In the course of that one year, a great of exciting things have happened, some of which are worth celebrating while others are simply lessons that we have learnt and which have equipped us with wisdom for the future.
One of the things that have made me really happy is seeing the many grins of satisfaction from the readers who have had an encounter with the novel whose first draft, it might interest you to know, was completed on December 1, 2007. Interestingly, the book would not see the light of day until May 2011 when it was published by Big Books Ltd. One of the first bookshops to stock the book ran out of supplies in three days but it is yet to restock a year down the line, which I find a very curious thing for any business to do.
One of the things that we are proud to share is that one lecturer at Egerton University chose the book for his fresher class at Laikipia Campus and last month I had the privilege of sharing three hours with the students. I was gratified by their grasp of the issues the book tackles and from our debate I can tell you that what I saw and what I heard left me with no doubt that we will soon be seeing the emergence of a new crop of literary critics that will make all of us sit up and take notice. One lecturer at the University of Nairobi, who I personally think has done more for literature than some institutions, read the book and mentioned it to curriculum developers.
My own view has always been to stay away from the school market but this scholar was saying in effect that this is a book that the youth ought to read. I can see where he is coming from, seeing that one of the over-arching themes in the novels is national healing (as in Different Colours, One People) and how to mobilize for change through social media.
By the way, as I watched the Arab Spring, just weeks after the novel was published, I couldn't help but marvel at how life sometimes imitates art. Since that time, I have slightly revised my position on the school market. And what I have said is this: If this book is going to help the young people in schools develop a worthy set of national values, I would be happy to play a role in that regard. But I still believe that this is a book that adults ought to read. In the recent past, we have been engaged in a process that would see the book and others in the Big Books stable, available in the Kindle and iBook format but the process is taking longer than expected. Although it is a month behind schedule, we do hope that the titles will be available this month, so watch this space.
Lastly, our next title is scheduled to roll off the press this month. Yes, you heard that correctly and the news will be broken right here! For those of you who would like to read Different Colours, you can get your copy from Book Point, Bookstop and Book Waves in Nairobi or any bookshop in Nakuru (Nakuru booksellers have been very supportive probably because charity begins at home), Moi University Bookshop, Eldoret, Egerton University Bookshop, Laikipia and of course from the author himself. But if there is a bookshop near you, ask them to get the book for you.
A copy is only Sh450/=
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