When Jude Wilson decides to travel halfway across the world to visit the graves of his childhood Boy Scout heroes, he unwittingly signs up for a lot more than he imagined. Growing up in the placid little Pacific Northwest town of Clarksville could never adequately prepare him for what he encounters in the vibrant, mercurial streets of Nairobi, where context defines meaning and words alone are not always sufficient to communicate across a cultural gap. He meets Qadir Mohamed—the affable manager at the youth hostel where he is staying—and a valuable friendship develops between two people from disparate backgrounds with seemingly little in common.
In Kenya, the past is never far away, though it is sometimes remembered differently by insiders. As a result, the unexamined triumphal legends from Jude’s scouting days begin to unravel in the face of new discoveries. It is, however, a disastrous taxi ride and ensuing case of mistaken identity that emerge as the defining moments of this life-changing trip, leading him to stumble upon truths about himself that he was previously unaware of.

As soon as the storyline joined Jude’s father Tom laying out tracking games for him using signs made of twigs, grass and rocks, I remembered why I wanted to read this book. It was the Scouting link! I was heavily involved in Girl Guides between the ages of ten and nineteen, so was excited to read a book by someone who was equally enthusiastic.

I sometimes felt as if the author was trying a little too hard to be literary, as if the author wrote something , then looked up alternative words in a thesaurus, e.g. “Like the beguiling memory of an ice-cream truck, the experience never got tedious with repetition, at least not to Jude’s recollection.”

Several characters in this story come up with wise observations about life. One of the most interesting is Qadir’s comment that “In a way, the culture of a place is defined by all those things that outsiders observe and find odd that everyone else is oblivious to.” I’ve never heard this before.

Jude was brought up with inspiring stories of the founder of the Scouting movement, Lord Baden Powell. When his best friend inspires him to take all the chances life offers, the naive Jude decides to travel to Nairobi to visit the resting place of his heroes. He discovers that the people who live there know Baden Powell and the like from the other side of history. He makes a new friend, then gets himself into trouble due to his trusting nature. Fortunately for him, a combination of Scouting skills and friendship will stand him in good stead.

This is an engaging story that reminds us that we need to reevaluate our traditional heroes, many of whom had highly questionable racist and imperialist beliefs.

My thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC and my apologies for my belated review.

2.5 stars
A basic new adult kind of story that is interesting enough, but doesn’t go far beyond the surface in both prose style and content. Audiobook narration feels young.

Thank you to Ndirangu Githaiga, Lee Goettl, Bon Esprit Books, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued by the name of the author even before I read the synopsis of the book. Its not very often that I find a book by an author with a Kenyan name on NetGalley.

I loved the concept of the story with the interweaving of two worlds. The two MCs, Jude and Qadir, are from very different parts of the world. Jude is from the US whereas Qadir is Kenyan. The story first takes us through the background stories of the 2 before they finally meet.

Although this was an interesting read, the pacing was a little slow at the start for my liking. It took chapters to build up to the meet up between the 2 men which to me was the point at which the story started moving. The pace then started moving very fast and the ending did feel a little rushed. In the end, the uneven balance did affect my enjoyment of the story but I still think it was interesting due to the themes and locations. The writing was also good.

This is a delightful and, as the internet might say, "wholesome" book, that's easy to read, and that comes with a lovely ending. It opens with a flashback scene where a baby is found on a bridge, and then we meet Jude, who was adopted by a couple in Clarkesville, Washington, in the US. We also meet Qadir, a Somali living in Nairobi, Kenya. We follow their lives as they move into adulthood, college, and work, and then Jude goes to Kenya on an adventure, and he meets Qadir.

The writing is really wonderful, reminiscent of writing in the books I read as a child, with a certain, slightly formal, cadence and style. All of the characters are great, even the villains, and this may be the flaw in the book: it is so light and wholesome that difficult subjects–for example, racism in the US, and the situation of Somali people in Kenya–lack an emotional punch. Still, the book does not pretend to be anything that it isn't, and a little light reading is sometimes needed.

Swahili and Somali dialogue are translated sentence by sentence, which disturbs the flow of the story to some degree, but is nice if you want to pick up a bit of language. I listened to the audiobook and followed along in the DRC, which is a nice new way I've found to speed-read (and I recommend it!); the audiobook is very ably narrated by Lee Goettl.

Thank you to Bon Esprit Books and to NetGalley for access.

Thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to the ARC version

Jude grew up in a foster family, he had a carefree childhood with a loving family, safety and fellow Scouts. Now 27, his life is rocked by the sudden death of his childhood friend Connor, following a battle with cancer. Inspired by one of their final conversations, Jude sets out on a trip to Kenya. Along the way, he finds more than he bargained for: an unexpected friendship with Qadir and his identity. An easy read and very well written, but with a rushed ending.

(brazilian reader)

This was a good, quick read, following an adopted man and his "trip of a lifetime" to Kenya. The authors descriptions were fantastic - I could really picture the scenes of places I'd never been.

