently lives in New Haven, Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews
February 16, 2023
Zenzele is a refreshing, imaginative and powerful story written as a letter by a mother to her daughter – Zenzele, offering advice based on her own life experiences. Incidentally, I read the book ‘India, that is Bharat’ which provided a non-fiction analysis of the impact of colonialism on the Indian mind. Zenzele, covers the impact as well, among other things, but in a fictional setting.
Zenzele has moved to the U.S. to pursue her studies. Her mother, who is in Harare, Zimbabwe, writes to her about her experiences and what Zenzele can draw from it. The family had modest beginnings, living in the village of Chakowa. Most of the book is based on the period when Zimbabwe was occupied. The colonialism playbook was similar to that in India aiming to dent the self-worth of the local population so that they see the occupiers as doing them a favour. This does take its toll as many see behaving like a ‘White English person’ as their aspiration. There is Zenzele’s childhood friend Byron, who goes to UK, only returning when his mother is critically ill and even then he was more keen on leaving the country, then Rhodesia, at the earliest. Many locals form resistance movements, some of whom conclude that they have no choice but to wage a violent struggle (this aspect could have been explored better in the book). Zenzele’s sister Linda is very active in the underground at considerable risk to herself. When Zenzele does well in her exams in school, her mother wants to buy her a dress she likes – but is denied entry as the store caters to only Whites.
Zenzele’s mother mentions how her parents had told her that she would encounter two forms of love – one which appeared exciting and set the heart racing, and the second which would be quieter and deeper which she would ease into more slowly. Her first love meets a tragic end, and she later marries a mature and intelligent lawyer who passionately fights cases involving the locals. She discovers that assumptions about Africans continue well after occupation of the country ended and persists to this day. As she visits Europe with her husband on one of his business trips, she is taken aback when a lady on the street offers her a job as a maid. Her husband chuckles that while this may be surprising for her, he has been assumed lots of times as being a janitor or labourer, and is now used to it.
The advice of the mother to Zenzele – as you go to new places, do not forget where you came from, respect your ancestors and culture, as that made you what you are. Assimilation in a new place should not mean cutting your ties or deriding your origins. The last section strikes a fleeting sorrowful tone, and is beautifully written.
Nozipo Maraire wrote this book 25 years back, and was then unmarried. In a note at the end, written 20 years after the publication of the book, she mentions that her daughter read the book after many years and told her that she felt it was written for her. I can understand why, as this is a beautiful book.
My rating: 4.25 / 5.
Zenzele has moved to the U.S. to pursue her studies. Her mother, who is in Harare, Zimbabwe, writes to her about her experiences and what Zenzele can draw from it. The family had modest beginnings, living in the village of Chakowa. Most of the book is based on the period when Zimbabwe was occupied. The colonialism playbook was similar to that in India aiming to dent the self-worth of the local population so that they see the occupiers as doing them a favour. This does take its toll as many see behaving like a ‘White English person’ as their aspiration. There is Zenzele’s childhood friend Byron, who goes to UK, only returning when his mother is critically ill and even then he was more keen on leaving the country, then Rhodesia, at the earliest. Many locals form resistance movements, some of whom conclude that they have no choice but to wage a violent struggle (this aspect could have been explored better in the book). Zenzele’s sister Linda is very active in the underground at considerable risk to herself. When Zenzele does well in her exams in school, her mother wants to buy her a dress she likes – but is denied entry as the store caters to only Whites.
Zenzele’s mother mentions how her parents had told her that she would encounter two forms of love – one which appeared exciting and set the heart racing, and the second which would be quieter and deeper which she would ease into more slowly. Her first love meets a tragic end, and she later marries a mature and intelligent lawyer who passionately fights cases involving the locals. She discovers that assumptions about Africans continue well after occupation of the country ended and persists to this day. As she visits Europe with her husband on one of his business trips, she is taken aback when a lady on the street offers her a job as a maid. Her husband chuckles that while this may be surprising for her, he has been assumed lots of times as being a janitor or labourer, and is now used to it.
The advice of the mother to Zenzele – as you go to new places, do not forget where you came from, respect your ancestors and culture, as that made you what you are. Assimilation in a new place should not mean cutting your ties or deriding your origins. The last section strikes a fleeting sorrowful tone, and is beautifully written.
Nozipo Maraire wrote this book 25 years back, and was then unmarried. In a note at the end, written 20 years after the publication of the book, she mentions that her daughter read the book after many years and told her that she felt it was written for her. I can understand why, as this is a beautiful book.
My rating: 4.25 / 5.
August 28, 2015
I sit here on my day off (which isn't really a day off, more like a day alone), and instead of completing my weekly prep for work, I flip backwards and forwards, through the pages of this book, and I wonder why we rarely hear of this New York Times Notable Book. After some pondering, I attempt an answer to my own inquiry. The answer lies within the conversation I had with a friend a couple of months ago, about the political sway of some African fiction. Try living in a country in its post-colonial stage, one that still struggles with the econonomically-disadvantaged who were once castaways and underprivileged, or a country that has legalized censorship, wouldn't you be political if you'd finally been allowed a voice? I asked her.
This novel in letters, from an African mother to her immigrant-daughter, reminds me of the singularity of the memoirs Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth's Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa and Dreams in a Time of War: A Childhood Memoir, because these authors all write from a post-colonial perspective that I sometimes long for, one you don't see often on the bestseller lists: that of the colonialized.
The second half of this novel seems like its own novel in some portions, but the ending is gorgeous in its poignancy, and the beginning is lyrical beauty. Then again, I'm always one to fall for the epistolary form and that cunning stylistic attempt of writers who direct language to their intended audience (Maya Angelou in Letter to My Daughter and Mariama Ba in So Long a Letter, for instance). Although specific in region, other themes of motherhood and the inadequacy it sometimes embodies, are also appealing to any reader.
