Facing the Lion: Growing up Maasai on the African Savanna by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton, Herman Viola (With)

From the Publisher

Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton gives American kids a firsthand look at growing up in Kenya as a member of a tribe of nomads whose livelihood centers on the raising and grazing of cattle. Readers share Lekuton's first encounter with a lion, the epitome of bravery in the warrior tradition. They follow his mischievous antics as a young Maasai cattle herder, coming-of-age initiation, boarding school escapades, soccer success, and journey to America for college. Lekuton's riveting text combines exotic details of nomadic life with the universal experience and emotions of a growing boy.

The Washington Post

Once a warrior, always a warrior. Facing the Lion describes Lekuton's extraordinary passage between worlds and his continuing effort to hold the two in balance. — Elizabeth Ward

Publishers Weekly

This involving, anecdotal autobiography sketches the childhood of Lekuton, who grew up in northern Kenya, a member of a subgroup within the Maa culture known as the Ariaal. He explains that the beloved cows dictate where their nomadic "village" wanders: "If the grass runs out or the water dries up, we move. If there's better grazing land somewhere else, we move." Articulate and likable, the author easily ushers readers into his primitive yet colorful culture as he vividly describes aspects of his people's way of life. His topics range from the quotidian (the practice of drinking milk mixed with cow's blood; the youngsters' responsibility for the herd's calves; the role of the "pinching man," who metes out punishment to village children) to the momentous (the elaborate circumcision ritual that young men undergo on the path to becoming a "warrior"). Following the government's dictate that one boy in every nomadic family go to school, Lekuton attended a school run by American missionaries (and, depending on where his family was living at the time, walked up to 40 miles home at vacation time), went on to enroll in an elite boarding school in Nakuru, received a scholarship at St. Lawrence University in New York and currently teaches at a private school near Washington, D.C.-and, during school vacations, guides American visitors through his Maasai home. An intriguing portrait of a remarkable life and a culture little known to most American readers. Photos not seen by PW. Ages 12-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Mary Bowman-Kruhm, Ph.D. - Children's Literature

This title is perfect for upper-elementary and middle-school students and older readers looking for a fascinating short autobiography. Written by a young Kenyan who lives part of his life as Maasai warrior and part as middle-school social studies teacher in Virginia, the book—on a sixth grade Fry readability level—describes Joseph's nomadic childhood with his pastoral Maasai family. As a small child, he loves learning and receives help to obtain an education that includes master's degrees from St. Lawrence and Harvard Universities. The title comes from his fear of facing a lion at age 14 and symbolizes the realization he must face up to fear from whatever source—whether a lion, a new school, or a new country and culture. Many passages evoke vivid visual images: he buys a horribly hot wool suit because he wants to look like everyone else in New York when he arrives in August. A superb book for any age, grade four through senior citizen. Readers will laugh and shed tears as they discover this "warrior in two worlds," as the last chapter is titled. Photographs and an "Afterword" by Herman Viola effectively add to the story. 2003, National Geographic, Ages 10 up.

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-In this fascinating memoir, the author recounts his growing up years as a member of a nomadic tribe in Kenya. His straightforward, sometimes wry narrative tells of facing lions, drought, poachers, and school bullies before coming to the U.S. to pursue a college degree. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

• Table of Contents
• Forewords & Introductions

Table of Contents

Forewords & Introductions

From a green and beautiful village on the side of a small hill in Kenya comes this firsthand account of a boy'' journey to manhood. Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton is a Maasai tribesman brought up in the nomadic way of life. The only child in his family to go to school, Lemasolai is torn between the traditional ways of his family and the western ways taught by his teachers. In his struggle to balance two cultures, he learns to apply lessons learned in each of his worlds to the problems of the other.

Personal, moving, and often funny, this modern memoir is a close look at a traditional culture and a satisfying tale of a young man's journey of discovery.