Unfortunately added to my DNF list. I was really interested in the idea behind the book but it just couldn't hold my attention. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the heart of Nairobi, four musicians – The Diva, The Taliban Man, The Corporal and 70-year-old bartender Miriam – gather for a once in a lifetime competition, to see who can perform the best Tizita. In the audience is tabloid journalist John Thandi Manfredi, who is enthralled by their renditions of the Ethiopian blues.

Desperate to learn more, he follows the musicians back to Ethiopia, hoping to uncover the secret to this haunting music. Manfredi's search takes him from the idyllic Ethiopian countryside to vibrant juke joints and raucous parties in Addis Ababa, set to a soundtrack of stirring Tizita performances.

Music is food for the soul! And in this story we find music nourishing the lives of the main characters in a way that feels quintessentially African and also universal.
I especially loved the in depth view of the stories of the four main characters, their pasts and intertwined present. I also loved discovering Tizita and find msyelf listening to it even now.
The language is beautiful, lyrical in places and more journalistic in others, drawing us into the reality of diverse characters in a way that's immersive.

This is so much more that a book about a song. We are introduced to Manfredi,  a Kenyan journalist, who after hearing a Tizita competition, wants to know more.

There are 4 main characters apart from Manfredi.  We have The Diva/Kidane,  The Taliban Man, The Colonel and Miriam. Each has their own version of the Tizita. 

Manfredi is transfixed, almost obsessed, he needs to know the why behind the music, what does it mean, he longs for understanding. In turn, Manfredi spends time with each of the Tizita singers, away from the stage and the spotlight.

Despite all this, Manfredi is unable to really pit his feelings into words, how can he when the Tizita is such a personal, almost spiritual thing. It sings of love, loss, birth, rebirth and death. To each person it means something different.

Mūkoma wa Ngūgī does a brilliant job of giving each of our Tizita singers a distinct personality and style. This was a wonderful book where as a reader I was transported to Africa and into their world. It made me want to listen to this music,,and thanks to the wonder of the internet, I was able to do so. Now I don't know how authentic The versions I listened to were, but I do know that had me transfixed with their beauty and soulfulness.

This is a book you should read if you have a love for music, or Africa, or just because you love to read something a little different!

Thank you to Mũkoma Wa Ngũgĩ, Cassava Republic Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC in exchange for a honest review. All reviews are my own unbiased opinions.

I made it to the 50% mark, and unfortunately this just wasn't a book for me and will be added to my DNF list. I was really interested in the concept for the novel, but it just couldn't hold my attention.

Reading about the transportive, transformative, reflection-inducing powers of music is so satisfying. Music has always been a part of my life and has carried many of us through joy, loss, beauty, rage, and love.

The Tizita singers are engaging and getting to know them through the main character is definitely interesting as it felt we were also learning about him. His own journey to discovering self and purpose. His search to find out what the Tizita stirs in him, why it causes such immense yearning and questioning.

For each performer, we see how they use and interact with the Tizita, how they become someone different on and off stage, yet maintain that reverence for the Tizita, because for every face and feeling, there is a Tizita, for every life, the Tizita carries meaning.

As Manfredi seeks and finds small yet meaningful insights from his interviews, I kept coming back to the Tizita and the ways in which music is such a huge part of life and how it is incorporated into our everyday to uplift, get moving, soothe, and elevate the consciousness.

The writing style meanders at parts but when it comes to portraying the story of the wonder of the bond with music and what it evokes within us, the reader is swept up as they too think on the genres that speak to their soul.

I never thought I'd read an entire book about a genre of music that I've not listened to prior to this reading, but Mukoma wa Ngugi reeled me in and kept me hooked. The hint of nostalgia that infused the book was also comforting for me as a Kenyan reader.

A great book on the power of music. The story follow the four musicians competing in a Tizita competiton, through th eyes of a Kenyan tabloid journalist. I really enjoyed this!

Unusual and original, the novel tells the story of four Ethiopian musicians competing in a Tizita contest. A Kenyan journalist is covering the competition and interviews each of the contestants to learn more about them, their lives and, of course, the music they are so committed to.
I appreciated the book’s merits. It’s well written, explores the music to great effect and opens up a world that will surely be unfamiliar to many outside Africa. It demonstrates a love for African music that is unfeigned and moving. I learnt a lot from this novel, which is always a plus for me. I had never even heard of Tizita, but as I write this review I am listening to some wonderful songs on YouTube and can fully understand why its devotees love it so much. So that has been a real bonus. But unfortunately I didn’t find the narrative as absorbing as the music. I couldn’t really relate to the characters, and found their long-winded life histories ultimately tedious, and that was a real problem for me, as I found myself skipping parts of it. However, I would recommend the book as it opens up an unfamiliar world.
Tizita, for those who like me don’t know, is the iconic traditional song of Ethiopia, a style of music that translates to nostalgia, longing or memory, rather like the Fado of Portugal. It’s quite mesmerizing to listen to, and I recommend doing just that. As well as reading the book, of course.

As I reader I really enjoy reading books by authors from all over the world as I believe it’s good to get different types of perspectives and ways of writing. Sometimes you just need to get out of old reading habits and try something new.

This book by American-Kenyan author Mũkoma Wa Ngũgĩ, and the story is about the popular East African music style Tizita and some musicians who plays that sort of music. They are set out to see who’s the best Tizita player.

And that’s about it. As much as I enjoy the new aspects and new knowledge about East African culture this gave me, I also found it relatively boring.