In an intimate appeal for her daughter Zenzele to remember her heritage, her mother recounts her daughter's African roots in the letters she writes to her while she is in college abroad. In these letters, mother outlines cultural and political strife that are worth noting, whenever we read or hear about the economic or political climate of the former Rhodesia, where African citizens were treated as slaves, not permitted to obtain jobs or even shop at certain stores; outcasts gated off from parts of their native land.
Some noteworthy historical texturing:
- Zimbabwe, the former Rhodesia, and its internal struggles, as seen from the African point-of-view, when Africans sought to gain independence from the British.
- The plight of freedom fighters, or "terrorists" as they were referred to by the Rhodesian army, is showcased here. Oftentimes, when you hear of an African country's emergence from colonialism, you don't hear about the people of the underground who helped make it happen.
- Women soldiers. Africa has had her share of women who pioneered change during political upheaval, yet we don't read about them often (I'm thinking of Liberia's "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" women's movement as I write this). Here, the courage of Zimbabwe's female freedom fighters is discussed in detail.
History, your father says, is determined by its authors, just as the building is defined by its architect, not its inhabitants. Until we begin to put our pen to paper, we historically do not exist.
This novel in letters, from an African mother to her immigrant-daughter, reminds me of the singularity of the memoirs Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth's Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa and Dreams in a Time of War: A Childhood Memoir, because these authors all write from a post-colonial perspective that I sometimes long for, one you don't see often on the bestseller lists: that of the colonialized.
We developed all the symptoms of the postcolonial syndrome, endemic to Africa: acquisition, imitation, and a paucity of imagination.
The second half of this novel seems like its own novel in some portions, but the ending is gorgeous in its poignancy, and the beginning is lyrical beauty. Then again, I'm always one to fall for the epistolary form and that cunning stylistic attempt of writers who direct language to their intended audience (Maya Angelou in Letter to My Daughter and Mariama Ba in So Long a Letter, for instance). Although specific in region, other themes of motherhood and the inadequacy it sometimes embodies, are also appealing to any reader.
In your company, I often feel blind, groping for firm objects, hesitant lest I collide with some obstacle I cannot characterize, let alone surmount. Ah. But your fingers are truly mine, long, dark, and graceful. And those clumsy lips, those are mine too.
In an intimate appeal for her daughter Zenzele to remember her heritage, her mother recounts her daughter's African roots in the letters she writes to her while she is in college abroad. In these letters, mother outlines cultural and political strife that are worth noting, whenever we read or hear about the economic or political climate of the former Rhodesia, where African citizens were treated as slaves, not permitted to obtain jobs or even shop at certain stores; outcasts gated off from parts of their native land.
I shall never forget the day I stood on the sidewalk in town, transfixed as they took the dreadful, prohibiting letters spelling Rhodesia down from city hall and put up, one by one, the name that gave me the keys to the kingdom of my country. I had inhabited Rhodesia, but in Zimbabwe, I lived…each letter of that precious name holds a promise.
Some noteworthy historical texturing:
- Zimbabwe, the former Rhodesia, and its internal struggles, as seen from the African point-of-view, when Africans sought to gain independence from the British.
- The plight of freedom fighters, or "terrorists" as they were referred to by the Rhodesian army, is showcased here. Oftentimes, when you hear of an African country's emergence from colonialism, you don't hear about the people of the underground who helped make it happen.
- Women soldiers. Africa has had her share of women who pioneered change during political upheaval, yet we don't read about them often (I'm thinking of Liberia's "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" women's movement as I write this). Here, the courage of Zimbabwe's female freedom fighters is discussed in detail.
October 4, 2014
"Until the lion learns to write, tales of hunting will always glorify the hunter." (pg 78)
This novel is a wonderful attempt to set the record straight. It is written as a letter from a traditional Zimbabwean mother to her modern, educated, daughter, who is going away to study at Harvard. In the letter the mother relates stories from her past about herself, about her family, about her lovers, about her friends, about the contrast between country and city, the traditional and the modern, about Zimbabwe as a country under British rule and about the fight for independence. It reads like oral storytelling that has somehow ended up being written down and there is a folksy feel to much of it, despite the sophisticated language and poetic style of much of the writing.
And many of the themes are about contrasts and conflicts - or lions and hunters. The fight between colonisers and colonised is perhaps the most obvious. But there is also traditional country life contrasting with modern city life. Old Africa against new Africa. The woman as carer for the family against the woman who wants education, freedom and independence. Pan-Africanism as a solution to oppression contrasted with people heading to Europe and America to "better" themselves and return to fight equipped with insider knowledge of how the systems work. And also, perhaps most relevant to the main character but least overtly explored, the young and articulate against the old and unheard.
It is notable that there is really only one point of view represented here - we know what the mother (narrator) thinks about things and we see her trying to understand other people, but her struggles to empathise and to comprehend viewpoints that are alien to her are as close as we get to hearing a contrasting point of view. This is perhaps most movingly expressed in her struggles with religion and the perception that religion was used by missionaries to discourage rebellion in this life by making promises that patience in this life would be rewarded in the afterlife - particularly given the alienation she felt following the death of her first lover and the awareness that all depictions of the Gods and angels had white skin. It is also thrown into sharp relief in the stories of a friend who became a freedom fighter and a cousin who was regularly beaten by her husband but refused to leave him. This single perspective and struggle to understand others' points of view from this perspective, is partly what, I think, gives the novel its strength. And as this simplicity of viewpoint and the attempts of the modern world to destroy and confound it are a central theme to the novel.