While I greatly enjoyed the story and the characters, the pacing of the story felt off. I was never sure about the elapsed time or approximate time periods involved, and a few times, when there was something that indicated a time, I was surprised. This also made it feel like the book was way too short - I'd have liked a lot more from Jude's time in Kenya and more of Qadir in general.

Overall, however, I'd recommend this book, even despite its drawbacks.

Place of Cool Waters is a novel about two young Black men, one living in the United States and the other in Kenya. Jude, who lives in the small town of Clarksville, Washington, was adopted by a white couple. Qadir, raised by his uncle and aunt following his parents' deaths, lives in Nairobi, Kenya.
Jude has an unremarkable, happy childhood in Clarksville, despite it being a small "lily-white" town. An only child, his favorite activity is camping with his dad - hiking, fishing, and swimming in creeks. Jude feels particularly proud when he is able to use the tools learned in Boy Scouts to follow a subtle trail left by his father.
Qadir grows up in a small, two-bedroom apartment in Nairobia with his uncle, aunt, and two cousins. In his free time, Qadir helps his uncle at his kiosk, where he sells essential household items in smaller quantities than those sold at the bigger grocery stores, and thus more affordable to many of the local people. Qadir attends college but does not have a very exciting job since there are few positions for history majors.
Jude's father's dream of going to Kenya to visit the graves of Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, and Captain Tom Wilson, founding scoutmaster of the Nairobi, Kenya Boy Scout troop, send Jude there in his place. It is at this point in the book that the dual storylines merge.
Author Ndirangu Githaiga addresses the topics of family, hopes, dreams, and the harsher issues of racism and grief. His writing flows easily and reads quickly. His manner of infusing the reader with characters' personalities and towns' identities in an indirect way is masterful. His renderings of landscapes and even simple surroundings are beautiful.
I enjoyed the book, although the ending seemed a bit predictable after the hints the author left and more cinematic than literary. I plan to read Mr. Githaiga's other books, as I enjoyed his writing style.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bon Esprit Books for the ARC.

This book succeeds in one thing; where two worlds collide and if you are a reader looking to explore human connection and understanding based on shared experiences, then reading about Jude and Qadir's meeting and their perspectives on life-at that point in the book makes this a recommended read.
I however struggled with the flow from the first chapter running into an adjective in almost every sentence denied the characters the depth and clarity that could have made it easier for me to warm up to them and look forward to their growth in the book.
Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC.

A very readable book, that kept me entertained and engaged. The story is sweet, and offers interesting perspectives on a number of themes. I liked the straightforward prose. And that last line gave me chills!!

However, I think the relationship between Jude and Qadir could have benefited from being a bit more fleshed out, maybe that way the ending wouldn’t have felt as rushed as it did. I didn’t feel like the friendship between them as deep as I was being told it was. Could have been cool if it didn’t end where it did (maybe a epilogue?). The reveal at the end was super predictable, but I didn’t get the feeling that the authors main goal was to shock us anyway, so that’s fine.

All in all, I did enjoy this book, but it has some faults.

I received this book as a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I will first say read the book and skip the audiobook. The reader’s voice and cadence was droll and not a good fit for this book.

This book follows the independent then overlapping journeys of Black American Jude, adopted at birth by a white couple in a small Washington State town, and Quadir, a Somali-born Kenyan who was raised by his uncle and aunt. Jude embarks on a journey to Kenya to visit the graves of long dead white men that were revered by his adoptive father. He encounters both incredible people and real dangers along the way.

I enjoyed this book overall. The writing held my attention and moved me in simple ways through the interactions of the characters and descriptions of Kenya. Jude is impossibly naive, and I believe that this was intentional. As a Black American, it was painful for me to read his experiences navigating the world even in America, but I could see how it could happen with his idyllic upbringing.

I do feel that this book was rushed. I believe that more detail could have been given to the lives of both men. I also felt jarred by some of the time jumps in between chapters.

The book is quick read and worth the time it takes even if it leaves you wishing for more.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as the previous book The People of Ostrich Mountain. I felt it a little overwritten and the story was not gripping. It was interesting, but I didn't rush to finish this book.

I really enjoyed Place of Cool Waters, which I’m pretty certain is the first book I’ve read set in Kenya. I learnt so much about Kenyan culture and Nairobi sounds like an incredibly interesting place!

The two main characters the book revolves around, Qadir and Jude, seem very different at the outset and I enjoyed the background to both their lives, with Jude living with his adoptive parents in the USA in Washington State and Qadir living and working in Nairobi, but originally having come from Somalia. Both men have to deal with racism in their respective countries, and it was interesting (and frustrating) to read about what they both had to deal with.

Once their stories intertwined, the book really got going and I found the faster pace very enjoyable and sped through the last half. I do wish that there had been more from Qadir’s viewpoint during the last few chapters as I missed his side of things, particularly during the parts set in the hostel.

Definitely an excellent read for anyone wanting to learn more about Kenya, or just wanting to read a good book about travelling somewhere new.