Hello friends, happy Monday; I hope you’re all doing well! Today I’m posting my review of Njoki Wane’s memoir, From My Mother’s Back.

This book was long-listed in the 2022 Canada Reads.

From My Mother’s Back by: Njoki Wane: This memoir took a look at the author’s life and how she got to where she is today thanks to the opportunities that her mother provided for her from a young age. From her early days in Kenya to her later days in Canada this took the reader on a journey through her life. This wasn’t what the reader was expecting, but they were pleasantly surprised with the story they read. Wane has a beautiful way of writing that just set her reader at ease; it calmed and lulled them into her story. Not only did this chronicle Wane’s life, but this also read like a love letter to her mother for all the things she did and how even in death her mother was by her side. It was moving to read and really left the reader feeling grateful and appreciative. We got to learn about Wane as a person in alternating chapters, her young years and her years now as a professor, which worked well for the storytelling. She touched on the topics she teaches and how that plays into her and her family’s life, culture and history. There were touches of race and social justice in this book, but in the end, that wasn’t what this book was about, so the bits we got made sense to add in the small doses they were presented. Overall, this was a short, yet heartwarming and inspirational read.