Nairobi To Shenzhen: A Novel of Love in the East [Paperback]

Mark Okoth Obama Ndesandjo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2009

The protagonist, upon arriving in China in the wake of 911 and the onset of a terrifying global war, is forced to confront his early experiences in Kenya and the United States as a result of his growing love for a beautiful Chinese woman and a young orphan. Parallels between his own upbringing and the potential family that lies before him lead to questions about his true identity, the complexities of his multi-racial family and the relationship he had known with his father.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The mixed-race son of a brilliant but troubled Kenyan academic and a white American woman writes an emotionally wrenching book about his search for identity and self." --Keith Richburg, The Washington Post

From the Author

Dear Reader:

Nairobi to Shenzhen has recently caused some spirited discussion around the world about domestic violence, which I experienced growing up in Nairobi. This is a subject that is often swept under the rug. People just do not want to talk about it. However, since the book came out, I have seen a groundswell of interest around the world, including many who have contacted me to express their understanding and support for bringing out this topic.

My novel is also about other, perhaps more important things, such as seeking one's dream, even in far-off places, love, and the power of volunteerism.

The importance of helping others is something I quite slowly grew to realize, but crystallized in my move to China. Although, to me, helping children learn piano a few hours a month, seems quite normal, I realize that the unique attention the book has garnered can also inspire others. I remember when one of my own students, now in university, called me one weekend and said "Mark I am now teaching kids for free myself every Sunday." Small ways to help others can spread around in unexpected ways.

This 2nd edition corrects a number of typographical errors in the first release and some historical and factual errors.

Mark Okoth Obama Ndesandjo Shenzhen, December 2009

Product Details

• Paperback: 345 pages
• Publisher: Aventine Press (October 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593306237
• ISBN-13: 978-1593306236
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #909,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mark Ndesandjo has decided to share his creativity with the world!, November 8, 2009

By 

Lisa Wixon (Mass) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nairobi To Shenzhen: A Novel of Love in the East (Paperback)

Mark Ndesandjo has not had an easy life. Mark started his young years in Kenya where he was beaten by his late father,Barack Obama. Mark also wanted to protect his Mum from this brutal man but as a small child he felt helpless. As an adult some of his experiences made him passionate about helping suffering children. Mark currently helps orphans in China, dedicating much of his life to giving these children some hope and a direction (he teaches them piano for example). Mark is a brilliant piano player and due to his need to escape the horrors of his young life, he immersed himself into music, literature and physics. Mark turned his negative past experiences and channeled them into a positive future. He will continue to reach out and send the world the message that domestic violance will not be tolerated and that everyone should help out people in need. Mark also sends a message that there is always hope when you have a passion.This book was written so magically bringing this semi autobiographical novel into a true work of art. Very interesting novel that is hard to stop reading!! I almost forgot,Mark shares the same father as his famous brother, President Barack Obama!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Needs major editing!, November 29, 2009

By 

Susan L. Metzger (Fort Collins, CO, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Nairobi To Shenzhen: A Novel of Love in the East (Paperback)

I expected flawless grammar and sophisticated structure from this half-brother of our Barack Obama, who is so articulate and uses the English language nearly flawlessly. However, there are so many problems with the writing in this novel as to almost keep me from reading the second half. Introductory phrases are not followed by commas, so the meanings of many sentences are confusing, and I have to re-read many sentences in order to realize their meaning. There are missing periods, extra periods, missing commas, extra commas, misspelled words, missing words, duplicated words, weird speaker tags, missing speaker tags so that one gets lost and doesn't know who is speaking in a conversation. Weirdly, the font size will change now and then for no apparent reason. And quotation marks seem to be inserted haphazardly, so the reader is never certain when a piece of dialogue has ended or is being spoken by someone else.

Point of view is something that Mr. Ndesandjo apparently has never heard of before. As readers, we are drawn to HIS point of view. It is the one we care about. Yet, as author, he swings the reader wildly from his own POV to that of almost every character in the book, leaving the reader feeling jerked about and cheated, because just as we feel an intimate connection with the author as protagonist, we are suddenly thrust into the mind of a minor character we don't particularly care about and sent off to ponder this person's childhood. Very annoying.

Mr. Ndesandjo goes off on many tangents that have caused me, now at the halfway point, to begin skimming sections in order to get to the meat of the story.

On the positive side, his descriptions of Chinese culture, the people, their values, the physical attributes of their faces, their buildings, their orphanages, their food, and their language, are quite lovely. It is what is keeping me reading.

Child abuse is an old, worn-out topic that shouldn't surprise anyone anymore, but that does not seem to be the purpose of this novel. Its purpose seems to be an expose of life in China, and I do appreciate that.

But the punctuation, oy! What publisher would allow such non-proof-read material to be printed? I don't understand and can only imagine that they and Ndesandjo himself are embarrassed at the huge number of errors. Commas and periods are like traffic signals that tell us when to pause, when to stop, when to go on. As a musician, I can't imagine that Ndesandjo would tolerate an eighth-note rest where a quarter-note rest belongs or a half note where three quarter notes belong. I am amazed and disappointed by this lack of professionalism, and I imagine his half-brother is too. Yet, the good stuff IS good.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Moving Novel, December 7, 2009

By 

Dante and Jonah's Mom (Santa Clarita, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Nairobi To Shenzhen: A Novel of Love in the East (Paperback)

Yes, I admit I did buy this book because of the relation between Mr. Ndesanjo and President Obama. However, what kept me reading was the fact that the story and the characters truly touched me. Mr. Ndesanjo's ability to put into words such deep-felt emotions and observations is truly a gift. I often found myself reading a passage about love or memories or relationships and nodding my head; he nailed so many of the emotions that people experience when they are searching for something in life. The passages about young Zhen Rui were inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time. I also appreciated the stream-of-conciousness style, and gliding from one character's mind to another. It gives the story a sense of universality; and, in being given the opportunity to "see" the thoughts of those who are not the central character, we are given a much more objective glance at the world Mr. Ndesanjo is building as a whole. I agree that the book could use a second edition with major edits, and this is why I rated it with four, instead of five, stars. There were several editorial oversights. On the other hand, it was insightful at those moments where the writer would accidentally fall out of the third person and into the first person. I would think to myself, "Oh, guess this is one of those 'actual persons and events' he references in the Forward." All in all, however this is a very honest, moving novel and I recommend reading it.