The Price of Stones: Building a School for My Village

by Twesigye Jackson Kaguri, Susan Urbanek Linville Narrated by Richard Allen

Overview

An incredibly inspiring and thrilling book, this is the story of Twesigye Jackson Kaguri, who grew up in rural southwestern Uganda, the son of an irascible small-time farmer and his loving wife. In spite of the family's poverty, Jackson succeeds and graduates from the national university with a calling to work in human rights that leads him to Columbia University. There he falls in love with and later marries an American scientist, Beronda.



When Jackson returns to Uganda with his bride, they are overwhelmed by the many villagers who line up to ask for help with food and school fees-and having lost two siblings to AIDS, Jackson is especially moved by the plight of the thousands of abandoned AIDS orphans in his local district. Impulsively, he and Beronda vow to open the first tuition-free school for orphans. A newlywed with little money, and facing opposition from his domineering father and townspeople, Jackson doggedly builds one schoolroom at a time with the help of many supporters in Uganda and the financial pledges of churches in America, and with the sustenance of his strong faith in Jesus Christ.



Weaving together stories from his youth in Uganda and the remarkable account of how one person with a dream can change lives-both his students' and his supporters'-this is an unforgettable book that demonstrates that one person can be a cup of cold water to a thirsty world. The book concludes with the graduation of the first class of Nyaka AIDS orphans, almost all of whom Jackson and his supporters are sponsoring as they continue their education and dream of becoming doctors, teachers, lawyers, engineers, and even, perhaps, the future president of Uganda.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

So many people die of AIDS in Uganda that at times bodies are stacked in city mortuaries like firewood. Moved by the plight of more than one million AIDS orphans in a nation with a population of 30 million, Kaguri, a human rights advocate returning home after studying at Columbia University, decided to build a school for children who had lost one or both parents to the syndrome. Kaguri and his American wife used their modest resources and contributions from friends and churches to open the two-classroom Nyaka AIDS Orphans School and initiate advocacy campaigns to counteract the superstitions that have stigmatized HIV/AIDS in Uganda. Anecdotes about the students, the author’s family—his own brother and sister died from the disease—and his dealings with donors and corrupt officials, reveal Kaguri to be at once vulnerable and ferociously determined. Written in simple, straightforward style, the book is an affecting and accessible tribute to the difference one person can make in the world. (Jun.)

Kirkus Reviews

A chronicle of the humanitarian efforts by a Ugandan native schooled in the West, addressing poverty and the ravages of AIDS in Africa. Kaguri, now a university administrator at Michigan State University, was one of the lucky ones growing up in the impoverished rural village of Nyakagyezi, where his father owned a banana plantation. By 1991, while the author was pursuing his studies in Kampala and planning to attend Columbia University, 15 percent of Ugandan adults suffered from AIDS (known in the country as "slim"), as well as nearly 30 percent of pregnant women in cities, which left small children like many of his own relatives without parents. When Kaguri brought his American bride to his village in 2001, the two decided it was time to help some of the two million orphans by starting a primary school where they would receive a free education, books, uniforms, meals and health care. While his father, Taata, refused to offer land or help (he believed Kaguri was a "disobedient son"), he eventually became one of the school's most enthusiastic supporters. With money donated by American church groups and grants, the Nyaka AIDS Orphans School opened Jan. 2, 2003, with its first 67 students. Much of the book focuses on the struggle to find sustainable funding for the school, and meetings and interviews are drawn out for dramatic effect. The author alternates the main narrative with flashbacks of his youth, providing a snapshot of the daily lives of the Ugandan villagers. Poignant moments include interviews between Kaguri, the school director and young students overwhelmed at the chance to be freed of the drudgery of daily chores and attend school, and heartbreaking scenes in which students dieof AIDS. A slowly unfolding, moving journey of turning beliefs into actions. Tie-in to author's lecture schedule. Agent: Caitlin Blasdell/Liza Dawson Associates

From the Publisher

"The Price of Stones is an inspiring account of turning tragedy into hope for others." ---Jimmy Carter

SEPTEMBER 2010 - AudioFile

The author is a Ugandan native with modest rural roots whose worldview was expanded when he studied human rights at Columbia University. But his eyes were truly opened to the plight of AIDS orphans when he returned to his home village in Uganda. Narrator Richard Allen dramatizes the personal characteristics that led Jackson to found a free school for AIDS orphans: ingenuousness and persistent fortitude. Allen lends a graceful lilt to the African names and voices of those who played a role in Jackson's journey—from the initial idea for a small school to the impressive organization that is the Nyaka AIDS Orphans School today. The memoir’s simple dialogue and prose are made agreeable, and sometimes even stirring, by Allen’s rich narration. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170774289
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	06/10/2010
Edition description:	Unabridged

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