Nozipo Maraire doesn't put a foot wrong as far as the stories she tells are concerned. They are believable, entertaining and beautifully described. Not only that, but they are perfectly chosen to illustrate the themes she explores throughout the novel. These are numerous but not overwhelmingly so and she manages to link the stories so that their themes complement each other, gradually deepening our understanding of the author's perspective. There is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief required regarding the fluency with which the mother is able to write, the language she can use and her ability to structure what she wants to say given that she is supposed to be a traditional family woman with little access to learning but this suspension is willingly given and in no way spoils the read.
The only problem I had with the novel was the epilogue. I didn't understand why this had to be written as a separate section and for quite a few pages I was actually under the impression that it had been written at a later date by the daughter visiting her mother's roots. Maybe this was a failure of concentration on my part but unfortunately it did distract me for quite some time and reduced the considerable power of the otherwise flawless writing.
It would be remiss of me to write a review of Zenzele without also mentioning the incredible relevance that it has to today's life. Although written from the perspective of the older (past) generation, the author does an excellent job of bringing in the new and the modern - even if she is just trying to understand and to empathise with them. The themes continue to be relevant - whether the reader is an old Zimbabwean reading by candlelight in the country or an American-born student wondering about their roots. Or, in fact, just an ordinary person of any background, either gender, any family situation, any educational level or any nationality, trying to work out what matters in life. "The Government, Church and television keep the average man so mired in petty concerns that he can no longer discern which battles are worth fighting for."
Does that not continue to be a message of our time? And insights like this are why this novel should speak to everyone.
This novel is a wonderful attempt to set the record straight. It is written as a letter from a traditional Zimbabwean mother to her modern, educated, daughter, who is going away to study at Harvard. In the letter the mother relates stories from her past about herself, about her family, about her lovers, about her friends, about the contrast between country and city, the traditional and the modern, about Zimbabwe as a country under British rule and about the fight for independence. It reads like oral storytelling that has somehow ended up being written down and there is a folksy feel to much of it, despite the sophisticated language and poetic style of much of the writing.
And many of the themes are about contrasts and conflicts - or lions and hunters. The fight between colonisers and colonised is perhaps the most obvious. But there is also traditional country life contrasting with modern city life. Old Africa against new Africa. The woman as carer for the family against the woman who wants education, freedom and independence. Pan-Africanism as a solution to oppression contrasted with people heading to Europe and America to "better" themselves and return to fight equipped with insider knowledge of how the systems work. And also, perhaps most relevant to the main character but least overtly explored, the young and articulate against the old and unheard.
It is notable that there is really only one point of view represented here - we know what the mother (narrator) thinks about things and we see her trying to understand other people, but her struggles to empathise and to comprehend viewpoints that are alien to her are as close as we get to hearing a contrasting point of view. This is perhaps most movingly expressed in her struggles with religion and the perception that religion was used by missionaries to discourage rebellion in this life by making promises that patience in this life would be rewarded in the afterlife - particularly given the alienation she felt following the death of her first lover and the awareness that all depictions of the Gods and angels had white skin. It is also thrown into sharp relief in the stories of a friend who became a freedom fighter and a cousin who was regularly beaten by her husband but refused to leave him. This single perspective and struggle to understand others' points of view from this perspective, is partly what, I think, gives the novel its strength. And as this simplicity of viewpoint and the attempts of the modern world to destroy and confound it are a central theme to the novel.
Nozipo Maraire doesn't put a foot wrong as far as the stories she tells are concerned. They are believable, entertaining and beautifully described. Not only that, but they are perfectly chosen to illustrate the themes she explores throughout the novel. These are numerous but not overwhelmingly so and she manages to link the stories so that their themes complement each other, gradually deepening our understanding of the author's perspective. There is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief required regarding the fluency with which the mother is able to write, the language she can use and her ability to structure what she wants to say given that she is supposed to be a traditional family woman with little access to learning but this suspension is willingly given and in no way spoils the read.
The only problem I had with the novel was the epilogue. I didn't understand why this had to be written as a separate section and for quite a few pages I was actually under the impression that it had been written at a later date by the daughter visiting her mother's roots. Maybe this was a failure of concentration on my part but unfortunately it did distract me for quite some time and reduced the considerable power of the otherwise flawless writing.
It would be remiss of me to write a review of Zenzele without also mentioning the incredible relevance that it has to today's life. Although written from the perspective of the older (past) generation, the author does an excellent job of bringing in the new and the modern - even if she is just trying to understand and to empathise with them. The themes continue to be relevant - whether the reader is an old Zimbabwean reading by candlelight in the country or an American-born student wondering about their roots. Or, in fact, just an ordinary person of any background, either gender, any family situation, any educational level or any nationality, trying to work out what matters in life. "The Government, Church and television keep the average man so mired in petty concerns that he can no longer discern which battles are worth fighting for."
Does that not continue to be a message of our time? And insights like this are why this novel should speak to everyone.
April 9, 2021
There is not a man in the world who is worth your dignity.
March 22, 2014
I loved this book because it confronted my own biased views of Africa, its cultures, and its peoples. The story presents simply as a letter from a mother to her daughter but contains many more truths than this simplistic beginning. Maybe the reason it is so impactful is the premise's basic simplicity. Definitely worth reading! 4.5 stars
June 26, 2013
This is an excellently-written and insightful short novel, told in the form of a letter from a Zimbabwean mother to her daughter while the daughter is studying abroad at Harvard. It was a delight to read and certainly deserves a wider audience.
Zenzele is a story about a lot of things, from love and family to political activism and racism. Shiri, the mother, tells stories from her own life and lives of those around her: about growing up in the countryside, about her adulthood in Harare, about the war against white minority rule. The stories of Shiri’s sister and female cousin, who become guerillas in the revolution, particularly struck me: these sorts of stories, featuring good people involving themselves in politics and fighting and actually achieving success, are not the sort that are usually told about Africa. Encountering an African novel full of political activism and national pride and admirable, successful women (but without ignoring the harshness of life for many people on the continent) was a breath of fresh air, and it made me think about the kinds of stories that are told about Africa and why that might be.
