REVIEW: The Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers

Date:                   2/24/13

Title:                   The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl's Dream of                                       Becoming a Grandmaster 

                  

Author:              Tim Crothers  

ISBN 13:            978-1451657814

Pages:                240       

Publisher:        Scribner            

Cover:                 Hardcover       

Rating:               4 Stars

Phiona Mutesi was a nine-year-old girl living in Katwe. Katwe is the worst slums in Uganda. Instead of getting an education, she had to get out and work. She and her siblings did odd jobs to help their mother. Between times, she was introduced to chess and picked up rather quickly. What will she do with her new skill?

Let me start off by saying Tim Crothers did a phenomenal job with this book. In the beginning, I had a hard time reading about the living conditions in Uganda. I applaud Crothers for keeping things raw. His work puts things in perspective and gives you something to think about. I walked away learning some Uganda history. This is definitely a book I would recommend to others.