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. I really liked the narrator's voice and the way he told the story!

(brazilian reader)

I received an advanced listening copy of Place of Cool Waters by Ndirangu Githaiga through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, and here it is.
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☆☆☆
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A young man heads on a trip of a lifetime to Nairobi to visit the grave of a childhood hero. His trek turns into an adventure full of a few wrong turns a mistaken identity, a few new friends, and an accidental familial connection.
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I really enjoyed getting to know Jude as we saw glimpses of his childhood and how he grew up, I loved his memories with his father and his journey in honour of him and his friend who recently passed away.
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I wish the characters were more developed and that the flow of the story was more seamless. The ending was totally rushed, and I wish that the pacing throughout the story was more consistent.
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I absolutely appreciate the themes in this novel, such as race, privilege, discrimination, political mistrust, and terrorism. I really loved the narrator of this audiobook because I got to hear the Swahili sentences that were throughout the story.
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Thanks to Bon Esprit Books, NetGalley, and author Ndirangu Githaiga for this ALC to honestly review.

What an unexpected story. This story of two me a one raised by white parents in the US and mother raised in Nairobi. Very intresting story.

This story weaves through many themes. Each one is given the time, care and nuance that mean you feel each, at different moments, has the takeaway message for the book. Friendship, race, family, loss, illness, culture, work/colleagues, heroes (and their realities), adoption, history, kindness: this is a book about all these and many more. We get a variety of stories rolled into one. The transitions, however, are seamless. We accompany Jude through a range of experiences and, as his situations change, our attention is drawn to these different aspects of (his) life.

I enjoyed my time with this audiobook and I keep remembering more and more moments that resonated with me the longer I think back over it. Although I didn’t find it as compelling as other books (probably partly because it’s much slower paced than ones I’ve read and listened to recently), it has certainly made a bigger impression on me than I first realised.

Lee Goettl’s narration is calm and soothing. He makes this a relaxing listen, even though there is deep sadness or danger at times. He also brings great warmth to all the characters and overall does a wonderful job.

My first audio book from NetGalley, and have to say Im impressed with the app. Nice performance by the reader on this. Thought the story was a bit weak, but I did like the writing and the characters. It would encourage me to read more for the author, but not necessarily recommend this particular book.

Place of Cool Waters
by Ndirangu Githaiga
Colleen Chi-Girl's review
Mar 22, 2023
4 BIG STARS
bookshelves: 2023, africa, anti-racist, audio, contemporary, netgalley, travel, washington-state

I received the ARC audiobook thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Bon Esprit Books, for my honest and unbiased review. This novel initially took me some time to get into, but once I did, I ended up really enjoying it and actually loving the characters and story. Part of the reason is possibly because I found the narrator, Lee Goettl, an unusual choice to be the voice of this young adult, male, as well as the other characters. Don't get me wrong, Goettl is just an incredible storyteller, so go with the narration. The theme was transporting and visually clear.

The story takes place in the state of Washington and we get to know Jude, the young man, and his loving, adoptive parents. Jude soon finds out that a very good friend of his, about his age, has terminal cancer and little time to live. The dying man encourages Jude to travel somewhere meaningful and interesting, just in case he won't be able to do it later and just to take more chances in life.

While growing up, Jude and his father did a lot of work in the Scouts. This reality created the interest for Jude to take his first trip outside of his home state of Washington and travel to Africa, where he'll be able to see the gravesite of one the 5 founders of the Scouts, British born, Robert Baden-Powell. Jude and his dad had hoped to do this together, but his father's recent illness causes Jude to plan this trip alone to where Baden-Powell is laid to rest at St. Peter's Cemetery in Nyeri. (Note of interest: His gravestone bears a circle with a dot in the center “ʘ”, which is the trail sign for “Going Home,” or “I have gone home.” from Wikipedia).

Jude's travels begin well, from staying at a friendly hostel and receiving assistance from several locals, to when it suddenly derails in a very upsetting turn of events in a taxi ride. Does Jude make it to the gravesite of his hero? There are deadly hyenas and other prey in the isolated areas Jude travels. He meets other important people during this trip and learns life lessons along the way.

The writing and narrator transported me along with Jude on this trip It gave me all the feel-goods and will stay with me a long time.

I found it really difficult to connect with the story and the main character and I often felt confused on what was happening.

