Two small boys stand on a rubbish heap and look into the future. One boy is excited, he is beginning school; the other, his brother, is an apprentice carpenter. Together, they will serve their country – the teacher and the craftsman.

But this is colonial Kenya and times are against them. In the forests, the Mau Mau are waging war against the white government, and the two brothers, Njoroge and Kamau, and the rest of their family, need to decide where their loyalties lie. For the practical man, the choice is simple, but for Njoroge, the scholar, the dream of progress through learning is a hard one to give up.

The debut novel from a giant of African literature, Ngugi wa Thiong'o’s powerful story about the tragic effects of colonialism on the lives of ordinary people continues to resonate strongly today.