Facing Mount Kenya (Paperback)

~ Jomo Kenyatta (Author) "THE GIKUYU tribal organisation is based on three most important factors, without which there can be no harmony in the tribal activities..." (more)
Key Phrases: kia mataathi, kiama kia maturanguru, itwika ceremony, British Government, Mount Kenya, High God (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; Vintage Books ed edition (February 12, 1962)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394702107
• ISBN-13: 978-0394702100
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #65,817 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #9 in	Books > History > Africa > Kenya
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kenyatta gives the reader a fascinating look at gikuyu life, February 8, 1999

By A Customer

Jomo Kenyatta provides a detailed insider description of the Gikuyu peoples of Kenya. THe book takes a structural functionalist approach to anthropology, providing a very detailed description covering virtually all aspects of tribal life. A native Gikuyu,son of a medicine man, Kenyatta reveals his wonderful anthropological ability in a storybook fashion. A must read for anyone interested in learning about African culture.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dated, but invaluable, June 12, 2003

By	Tina Heather Nadeau "Broke-A** Law Student" (Portland, ME USA) - See all my reviews

Jomo Kenyatta, the first president of independent Kenya, wrote this book as a graduate anthropology student in London. As a primary source, this book is invaluable. It gives detailed analysis of many aspects of pre-Mau Mau Gikuyu cultural ceremonies. However, as it is a product of the structuralist school of anthropology, many of its conclusions and findings are problematic, most notably in its opinion of culture as a fixed entity which determines human behavior. For students of colonial Africa, this piece will inevitably be of use. Personally, for a more nuanced view of colonial and post-colonial Kenya, I recommend the fiction of Ngugi wa Thiong'o, who tends to be more sympathetic to the lower ranks of Gikuyu societies, and who also happens to be one of the most important critics of Kenyatta's post-colonial politics. *Facing Mt. Kenya* is necessary, but at times, troublesome.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on Kikuyu culture!, April 16, 1999

By A Customer

This book is a must read for anyone interested in Kikuyu culture