"Mikela's nightmare starts in the open plains of the Tanzanian Massailand where she and her twin sister Nadia experience female circumcision. Nadia dies shortly after and Mikela embarks on a blinded journey to escape a traditional marriage. She ends up in Mombassa where she finds refuge in an elderly lady's (Mama Eshe) home. While in Mombassa, Mikela runs into Francois, a French artist and photographer. She later moves to Nairobi to live in Bela's home, Mama Eshe's daughter. While in Nairobi, Mikela encounters Francois again.
Life in Nairobi is wonderful for only a short while. At the age of fourteen, Bela's husband Chege rapes Mikela, and two years later after a second rape she flees from their home. Now, she seeks out Francois who seems captivated by Mikela's unique artistic blend of Maasai and French renaissance paintings.
The emotional scar of female circumcision and rape continue to haunt Mikela even as she meets Alex who falls in love with her; Mikela is unsure about her own emotions.
"
Lamonte J, Resident Scholar
Review Analysis of Mikela: Memoirs of a Maasai Woman
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- very sensitive (sigh)
Time/era of story
- 1980's-1999
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Inside culture (main char)
- Black
Culture clash?
- family young v. old guard
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Outside culture (society)
- African Black
If story of urban/rural...
- rural moving to urban
Ethnic/regional/gender life
Yes
Age group of kid(s) in story:
- grade school
Parents/lack of parents problem?
- molestation - unpleasant gift from daddy
Woman's story?
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- artist
Age:
- long lived adults
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Black
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- artist
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 8 (a significant amount)
Africa
Yes
Kind of Africa:
- Black Africa
Misc setting
- resort/hotel
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- descript of kissing
- touching of anatomy
- rape/molest (yeech!)
Unusual Style:
- a lot of play on words
- a lot of stream of consciousness
- written like a journal/diary/letters
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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