{"product_id":"dance-of-the-jakaranda-9781617754968","title":"Dance of the Jakaranda","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"This funny, perceptive and ambitious work of historical fiction by a Kenyan poet and novelist explores his country's colonial past and its legacy through the stories of three men involved with the building of a railroad linking Lake Victoria and the Indian Ocean -- what the Kikuyu called the 'Iron Snake' and the British called the 'Lunatic Express.'\" --\u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e, Editors' Choice\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet in the shadow of Kenya's independence from Great Britain, \u003cem\u003eDance of the Jakaranda\u003c\/em\u003e reimagines the special circumstances that brought black, brown, and white men together to lay the railroad that heralded the birth of the nation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe novel traces the lives and loves of three men--preacher Richard Turnbull, the colonial administrator Ian McDonald, and Indian technician Babu Salim--whose lives intersect when they are implicated in the controversial birth of a child. Years later, when Babu's grandson, Rajan--who ekes out a living by singing Babu's epic tales of the railway's construction--accidentally kisses a mysterious stranger in a dark nightclub, the encounter provides the spark to illuminate the three men's shared, murky past.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith its riveting multiracial, multicultural cast and diverse literary allusions, \u003cem\u003eDance of the Jakaranda\u003c\/em\u003e could well be a story of globalization. Yet the novel is firmly anchored in the African oral storytelling tradition, its language a dreamy, exalted, and earthy mix that creates new thresholds of identity, providing a fresh metaphor for race in contemporary Africa.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Akashic Books, Ltd.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/07\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781617754968\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 344\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.66lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.20w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/01\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/12\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/15\/2016 pg. 14\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2017 pg. 72\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Peter Kimani","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44493156057269,"sku":"9781617754968","price":14.41,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_5716267b-2f69-426a-a861-7183064c9802.jpg?v=1721747253","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/dance-of-the-jakaranda-9781617754968","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}