The characters are quite vivid, and while Shiri is perhaps the least colorful of the bunch, the author does a great job of characterizing her through her writing, which is gentle but profound and expertly crafted: it’s the sort of prose that would do well to be read aloud. The imagery is vivid, and the look into life in Zimbabwe is fascinating, giving a sense of the history while keeping the focus on the characters’ experiences. In some places the book is didactic (Shiri is not subtle in criticizing the brain drain), but it works, because it’s structured as a letter from parent to child and because it comes across as heartfelt and insightful. As you might expect, the book doesn’t have a traditional plot, and each chapter has its own focus, but it all fits together excellently.
Overall, a gem of a book that should be more widely read. I certainly recommend it.
Zenzele is a story about a lot of things, from love and family to political activism and racism. Shiri, the mother, tells stories from her own life and lives of those around her: about growing up in the countryside, about her adulthood in Harare, about the war against white minority rule. The stories of Shiri’s sister and female cousin, who become guerillas in the revolution, particularly struck me: these sorts of stories, featuring good people involving themselves in politics and fighting and actually achieving success, are not the sort that are usually told about Africa. Encountering an African novel full of political activism and national pride and admirable, successful women (but without ignoring the harshness of life for many people on the continent) was a breath of fresh air, and it made me think about the kinds of stories that are told about Africa and why that might be.
The characters are quite vivid, and while Shiri is perhaps the least colorful of the bunch, the author does a great job of characterizing her through her writing, which is gentle but profound and expertly crafted: it’s the sort of prose that would do well to be read aloud. The imagery is vivid, and the look into life in Zimbabwe is fascinating, giving a sense of the history while keeping the focus on the characters’ experiences. In some places the book is didactic (Shiri is not subtle in criticizing the brain drain), but it works, because it’s structured as a letter from parent to child and because it comes across as heartfelt and insightful. As you might expect, the book doesn’t have a traditional plot, and each chapter has its own focus, but it all fits together excellently.
Overall, a gem of a book that should be more widely read. I certainly recommend it.
March 28, 2019
Lyrical prose and some very good passages made this a worthwhile read. The epistolary format seemed awkwardly executed to me, and the lack of contractions which, in my admittedly limited experience, seems to be typical of African authors, sounds very stilted to an American ear.
The exploration of colonialism and its inherent racism is more gently broached by our main character than it might have been as told directly by one of the freedom fighter characters, which was a smart choice by the author. The anger, frustration, and passion of the guerillas was clearly illustrated without the reader feeling lectured.
The exploration of colonialism and its inherent racism is more gently broached by our main character than it might have been as told directly by one of the freedom fighter characters, which was a smart choice by the author. The anger, frustration, and passion of the guerillas was clearly illustrated without the reader feeling lectured.
July 4, 2023
Beautifully written with a beautiful message. “But what is a life, after all, but a story, some fiction and some truth? In the end, there are words.”
December 8, 2018
Amazing! There is universality even in the most culturally specific moments. Definitely a book that made me self-reflect the fine line between wanting progress/radical change and completely abandoning generations of rich culture and tradition. Amazing storytelling and voice. I keep revisiting passages and thinking about the truths they reveal.
Awkwardly personal: helped me approach and guide convos with my own mother and mapping out generational differences back to my grandparents and great grandparents.
Side note: it seemed like it took me a long time to finish this book, but it’s been a very busy time. I actually completed this in two sittings.
Awkwardly personal: helped me approach and guide convos with my own mother and mapping out generational differences back to my grandparents and great grandparents.
Side note: it seemed like it took me a long time to finish this book, but it’s been a very busy time. I actually completed this in two sittings.
February 12, 2020
The book is one big letter she penned to her daughter who is studying at Harvard. It's filled with different life tales from her early childhood in Chakowa, the fight for freedom and her life with her husband. Mai Zenzele, yes she was privileged living in the suburbs of Harare(modern civilization) but she was grounded with her cultural beliefs of hunhu/ubuntu that she learned all the way in Chakowa of the traditional Zimbabwean life.
Zenzele is a strong-willed, opinionated child although her parents tried by all means that she remembered her African uniqueness. Her mother reminded of the following in the letter:
- The importance of not losing your identity and individuality when you go to study abroad(Africa needs the hearts and minds of its sons and daughters to nurture it)
- The paucity knowledge on African civilization out there whilst we all know about European history
- To fight for what u believe is yours and not to cower behind the status quo
She touches on other important life values:
The beauty of being in love;
Loss, Death and the mourning in African culture;
The importance of underground meetings during the struggle- to keep the spirit of the fight alive and boost the morals of those losing heart of the battle;
Racism and prejudice- preparing her daughter for racism comments she would receive abroad;
Relationship with God who is in her image, not the European God.
It's a beautiful letter heartwarming, funny and sad all in one. I just loved how I got to really understand our Zimbabwe heritage from someone who lived during the time.
Zenzele is a strong-willed, opinionated child although her parents tried by all means that she remembered her African uniqueness. Her mother reminded of the following in the letter:
- The importance of not losing your identity and individuality when you go to study abroad(Africa needs the hearts and minds of its sons and daughters to nurture it)
- The paucity knowledge on African civilization out there whilst we all know about European history
- To fight for what u believe is yours and not to cower behind the status quo
She touches on other important life values:
The beauty of being in love;
Loss, Death and the mourning in African culture;
The importance of underground meetings during the struggle- to keep the spirit of the fight alive and boost the morals of those losing heart of the battle;
Racism and prejudice- preparing her daughter for racism comments she would receive abroad;
Relationship with God who is in her image, not the European God.
