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Title:
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Find Me Unafraid |
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Authors:
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Odede, Kennedy & Posner, Jessica |
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Genre:
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Non Fiction |
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Pages:
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324 |
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Year:
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2015 |
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Publisher:
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Ecco |
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Language:
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English |
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Description:
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Growing up homeless in Kibera, a slum in Kenya, Kennedy Odede received a book of Martin Luther King's speeches that changed his life and inspired him to start Shining Hope for Communities, a local youth group. Several years later, irrepressible Wesleyan student Jessica Posner travelled to Kenya to work with SHOFCO. Soon, she and Kennedy fell in love. After returning to Wesleyan, Jessica discovered that Kennedy was threatened by political violence. She helped him escape by convincing Wesleyan's admissions committee to offer him a full scholarship.
Once they'd finished college, Kennedy and Jessica returned to Kibera to found a school for hundreds of its most vulnerable residents: girls. They later opened a sister school in another slum, Mathare. With help from the community and donors around the world, they also provide water, health care, and entrepreneurial programs to tens of thousands in both places, and are determined to improve the lives of countless more.
Tender and inspiring, Find Me Unafraid vividly illustrates the power we all have to impact the world, and stands as a testament to the transformations made possible by true love. [Taken from book cover - Ecco Books]
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Categories:
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Non fiction, Community, Culture/Ethnic/Racial, Gender Issues, Human Rights, Love story, Social commentary/perspectives, Uplifting, Kenya, 2019 Titles, Group favourites |
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By: CHCH 557
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2025-05-14 21:59:09 |
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Everyone enjoyed the book. Interesting story with a window into Kenyan slum life. |
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By: WHANG 028
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2025-05-12 13:58:13 |
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Everyone loved the book. |
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By: PALMN 040
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2025-03-19 13:03:38 |
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Well-written, easy to read. Beautiful and inspiring people. |
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By: WHAKA 021
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2024-07-11 07:36:17 |
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What an interesting life! We are so spoilt in New Zealand - it's so hard to imagine living Kennedy's life. |
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By: AUCK 465
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2024-02-22 09:44:33 |
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Very thought-provoking discussion. The group noted that change in the community needed to come from within, and that women held that power. Jessica and Kennedy were the catalyst for change. The organisation still operates. |
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By: CHCH 446
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2022-10-31 13:28:23 |
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Excellent read - very inspiring story which generated a lot of discussion and appreciation of our lives! Would recommend. |
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By: WHAKA 009
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2022-09-30 10:11:58 |
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All 12 of us thought it an amazing read - much discussion. |
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By: HAVE 016
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2022-06-16 11:50:25 |
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Everyone in our group agreed this was the best book we have read all year. We were in awe of Kennedy and Jessica and how together they have changed the world. Life in the slums was almost beyond our comprehension, and the obstacles that Kennedy overcame were inspiring. We all liked the way the book was organised and agreed it was very readable. |
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By: TIMAR 019
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2022-05-04 16:40:44 |
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An inspirational story which we were all very glad to have read. |
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By: AUCK 389
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2021-05-10 14:54:12 |
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Mixed reaction to this book. All agreed that Kennedy was an exceptional young man. Some members found Jessica culturally insensitive at times. All were shocked at the violence of the Kenyan election aftermath, and couldn't recall the extent of it in the international news. Became repetitive by the end of the book. However a book of hope, and young people making a difference. |
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By: ASHB 008
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2021-03-24 14:20:27 |
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Fantastic, inspirational book! |
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By: WHITBY 005
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2020-09-22 17:29:47 |
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A powerful inspiring read. Every member was glad to have read this book and it engendered much discussion. |
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By: AUCK 255
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2020-08-19 11:08:54 |
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An inspiring, uplifting read. Reminiscent of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind in how someone can rise above the challenges and hardship of poverty. |
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By: PIOPIO 001
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2020-07-23 20:01:32 |
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A wonderful and inspiring read. Everyone enjoyed the book which told such an amazing story of two special people and their journey to help people in Libera. What is even more amazing is that they succeeded in their goals in spite of the lack of resources, violence and corruption. |
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By: AUCK 210
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2020-07-22 12:57:25 |
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This is a powerful read, so much so that our members have decided to donate the money we spend on Secret Santa to SHOFCO. |
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By: TEAWA 004
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2020-02-24 13:03:12 |
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Fantastic book - several members got husbands to read as well! |
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By: CHCH 202
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2020-01-22 12:49:05 |
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The whole group found this to be a surprising, uplifting and very inspiring story of the real difference dedicated people can make in a very challenging environment. Recommended reading. |
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By: FEILD 001
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2019-12-18 12:56:47 |
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Our whole group felt this was one of the most memorable and inspiring books we had read for a long time. We were so amazed and excited about SHOFCO and the fact that Kennedy and Jessica are still very involved with its existing and future projects, that we are looking to make a financial contribution to their cause. We have never considered doing this during our 40 years of membership. |
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By: NELS 007
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2019-12-18 12:51:41 |
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A wonderful book. These 2 exceptional young people, proving that it is possible to change outcomes for those in poverty, and social inequalities. We were in awe of their energy and resolve. |
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By: HOKITIK 001
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2019-11-20 14:27:15 |
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All of us were amazed by the accomplishments of Kennedy and Jessica. The writing was well done, telling the story of Kennedy's childhood and extreme poverty, interspersed with chapters of Jessica's plunge into the slums of Nairobi, and then decriptions of their joint lives and efforts. Ultimately, this is also about an abiding love between two people of different races, cultures and education. |
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By: NELS 002
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2019-11-13 11:38:22 |
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Remarkable people, interesting book. |
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By: HUNTLY 001
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2019-11-13 11:27:27 |
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Really interesting insight into life in Kenya. Found the love story was more like fiction than non-fiction, but enjoyed it. |
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By: WELL 117
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2019-11-08 14:29:44 |
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Challenging but very worthwhile reading. Generated a lot of discussion. |
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