Book lovers recently gathered together at Text Book Centre, Sarit on the evening of Friday May 12th, 2023 to not only buy the book ‘Lucky Girl‘ authored by Irene Muchemi – Ndiritu, but to also listen to the author as she delved into the book. The bustling well attended event, which was her third book signing session, was moderated by Supreme Court Judge, Lady Justice Njoki Ndung’u who praised the author for her hard work, patience, and resilience before the official release of her book. ‘’It took her approximately 5 years to write and edit this masterpiece which I encourage everyone to buy and read.’’
The book has been described as a fierce and tender debut about the lives and loves we choose. Though not her own story, Irene clarifies that the story portrays the African experience of a young sheltered girl who is longing for independence, flees the expectations of her mother in Kenya, for a life in New York City that challenges all her beliefs about race, love, and family.
“My hope is that Lucky Girl transplants readers three short decades ago to an America where Blacks could only quietly grumble about racism among themselves, whites were unaware of their privilege, kids were told they don’t see color, and critical race theory and diversity and inclusion were irrelevant because racism was so veiled, it sometimes felt imaginary. I want to show where we came from so we can know what might be ahead,’’ says the author.
“Lucky Girl is at times tender, at times funny, at times uncomfortably frank. . . . A fresh look at racism, privilege, and the challenges of coming-of-age and falling in love between two cultures.”–Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake.
The book signing is a manifestation of Textbook Centre Kenya’s agenda for supporting local authors such as Irene, and to inspire upcoming authors to hone their skills in telling Kenyan or African stories through creative literature.
The author, Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu was born and raised in Nairobi and moved to the United States to attend college in 1998. She has an MA in journalism from the Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University and has worked as a journalist in New York City, Washington D.C., and Boston. She later received an MFA in creative writing from the University of Cape Town, graduating with distinction. Her fictional work has been published in Yale Review and Adda and she has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. She currently lives in Cape Town, South Africa.
Lucky Girl is her debut novel.