It's a beautiful letter heartwarming, funny and sad all in one. I just loved how I got to really understand our Zimbabwe heritage from someone who lived during the time.
February 26, 2017
This novel is written in the form of a letter from a Zimbabwean mother, Shiri Shungu (Amai Zenzele), to her daughter Zenzele, who is leaving to attend Harvard. Shiri's deep affection for the traditional ways of life is often at odds with her modern, free-spirited daughter and the two often disagree. Shiri is concerned that Zenzele will remember her people's customs and history, that even though she is leaving her home, her country, her continent behind and traveling across the sea to attend college, that Zenzele remains Zimbabwean. Shiri tells of her own life, the lives of her sister and cousin, who became guerrillas in the fight for independence, and the racism suffered by black Rhodesians (later Zimbabweans) at the hands of the ruling white minority. Shiri has seen what happens when Zimbabweans abandon their traditions for a Western life. Her cousin Byron leaves for college in the UK and is gone for many years. When he finally returns, he is a stranger to his family and former friends - he no longer even speaks Shona, his native language. Shiri does not want this to happen to her daughter. She wants Zenzele to cherish her heritage and never forget it.
I really enjoyed this book. Dr Maraire is a gifted writer and a wonderful storyteller. This is one book that will stay with me for a long time.
Highly recommended.
I really enjoyed this book. Dr Maraire is a gifted writer and a wonderful storyteller. This is one book that will stay with me for a long time.
Highly recommended.
June 30, 2013
It's a timeless letter from a Zimbabwean mother to her daughter, a student at Harvard. Each chapter contains a conversation from the mother to her daughter, giving her some life lessons, family history, folk lore so she doesn't lose her roots, her culture, and the values her family and village have instilled in her before her flight to America.
She shares the lessons she learned growing up in Zimbabwe when it was Rhodesia, the segregation between the blacks and the whites, her disappointments and her hopes. What it means to be a proud citizen of Zimbabwe. She shares what she learned from her mother-in-law on her wedding day in what it means to be an African woman.
She writes of the struggles by the men and women who fought for Zimbabwe's independence, including Zenzele's father, an activist lawyer and Zenzele's Aunt Linda, a guerilla fighter, and a cousin who was a spy while working as a maid. The reminiscences are poignant as they are vivid.
You feel so much love flowing from each sentence you want to reach out and embrace the woman writing them tightly to your heart.
She shares the lessons she learned growing up in Zimbabwe when it was Rhodesia, the segregation between the blacks and the whites, her disappointments and her hopes. What it means to be a proud citizen of Zimbabwe. She shares what she learned from her mother-in-law on her wedding day in what it means to be an African woman.
She writes of the struggles by the men and women who fought for Zimbabwe's independence, including Zenzele's father, an activist lawyer and Zenzele's Aunt Linda, a guerilla fighter, and a cousin who was a spy while working as a maid. The reminiscences are poignant as they are vivid.
You feel so much love flowing from each sentence you want to reach out and embrace the woman writing them tightly to your heart.
May 4, 2021
I found this book at a thrift store, and had actually put it back on the shelf, but then something pulled me back to it and I purchased it. I'm so glad I did.
This book was amazing. It gave me a glimpse into a world that I never would have seen otherwise. It spoke of race, revolution, uprising... but from the point of view of someone who was not really a part of or really understood it all. But it was done brilliantly.
As a white American, it really made me think of how we view other countries- even when we are trying to "help". Of what it means to be a third-world country. Of what revolution and change really can mean.
It was a short book, and I would recommend it to anyone.
This book was amazing. It gave me a glimpse into a world that I never would have seen otherwise. It spoke of race, revolution, uprising... but from the point of view of someone who was not really a part of or really understood it all. But it was done brilliantly.
As a white American, it really made me think of how we view other countries- even when we are trying to "help". Of what it means to be a third-world country. Of what revolution and change really can mean.
It was a short book, and I would recommend it to anyone.
January 4, 2025
Wow great way to kick off the year. I picked up this book at myopic knowing nothing about it & having never heard of it and i am so glad i did. It was stunning. I don’t know how the author managed to pack so much emotion into less than 200 pages. I was sobbing by the end in a way that felt cathartic.
It’s a book about resistance, motherhood, women, Africa, love, loss. It’s one i want my mother and future daughter to read.
The author is also a neurosurgeon??? Definitely recommend, glad i judged a book by its cover this time!
It’s a book about resistance, motherhood, women, Africa, love, loss. It’s one i want my mother and future daughter to read.
The author is also a neurosurgeon??? Definitely recommend, glad i judged a book by its cover this time!
November 23, 2014
I am, perhaps, not qualified to be rating, reviewing, or expressing opinion on this book of on being African, during and after the white/European/Rhodesian intrusion and oppression in what is now Zimbabwe.
On its importance, I give it 5 stars, for it conveys much that is left unsaid and continues to be misunderstood regarding the African viewpoint of immigrant experiences, the callous oppression wrought by whites/Europeans for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years, and the conduct of life we should all strive for or avoid.
As always, I attempt to rate books on their literary merit. I struggled at times with unclear shifts in the “letters” that contained everything from direct pieces of wisdom, to long recollections of people who passed through the daughter and the mother’s life, to conversations, to remembrances of the daughter as a child, to teaching stories. Perhaps and editor could have suggested different fonts or formatting or chapter breaks to aid the reader. I believe this would have made it more accessible. There is, undoubtedly, an audience of readers who will approach this book with the serious and studious approach necessary to appreciate what Maraire accomplishes in this volume. It is one to be underlined and discussed, but unfortunately I fear it is one found more often on academic shelves and less in the hands of the lay reader.
