Monday, August 15, 2016

The Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers (Book Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from BuzzPlant in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

One day in 2005, while searching for food, nine-year0old Ugandan Phiona Mutesi followed her brother to a dusty veranda where she met Robert Katende.

Katende, a war refugee turned missionary, had an improbably dream to empower kids in the Katwe slum through chess- a game so foreign there is no word for it in their native language. Laying the chessboard in the dirt, Robert began to teach. At first chidlren came for a free bowl of porridge, but many great to love the game that- like their daily lives- requires perservering against great obstatcles. Of these kids, one girl stood out as an immense talent: Phiona.
By the age of eleven Phiona was her country's junior champion, and at fifteen the national champion. Now a Woman Candidaet Master- the first femal in her country's history- Phiona dreas of becoming a Grandmaster, the most elite level in chess. But to reach that goal, she must grapple with everyday life in one of the world's most unstable countries. The Queen of Katwe is a "remarkable" (NPR) and "riveting" (New York Post) book that shows how "Phiona's story transcends the limitations of the chessboard" (Robert Hess, US Grandmaster).


My thoughts-

I was so excited when the opportunity to review The Queen of Katwe came up. I had recently seen a preview for the upcoming Disney film and was super happy to learn more about Phiona. I always enjoyed playing chess. I was never great at it, but my 8 year old daughter is and I love watching her grow as she learns more about the game. I love that there is a great role model out there for her like Phiona to look up to and see all of the adversity she has overcome! The book does a great job of laying out exactly how Phiona came to discover chess after following her brother to a church one day. It explains about her difficult and impoverished family life in Katwe and how she wanted to make a better life for herself than her mother was able to do for their family. We learn how Phiona picked up the game quickly and had a natural talent for playing, but trained a lot to get as good as she is. She, a girl that grew up in poverty, has traveled the world, playing chess against the best in the world and holding her own! I love a good success story and I hope to one day look in the news and see that Phiona has succeeded both in her dream to by a chess Grandmaster as well as a doctor. This girl has set high hopes for herself and has already accomplished so much in such a short time. I think more great things are on the way for this talented girl!

Connect with The Queen of Katwe on Facebook
Connect with The Queen of Katwe on Twitter
Connect with The Queen of Katwe on Instagram
www.queenofkatwe.com

Watch the trailer for The Queen of Katwe movie-










No comments:

Post a Comment