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The Queen Of Katwe: A Story Of Life, Chess, And One Extraordinary Girl's Dream Of Becoming A Grandmaster (2012)

by Tim Crothers(Favorite Author)

3.68 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1451657811 (ISBN13: 9781451657814)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Scribner

review 1: Terrific human interest story. Not a bad book, but not an exceptional one. Some very fine descriptive passages scattered throughout. But a fair amount of filler as well. Book began its life as an article. I imagine it fit quite comfortably within the pages of a magazine. Required a fair amount of stretching to get it to book length. Closer to 3 stars as reads go, but as I say, it's an inspiring story (if also rather bleak and depressing in many respects). On that score, it merits an additional star. Thumbs up to the author for bringing the story of this exceptional young woman (and her mentor) to a wide readership.
review 2: Susan from Main says, "Chess is a singularly intellectual game that draws very little audience when compared to team sports, and ... morehas almost no monetary reward as a career. To play chess really well, you have to be able to form serious strategies, plan far in advance, yet defend your position against attacks, have patience, understand the standard opening moves, know how to outmaneuver, read and learn from the masters, and never give in. Yet, in 2009, an uneducated, illiterate slum girl from Kampala, Uganda, at the young age of eleven, became her country’s junior champion, and at fifteen, Uganda’s national champion. Her chess skills were dazzling. Her future was far from that. This story is not only about chess but about the slim odds that Phiona Mutesi faced daily to get out of the slum, educate herself, rise above her poverty, and redefine herself as a woman of her own making within and outside of her culture. Meet young Phiona and the war refugee turned missionary, Robert Katende, who brought the game to her in the dirt streets of Katwe. He taught her that chess is like life: to persevere against improbable odds and gigantic obstacles. Disney has plans to make a film based on her life and she is followed and discussed on many Internet blogs." less

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