On its importance, I give it 5 stars, for it conveys much that is left unsaid and continues to be misunderstood regarding the African viewpoint of immigrant experiences, the callous oppression wrought by whites/Europeans for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years, and the conduct of life we should all strive for or avoid.
As always, I attempt to rate books on their literary merit. I struggled at times with unclear shifts in the “letters” that contained everything from direct pieces of wisdom, to long recollections of people who passed through the daughter and the mother’s life, to conversations, to remembrances of the daughter as a child, to teaching stories. Perhaps and editor could have suggested different fonts or formatting or chapter breaks to aid the reader. I believe this would have made it more accessible. There is, undoubtedly, an audience of readers who will approach this book with the serious and studious approach necessary to appreciate what Maraire accomplishes in this volume. It is one to be underlined and discussed, but unfortunately I fear it is one found more often on academic shelves and less in the hands of the lay reader.
March 3, 2018
A most insightful and honest look at the battle of between maintaining your cultural identity and embracing a global world as nation progresses through the post colonial haze . Maraire tackles what it means to be African through a series of heartfelt, lyrical letters from a Zimbabwean mother to her American University-bound daughter covering tradition, family, the diaspora, racism, love, religion and so much more. Rich in detail and thorough in its scope, for a book written 20 years ago it's as relevant now as ever. Zenzele is full of lessons any reader will find value calling upon in their own life long after the last page has been turned. A personal story with universal appeal for anyone living between two cultures and an eye opener for anyone from one. I'm not often compelled to write reviews but this is a new favorite of mine
February 12, 2021
As the title indicates, this book is a letter from a mother to her daughter who is attending Harvard. The mother is encouraging her daughter to remember her roots in Zimbabwe, both the rural village and the city. To remember the struggle for independence. To remember what it means to be an African woman.
This is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read, with poignant lessons we could all learn.
02/12/2021: I read this again. This book is just as wonderful the second time. I wish Maraire would write more.
This is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read, with poignant lessons we could all learn.
02/12/2021: I read this again. This book is just as wonderful the second time. I wish Maraire would write more.
January 3, 2014
Please visit http://www.maryokekereviews.blogspot.... to read my review. Thanks.
January 5, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5
Filled challenge prompts: 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐁𝐑, 𝐀-𝐙
Read this if you:
📖 enjoy epistolary novels
📖want to read a solid mother/daughter story
📖 are interested in coming-of-age stories that take place alongside history
I decided to ease into 2024 with something on the short side before diving into the deep end. The first thing I want to say as it that I’m wildly impressed this is a first novel, and impressed in a different way that it’s the only novel of this author to date. I would enjoy reading more works by Maraire based on this because she managed to capture a mother’s attempt to teach her child; sometimes her stories were effective and sometimes they weren’t, but the love Shiri has for ZenZele is palpable. That said, epistolary novels are my jam, and this one took a little while for me to get into. I mean, a solid 50 pages out of a book that’s not even 200 pages long.
This is a book of letters from mother to daughter, the latter in school in America, and the former trying to instill in her child the deep history of her African roots, and how colonialism is shaping her life unaware. It’s a book about not forgetting where you came from, and knowing the people who came before you. It’s familiar as a person of color, growing up with the metrics of white people and trying/wanting to live up to them. “Until the lion learns to write, tales of hunting will always glorify the hunter.” I could feel the desperation in the letters, but not just in stories of colonialism and apartheid; there’s this sense of ZenZele’s mother wanting to get across how old Africa was not always ‘bad’ Africa. That new Africa, Zimbabwe, does not automatically equal better.
It’s all very personal and gets the point across of two separate generations. I finished feeling a little breathless, knowing the last letter was the Last letter, and wondering how ZenZele’s impression of her mother changed over time. The epilogue didn’t feel very necessary to me, and the story could have ended without it. For a book written over three decades ago, it still feels relevant. It feels like a compilation of tender love letters, and what’s bananas is that the author hadn’t had her daughter yet, but her daughter has since read it and felt it was written for her. One last quote that I can’t stop thinking about:
“But what is a life, after all, but a story, some fiction and some truth? In the end, there are words.” (Anecdotally, I’m a Doctor Who fan and that quote jumped out at me as very Doctor-y, especially the 11th Doctor.)
Filled challenge prompts: 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐁𝐑, 𝐀-𝐙
Read this if you:
📖 enjoy epistolary novels
📖want to read a solid mother/daughter story
📖 are interested in coming-of-age stories that take place alongside history
I decided to ease into 2024 with something on the short side before diving into the deep end. The first thing I want to say as it that I’m wildly impressed this is a first novel, and impressed in a different way that it’s the only novel of this author to date. I would enjoy reading more works by Maraire based on this because she managed to capture a mother’s attempt to teach her child; sometimes her stories were effective and sometimes they weren’t, but the love Shiri has for ZenZele is palpable. That said, epistolary novels are my jam, and this one took a little while for me to get into. I mean, a solid 50 pages out of a book that’s not even 200 pages long.
This is a book of letters from mother to daughter, the latter in school in America, and the former trying to instill in her child the deep history of her African roots, and how colonialism is shaping her life unaware. It’s a book about not forgetting where you came from, and knowing the people who came before you. It’s familiar as a person of color, growing up with the metrics of white people and trying/wanting to live up to them. “Until the lion learns to write, tales of hunting will always glorify the hunter.” I could feel the desperation in the letters, but not just in stories of colonialism and apartheid; there’s this sense of ZenZele’s mother wanting to get across how old Africa was not always ‘bad’ Africa. That new Africa, Zimbabwe, does not automatically equal better.
