"The Queen of Katwe"

book club choice

Phiona Mutesi as a child

   This non-fiction book is the biography of Phiona Mutesi.  She was born in the slums of the town of Katwe, near Kampala, Uganda. Her father had died and her mother and siblings lived in extreme poverty.
  One day, searching for food, she met Robert Katende, also from the slums.  Robert introduced Phiona to the game of chess. 
  Sports Outreach, an organization from the U.S., had established a mission, initially using soccer and then chess, "as a catalyst to offer the guidance of religion to the country's most impoverished people".  Robert connected Phiona to this mission and it was discovered that she had a sharp brain, well-suited for chess.  She won championships.
  Many people found this biography to be inspiring.  However, the flashes of inspiration were quickly halted by the reality of the slums.  The detail of the poverty and lifestyle of these Ugandans is explicit and it is heart-breaking.

Phiona today

    Quote: "For Phiona, chess is like a torch that can take her out of the slum to     people who may be able to look after her."

    This book was written in 2012, and it leaves you wondering whether this actually     happened.  Google tells us that yes, she is now attending university in the U.S.

   In 2016, the Walt Disney Company made a movie of Phiona's life and she attended   premiers in Canada, U.S. and Uganda.

   

Tim Crothers

 Author Tim Crothers has said, 
 "To be African is to be an underdog in the world. 
  To be Ugandan is to be an underdog in Africa. 
  To be from Katwe is to be an underdog in Uganda. 
  And to be a girl is to be an underdog in Katwe.  
  The Queen of Katwe is the ultimate underdog story".




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  My nephew is involved in a mission in Uganda- not in the slums.  The school they are building includes a beautiful library.  Here are some pictures from that mission.