The Queen Of Katwe: A Story Of Life, Chess, And One Extraordinary Girl's Dream Of Becoming A Grandmaster (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars (I rounded up here)The Queen of Katwe follows Phiona, the 'everyman' of the Katwe slums, just struggling to survive to the following day. Phiona discovers Robert Katende's Sports Outreach Branch NGO and becomes enraptured in the game of chess. Soon after being taught the game (ah hem, 'sport') by a much younger participant, Phiona is surpassing her classmates, and participating in national and even international tournaments. Crothers provides a harrowing look at the everyday life of those trapped in the slums of Uganda. He also reveals the hope, and sometimes false hope, that an NGO can foment. While I greatly enjoyed staying up late to follow Phiona's journey, it was easy to get annoyed whenever the author would switch from telling Phiona's story to that of a more tangential character. Of course, when someone like Katende is so influential in the story, it eventually makes sense to the reader why the diversion occurred.Another slight annoyance was the attributions of Phiona's successes to her discovery of religion. Though I understand the NGO had a Christian mission, I personally do not find it necessary to attribute her successes to her embracement of Christianity. The reader must remind herself that was Katende's assertion, not that of the author. It may have been a useful aside, though, if the author had mentioned the residents who have 'discovered religion' but are still forsaken in the slums of Katwe. Phiona's story continues and I look forward to following her journey online. I liked this book because I learned so much about Uganda not that I was ignorant about the country, there were just so many things I didn't know. I am so happy for Phiona, happy that she will not suffer the same fate as her mother, her mother's mother, sister, etc.The book didn't really tell a lot about how Phiona felt which was OK but it would have been nice to read or hear her words/thoughts.Last Friday, I bought my daughter a Chess set and started looking for Chess clubs for 5 year olds...you never know. She does like puzzles...a lot.Good job Mr. Crothers. I did not know a thing about this and now I can honestly hold a conversation about it.
What do You think about The Queen Of Katwe: A Story Of Life, Chess, And One Extraordinary Girl's Dream Of Becoming A Grandmaster (2012)?
Wonderful story, very inspiring and uplifting. I can't wait to hear what happens next!
—LexiReads
Quick, fascinating story - reads like an ESPN story, not deep, but thoughtful enough.
—Mickyjack
Young writer but I look forward to his next book. The question is , when?good read!
—Roro
As many other reviewers have said, this is a great story but not very well-written.
—Myuri
