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Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter
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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 independen
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Paperback, 208 pages
Published
April 7th 1997
by Delta
(first published January 1st 1995)
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Start your review of Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter
Aug 23, 2015
Cheryl
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Recommends it for:
Readers who value freedom of any kind
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-coloni
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"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 Zim ...more
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 Zim ...more
This is one of the most beautiful and poignant books I've ever read. It was given to me by Ms. Seaton, an English teacher at my high school. I had never had a single class with her, but she was apparently so taken with me based on what her colleagues said about me that she gave me this as a graduation present and said she wanted me to have it, that she thought I could learn and appreciate a lot from it. And she was right. I should add that we'd never before spoken, aside from hello's in the hall
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Dec 03, 2012
Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
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 ...more
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 ...more
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 autho ...more
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 autho ...more
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 gran ...more
Awkwardly personal: helped me approach and guide convos with my own mother and mapping out generational differences back to my grandparents and great gran ...more
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 par ...more
Zenzele is a strong-willed, opinionated child although her par ...more
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 coll
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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 ...more
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 ...more
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 sho ...more
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 sho ...more
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
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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
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Please visit http://www.maryokekereviews.blogspot.... to read my review. Thanks.
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Sux
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- ...more
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- ...more
"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 chil...more
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, ...more
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, ...more
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 ident
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There are one or two points when Nozipo Maraire's use of rhetoric is a little overblown for my tastes, and I still wonder if this would have been better framed as a monologue or a fictional memoir than as an epistolary novel. But those are relatively minor quibbles with what is otherwise a beautifully-written novella. It's an incisive look at what it means to be a woman in Africa; what it means to be an African in the midst of Western colonialism, cultural hegemony and racism; what it is to be a
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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 t
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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 ...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 ...more
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." ...more
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." ...more
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.
This was such a wonderful, powerful read from an African mother to her daughter! I cannot recommend it highly enough!
The brilliance of Zenzele: A Letter for my Daughter snuck up on me, because it’s written as a letter to a daughter by a mother whose life was very ordinary. Ordinary, that is, for a Zimbabwean woman with traditional values who lived through the war for independence, won in 1980 after a long and bloody struggle. During both colonial times and in independent Zimbabwe, most of the stories that she tells are of others. She was not a freedom fighter, but her husband and sister were. She didn’t travel
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A Zimbabwean mother looks deep into her life to find words of advice and hope for her daughter to take with.
I was disappointed to find out immediately that it is not really written in the form of a letter. And that she seemed to want to broach every possible aspect of post-independence (coincidentally, today is independence day). But then I grew curious and started to marvel as the narrator did cover so much. Each chapter is an experience containing a purported lesson or word of caution for Zenz ...more
I was disappointed to find out immediately that it is not really written in the form of a letter. And that she seemed to want to broach every possible aspect of post-independence (coincidentally, today is independence day). But then I grew curious and started to marvel as the narrator did cover so much. Each chapter is an experience containing a purported lesson or word of caution for Zenz ...more
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
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This book has been on my TBR for years, but I decided with everything currently going on in Zimbabwe, this would be an excellent opportunity to dive in and learn more about the country's history and culture.
I appreciated this epistolary novel's strong sense of place, and the interesting tensions it explores in identity, culture, womanhood, tradition, progress, courage, and revolution. The writing is gentle and thoughtful, but still powerful.
3.5 stars. It did occasionally feel heavy-handed, but ...more
I appreciated this epistolary novel's strong sense of place, and the interesting tensions it explores in identity, culture, womanhood, tradition, progress, courage, and revolution. The writing is gentle and thoughtful, but still powerful.
3.5 stars. It did occasionally feel heavy-handed, but ...more
An excellent reflection on colonial and post colonial Rhodesia/Zimbabwe in the form of a series of letters from a mother to her daughter in America. She reflects on the importance of embracing education (and, by extension 'modern ways') while maintaining rooted in our cultural past. She reflects on the role of women in the revolution, family ties, staying true to your own values. Through all of this she reflects on her own life and hopes for the future.
I don't ordinarily like epistolary books a ...more
I don't ordinarily like epistolary books a ...more
9/10 what I took most from this fascinating tale from pre- and post apartheid Zimbabwe, was that freedom fighters have to have the backing of those who stay behind and keep the fort. The narrator is one such character as she supports first her wild revolutionary younger sister, then her cousin and childhood friend and then her husband. This book is sub-titled A Letter for My Daughter, and it is indeed but the letters (for each chapter is one letter in itself) are anecdotes which illustrate the d
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afro Book Club: Zenzele - Book Discussion | 7 | 28 | Oct 05, 2014 12:20AM | |
| Books: Passports ...: Zenzele: A Letter for my Daughter - J. Nozipo Maraire #BP2W (Zimbabwe) | 1 | 12 | Jan 13, 2013 08:17AM |
Readers also enjoyed
J. 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 cur
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