Book review: Manchester happened by Jennifer Makumbi

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Safe to say Makumbi is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. This book is a collection of short stories set in Uganda and Manchester. Manchester happened to Katassi in addition to teenage problems. she wanted to dissociate completely from her culture and heritage we also see Luzinda been so worried about his mother and he badly wanted to go back to Uganda for reasons best known to him. Theirs was a dysfunctional family and although Luzinda''s attitude may be regarded as a tantrum, he was just a child who was reacting to all that was going on around him.

 I love how it explored the effects of migration on people especially, Africans in the diaspora. Migrating can be beneficial especially when it comes to seeking a job and accessing good quality education but it also takes its toll on people's mental health. Adapting to a new environment and culture shock is portrayed in the lives of the different people in this book. The grass is not always greener on the other side like we make it seem.

 Adoption, inter-racial relationships, and differences are seen in the story of baby Moses. "let's tell this story properly" Nnam's family saved her by not putting the properties in Kayita's name, and it is so good to see the group of women coming up to give her support. 

"My brother Bwemage" and "Malik's door"  are also interesting stories with religion, extramarital affairs, and change as a theme. Poona was a goal-getter who wouldn't let anything deter her from being successful in her stay abroad. She had a traumatic childhood and she navigated the several challenges that came her way in the cause of achieving her dreams.



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