It’s all very personal and gets the point across of two separate generations. I finished feeling a little breathless, knowing the last letter was the Last letter, and wondering how ZenZele’s impression of her mother changed over time. The epilogue didn’t feel very necessary to me, and the story could have ended without it. For a book written over three decades ago, it still feels relevant. It feels like a compilation of tender love letters, and what’s bananas is that the author hadn’t had her daughter yet, but her daughter has since read it and felt it was written for her. One last quote that I can’t stop thinking about:
“But what is a life, after all, but a story, some fiction and some truth? In the end, there are words.” (Anecdotally, I’m a Doctor Who fan and that quote jumped out at me as very Doctor-y, especially the 11th Doctor.)
December 8, 2024
A beautiful book that makes you realize how different our lives are from our parents. Sometimes it’s hard to see them as complete human beings that had to get through many struggles. As a child of African immigrants it’s sometimes hard to relate to their perception of the world. This book is full of rich knowledge, full of the wisdom that comes with age and experience. It is full of grace, vulnerability and questions. Also a plus is it gives a overview of the life in Zimbabwe in the colonial and post colonial era.
June 5, 2017
Zeer mooi boek. Over de liefde van een moeder voor haar dochter, over rituelen en familiebanden, over Afrika en de Westerse wereld, over apartheid en de vrijheidsstrijd, maar vooral ook over de kracht van vrouwen.
December 27, 2024
This book was beautiful. I don’t think I knew what I was getting into when I started it. I’m very glad that someone recommended it to me; it’s not often I gain such a sheer amount of advice from one book. I loved the freshness of the style of writing and format in which the knowledge was contained. It’s a reminder to love yourself, remember what made you, and experience life with open eyes. I also learned a good deal about Zimbabwean culture, something I wish I would’ve learned earlier, because it is truly empowering.
“This is testimony to the love I have given my family. There is not a mark here that is my own. It belongs to Baba va Tapiwa, Chipo, Farai, Tawona, and Ziyanai. It is a body of love. You see it as an old, dry, lifeless thing, but one day you will understand that each beauty has its season.”
“There was God Himself in my own image and not the image of my oppressors.”
“…this world is as yet unfinished. There is no Eden here save the one we create for one another. Our mission is to complete and preserve the work that was started. And that is why we are created in God’s image.”
“This is testimony to the love I have given my family. There is not a mark here that is my own. It belongs to Baba va Tapiwa, Chipo, Farai, Tawona, and Ziyanai. It is a body of love. You see it as an old, dry, lifeless thing, but one day you will understand that each beauty has its season.”
“There was God Himself in my own image and not the image of my oppressors.”
“…this world is as yet unfinished. There is no Eden here save the one we create for one another. Our mission is to complete and preserve the work that was started. And that is why we are created in God’s image.”
January 5, 2013
"When independence came, we celebrated with tears in our eyes. We would continue the struggle to ensure that our children received every opportunity of Western privilege...There was nothing that our children asked for that we denied them. We who had grown up knowing only deprivation, austerity and hard labor. We wanted only the best for them. We even sent them to the best private schools with plenty of whites... But it was all in vain. They have neither respect nor gratitude....these modern children are culturally bleached."
As Zenzele announces her intentions to leave Harare, Zimbabwe for the halls of Harvard, her mother reflects on life lessons that her daughter must know before she leaves for the states. As the eldest of five children raised by a widowed mother, Zenzele's mother, Shiri, never had the privilege of thinking about global warming or worrying about the starving in Ethiopia. After all, Zenzele has grown up in Zimbabwe, not Rhodesia, as her mother had. Shiri is impressed and in awe of this daughter that protests inhumane treatment of others and petitions foreign governments.
Through the letter her mother writes to her, readers are treated to a history of Rhodesia and the fight for independence that resulted in Zimbabwe. Interesting to note is Shiri's lament that what was envisioned as successful post-colonial life was rooted mostly in material success. In the rush to claim what colonialists had, the new Zimbabwe adapted the British culture and began to reject their own.
As the children of Zimbabwe go abroad to study, there's the fear that they won't return, as one of Shiri's cousins did, and if they do return, they will have completely forgotten their roots and culture. The hope is always that they go out in the world and absorb what they can from other cultures and bring it back to their country and continent. Though she's proud of her, Zenzele's leaving is Shiri's biggest dream and potential nightmare.
I loved this book because even though it was a history lesson, it didn't feel like one. So many of the lessons that Shiri passes on to Zenzele, and so many of the experiences she speaks about, are similar to those that all mothers pass on their daughters. Others are lessons that I recognize as those passed on to me, that seem race-specific as an African-American, that I've also passed on to my daughter. Things such as how to react when you're mistaken for a store clerk when you're obviously not dressed in the store uniform or being talked down to because the assumption is that your skin color means you're intellectually inferior..
There are so many lovely features that shall make you conspicuous among the flock. One of these is your color. In our country, you are accustomed to every shade from caramel to charcoal. Overseas, they do not have an eye for our rainbow. To them, we are all one burdensome color: black...Let no one define you or your country.
I could go on and on about all of the great nuggets of wisdom that Shiri imparts on Zenzele, but I'm really hoping you'll pick this up and give it a read for yourself. I can promise you that you won't be disappointed. And as Bill Cosby used to say on Fat Albert, "You just might learn something."
The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the [British] South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert Mugabe, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence. - CIA World Factbook
Location: Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia
Size: 390,757 sq km, slightly larger than Montana
Population: 12,619,600
Ethnic groups: African 98% (Shona, 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1%
Languages: English (official), Shona, Sindebele, numerous but other minor tribal dialects
October 2, 2014
Parenting is one of the most difficult (and one of the most rewarding) jobs as you want to make sure you are providing the right tools for your children to be able to be successful and productive as they mature and go out on their own.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Zenzele, especially since it was in the epistolary form, but it certainly exceeded my expectations. As a daughter I remember the lessons my mother, grandmother, and other wise women in my family taught me through word, deed, and “lectures” and while like the daughter in this book, I often times pushed backed and questioned what they were telling me and as I matured, it was their lessons that kept me grounded during a crisis or if in doubt what direction to take.
