Status
Available
Call number
Description
Biography & Autobiography. Games. History. Nonfiction. HTML: In The Queen of Katwe, sports journalist Tim Crothers introduces listeners to Phiona, a chess prodigy living in Katwe, a slum in Kampala, Uganda. Most girls her age already have children, but Phiona has a dream �?? she wants to be a chess grandmaster. Recounting her day-to-day struggles, Crothers captures the drama of Phiona's international competitions and her rise as Uganda's national champion.
Publication
Vintage Canada (2016), 240 pages
User reviews
LibraryThing member wrightja2000
I was very engrossed by the stories told in this book. At first I was a bit confused by all the different people and their back stories but it helped me to see how universal poverty and despair are in the slums of Katwe and how unbelievable it seems to try and do anything besides daily survival. I
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think that it is a wonderful illustration of how one person can affect another who helps someone else and eventually many people are given tools to help many others. Maybe some of the complaints I've read in other reviews of this book come because it is not a neatly tied up ending, but that's because this book is more like a prequel or even a prologue for the potential to come. The events in this book are still playing out. Show Less
LibraryThing member RavenswoodPublishing
Book Title: "The Queen of Katwe”
Author: Tim Crothers
Published By: Scribner
Age Recommended: 17+
Reviewed By: Kitty Bullard
Raven Rating: 5
Review: This non-fiction novel is a true gem. The telling of this amazingly powerful story will bring tears to yor eyes. There is an abundance of inspiration in
Author: Tim Crothers
Published By: Scribner
Age Recommended: 17+
Reviewed By: Kitty Bullard
Raven Rating: 5
Review: This non-fiction novel is a true gem. The telling of this amazingly powerful story will bring tears to yor eyes. There is an abundance of inspiration in
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this novel that makes everyone want to stand up and cheer. Phiona Mutesi’s story to rise above is one you won’t soon forget! Show Less
LibraryThing member HelenGress
The author is a former Sports Illustrated writer; the main character is a child who lives in a slum of Uganda filled with poverty, AIDS, and destitution- with no knowledge of the world beyond. By chance, Phiona develops an interest in Chess and takes her to international competitions and fame as
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she competes in the Chess Olympiad in Sudan, and Russia. Fascinating story! Show Less
LibraryThing member RoseCityReader
It is impossible to describe The Queen or Katwe without using the word inspiring. No wonder they are making a Disney movie about Phiona Mutesi, a nine-year-old Ugandan girl living in the Katwe slum who became a world chess champion by the time she was 18. It that doesn't inspire, nothing does. This
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is a terrific read for anyone and a particularly good choice for a graduation gift. Show Less
LibraryThing member MarthaHuntley
Phiona Mutesi's story is astonishing and inspiring. It was the choice of our neighborhood reading group, and I'm so glad to have read it! Even though I've lived overseas and saw much poverty, it was not so bad as what Phiona and the other children in her Ugandan slum have experienced. I hope the
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book and movie will draw attention to these children who for all they don't have, including often even one meal a day, do have grit, promise, the ability to rise to challenge, survival skills, intelligence and desire to learn, and now even the luxury of dreaming of someday having a better life. These kids need sponsors and financial backing. Their mentor, who also came out of direst poverty, has invested his life so well for their sakes. The book was chosen partly because it is by a local author, and isn't particularly well written, but the power and drama and hope of the story carries it right along. A book that should, and I hope will, be read by many! Show Less
LibraryThing member DuCannibis
"Phiona Mutesi is the ultimate underdog. 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. To be a girl is to be an underdog in Katwe." -Tim Crothers
LibraryThing member sdunford
The story of Phionia Mutesi is absolutely as astonishing and incredible as the blurbs on the cover promise. The first 9 chapters of this book were difficult to put down. I needed to learn how this young woman managed to master such a difficult game.
But the last 2 chapters were unfortunately a bit
But the last 2 chapters were unfortunately a bit
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tedious, explaining what we already knew by then -- that this girl faced immensely difficult hurdles, and that she dreamed of continuing her journey, despite those hurdles. The contents of these chapters would have been better sprinkled through the others. Show Less
LibraryThing member EvaW
Very interesting to see the living conditions and culture in Africa.
Language
Original publication date
2012-10-09
Physical description
240 p.
ISBN
0307360997 / 9780307360991