Born in 1938 in rural Kenya, world renowned revolutionary writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o came of age in the shadow of World War II, amidst the terrible bloodshed in the war for national liberation between the Mau Mau and British colonialism. Dreams in a Time of War: A Childhood Memoir is the first volume of memoirs from Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. Throughout the book, Ngũgĩ talks about his childhood, his experiences in colonial institutions, and his relationship with various family and friends. These accounts provide valuable insight into his worldview and political consciousness. Throughout the book he discusses how the colonial existence of Africans all over the world impacted his development and his understanding that true resistance and liberation must come from people who are considered to be at the bottom of the social hierarchy (the workers and peasants), and not from above.