I so enjoyed how the history of Zimbabwe propels and fuels the lessons the author wants to impart to the readers. As this was a letter from mother to daughter, the stories of the women highlights that there are many ways to achieve goals and everyone has something to contribute but it is so important to know who you are and from whence you come.
Overall strong inspiration messages of every generation needs to determine how they will progress in the ever changing environment but those who understand their history and identity as guidepost will be able to withstand whatever challenges come their way.
I would recommend this book as an addition to school and public libraries, as my favorite quote of this books is – “Until we begin to put pen to paper, we historically do not exist.”
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Zenzele, especially since it was in the epistolary form, but it certainly exceeded my expectations. As a daughter I remember the lessons my mother, grandmother, and other wise women in my family taught me through word, deed, and “lectures” and while like the daughter in this book, I often times pushed backed and questioned what they were telling me and as I matured, it was their lessons that kept me grounded during a crisis or if in doubt what direction to take.
I so enjoyed how the history of Zimbabwe propels and fuels the lessons the author wants to impart to the readers. As this was a letter from mother to daughter, the stories of the women highlights that there are many ways to achieve goals and everyone has something to contribute but it is so important to know who you are and from whence you come.
Overall strong inspiration messages of every generation needs to determine how they will progress in the ever changing environment but those who understand their history and identity as guidepost will be able to withstand whatever challenges come their way.
I would recommend this book as an addition to school and public libraries, as my favorite quote of this books is – “Until we begin to put pen to paper, we historically do not exist.”
April 16, 2013
This book is pure excellence. Maraire's "Zenzele: A Letter to my Daughter" is truly a spectacular achievement in the genre of autobiographies. It is honest, thoughtful, and a beautiful display of wisdom, allowing the reader to be part of this very intimate letter from a Zimbabwe mother to her daughter bound for America. As she imparts her knowledge and history to her daughter, the reader is privy to a series of snapshots; moments in this mother's life that have helped to shape and form her identity. It is beautiful and deeply powerful.
"It is true that I have not fought. My name shall never appear on the roster of famous battles. To be sure, no great landscape or colossal sculpture or impassioned poem will bear my signature. I shall not be Rome or London or Oslo got any awards. It is true that I have no great visions. But I have loved, and surely that is enough. It is to have tasted from the cup of milk and honey. And what need do I have of shiny badges for bravery? Courage is, after all, to take great risks - and in loving I have known the pain of risk and loss.
And, there is you. Should anyone ask what my contribution is to this world I can only say that my conscience rests joyously with the knowledge that I had a hand in bringing you into it."
"It is true that I have not fought. My name shall never appear on the roster of famous battles. To be sure, no great landscape or colossal sculpture or impassioned poem will bear my signature. I shall not be Rome or London or Oslo got any awards. It is true that I have no great visions. But I have loved, and surely that is enough. It is to have tasted from the cup of milk and honey. And what need do I have of shiny badges for bravery? Courage is, after all, to take great risks - and in loving I have known the pain of risk and loss.
And, there is you. Should anyone ask what my contribution is to this world I can only say that my conscience rests joyously with the knowledge that I had a hand in bringing you into it."
September 25, 2020
I am going to differ from the other reviews which have universally rated this book excellent. I might have rated it excellent, too, had I put it down about half way through. That initial half had me hooked by it intensely personal perspective and the author's exploration of her characters perspective on Smith's/the Empire's repressive regime and the transition through the Armed Struggle. But when the book reached Sisi Africa I felt it lost intensely and its entire mood changed more to narrative rather than the introspective I liked. Sisi Africa's discovery of her father as a pan-African Mandela look-alike was too artificial, romantic and forced for me. I am still wondering about the Epilogue. The body of the work, especially the first aprt, portrays Shona Zimbabweans as strong-minded and determined: at the ending the narrator seems resigned to an unsatisfactory fate, shored up by missionary Christianity to which she has added to the saints' faces a little brown paint. I was disappointed at that point with her. I hope Zenzele was not disappointed with her mother.
November 30, 2015
My only criticism of this book is that the letter format at times becomes a long, windy, ramble. Other than that, the book is well-written and the author does a good job of weaving in and out of different time periods: growing up in colonial Rhodesia, the Zimbabwean fight for independence, and the post-independence Zimbabwean generation to which Zenzele belongs. Moreover, she manages to coherently cover a variety of themes that range from the experience of being an African in a Western country to the contribution of African-American activists in the creation of post-independence African states. My favourite aspect of the book was the manner in which, as the letter continued, Shiri gradually unfolded from a seemingly passive and docile mother to an observant and critical participant of the story. All in all this was a great read!
October 28, 2017
This book is astounding, so beautifully written and much to think on.
A favorite quote: Until the lion learns to write, tales of hunting will always glorify the hunter. So it is with us too. History is simply the events as seen by a particular group, usually ones with the mightiest pens and the most indelible ink. . . . History, your father says, is determined by its authors, just as the building is defined by its architect not its inhabitants."
A favorite quote: Until the lion learns to write, tales of hunting will always glorify the hunter. So it is with us too. History is simply the events as seen by a particular group, usually ones with the mightiest pens and the most indelible ink. . . . History, your father says, is determined by its authors, just as the building is defined by its architect not its inhabitants."
November 23, 2017
This book is so touching and I read it with my mom so that made it even more special *ugly cries*
The narrator is superb! I wish the author had more books because her writing is so authentic and needed.
The narrator is superb! I wish the author had more books because her writing is so authentic and needed.
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