Throughout the book, Kennedy’s childhood stories shocked me the most. It is one thing to hear statistics on the amount of violence, abuse, rape, hunger, and other things in an area removed from you; however, hearing a personal account of these atrocities was incredibly startling. Such a raw and real account of these issues opened my eyes to more of the realities of living in a slum like Kibera. While I can never understand the full extent and magnitude of these horrors, I felt that it was very important to hear a more unclouded, insider narrative as opposed to reading outsider journalism or perspective stories. Furthermore, I wanted to be conscious of the “danger of a single story” idea that we talked about earlier in the semester. I think that these authors did a terrific job in sharing not only their own experiences but also the stories of their neighbors or friends and family. I also found the double narrative to be incredibly educational because if I was struggling to frame one of the stories or problems in Kennedy’s narrative, Jessica’s perspective as a white American woman would help me to understand this issue from both sides. I also found Jessica’s chapters to be incredibly moving and I was inspired by her courage, hard-work, and sheer stubbornness. Finally, I found Kennedy’s hope to be the most impactful part of the book for me. After reading about the trauma he endured growing up in Kibera in every aspect of his life, I was in awe of his determination and optimism. His view for a better community and world followed by his brilliance in bringing people together is an inspiration.
I felt that this book did a great job in dismantling common misconceptions about poverty and slums in general. Through Kennedy’s narrative, it was increasingly clear that this kind of poverty is not perpetuated by laziness or ignorance. At every turn in Kennedy’s childhood, as soon as he got a job, or a safer place to stay, or a school to go to, some external force knocked him back. Even as an adult, as he began to live a more self-sufficient life in his own home, the violence that erupted forced him to narrowly escape with his life. This illustrated all of the factors that continue to weigh on people in poverty despite incredible efforts of hard work.
In the book, I felt that, given such drastic cultural and lifestyle differences, Jessica’s transition process to Kenya went fairly seamlessly. Her patience and immersion into the community was impressive; however, at times in the book, she recognizes her own aversion to thinking about the real danger she was in. I do not view this as a lack of “intercultural competence” though as it seems a somewhat necessary mindset to adopt in order to be productive and hopeful in Kibera. Had Jessica and Kennedy not fallen in love, I’m not sure how this story would have ended. I would like to assume that Shofco would have grown and survived under Kennedy’s watch, since he had started and persevered with the organization before Jessica’s involvement; but, with the violent outbreaks in Kibera that forced Kennedy to flee from his home I am not so sure this story would have such a positive ending. I think that Jessica and Kennedy were able to be so successful because they shared the same hope and determination, and while Jessica brought extraordinary new brilliance and opportunities, Kennedy was able to make sure that all of the Shofco projects stayed grounded in solving the real problems of Kibera by having Kenyans support one another instead of relying on outside aid. These stories also highlight the potential and power of people living in poverty and slums around the world. It is amazing how far a single dream can go.