There are many wonderful elements to “Place of Cool Waters”. The book follows the early lives of two characters born in opposite parts of the world. Jude Wilson is black orphan who was adopted by a childless white couple in Washington State, US. Jude’s father is a boy scout leader who instilled his love of scouting and boy scout history into his son. Qadir Mohamed is the orphaned child of Somali immigrants living in Nairobi, Kenya. Qadir lives with his uncle’s family and they are Muslims in a majority Christian country. Both Jude and Qadir have to try and make their way in the world as minorities in a sometimes hostile majority culture.

The author, Ndirangu Githaiga, is a doctor from Kenya who has traveled around the world and now lives in the U.S. An interesting thing he does in the book is that when he is following Qadir, Githaiga will often write the dialogue in the local language (sometimes Somali, and sometimes Swahili I believe) and then he will provide an English translation. He is a relatively new author and this is his third book. The English dialogue in the book is a little wooden, but American English at least is not his first language. I wasn’t sure if all the elements in the book had a connection to, or developed the plot, but I might change my mind on a second reading.

Overall, this book is definitely worth reading for a look at life in Kenya and America. I want to read Githaiga’s other books now.

I listened to the audio version of this book. Lee Goettl did a good job reading the book, but I wish they had gotten a Kenyan-American or Somali-American to narrate it because of all the dialogue in African languages.

Read the ARC audiobook & was a little rocked by the All-American accent of this narrator, particularly in light of the fact this book centres around the experiences of two young, Black men. Why? Admittedly, one IS from America, but the other resides in Kenya and this narration does his lives experience a huge disservice in my view.

Place of Cool Water starts off in two distant lands, and Ndirangu Githaiga does a brilliant job at weaving these two lives together. This occurs as a result of Jude Wilson -the American - deciding to voyage to Nairobi, Kenyan to visit the gravesite he’s heard about all his life as a Scout serving under his adopted dad. In the process, the readers live through grief, discrimination, micro aggressions and so much more with both Jude and Qadir - the Somali-Kenyan young man.

Not the biggest fan of this book but it’s an easy read & very well written. Lots of topics skimmed over and would’ve liked the author to delve deeper, but appreciate the insight nonetheless.

“I’m in the right place because I choose to make it so."

A Place of Cool Waters follows two tales of self-discovery and acceptance as they converge and help the characters realize something they never knew they were looking for.
Jude from the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. and Qadir based in Kenya have very different realities and tragedies to deal with. When Jude finds himself motivated to finally make a trip to Kenya, he meets Qadir and what he discovers about himself, family, friendship, and the world changes him in ways he couldn't have anticipated.

I listened to this on audio and really enjoyed the narration. This is my second book by Ndirangu Githaiga (my first was The People of Ostrich Mountain) and he again does a wonderful job building characters and portraying the realistic diversity of experiences across the African continent.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publishing team for an copy of this work!

I liked this - it was easy to listen to with interesting characters and plotlines. It's very character driven - Jude takes up most of this book.

The writing is simple and makes it easy to engage with. I think though for the topics in the book it could have gone a bit deeper.

Decent read.

I was given an advance reader copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I like the book well enough although parts of the plot seemed to be very predictable. The narrator was excellent and kept me engaged, just thought the story development could have been better.

The description for this book definitely got my attention! I was excited for a story about adventure (and misadventure)!
Such an interesting premise, which unfortunately seemed to be squandered through its execution.
The author spends the majority of this story immersing the reading in the day-to-day lives of Jude and Qadir, which does lead to interest, intrigue, and a desire to keep reading in order to find out how the lives of these two men will merge.
Unfortunately, when the two main characters do meet, there is a lack of chemistry between them and not enough time is spent developing their relationship. This isn't a long book, and it likely would have benefitted from an additional 40-50 pages towards the development of Jude and Qadir's friendship, as well as more time with these characters as their true identities with regards to each other are finally found.
A bit of a disappointment, but an interesting book in the end.

I love the concept of this book. Jude Wilson is a black man who was adopted as a baby and raised in the Pacific Northwest by a well-off (and very white) family. After his friend becomes sick, he feels an urge to visit the graves of his and his father"s (mostly his father"s) Boy Scout heroes. The thing is- these graves are in Kenya. Once Jude arrives in Kenya, he faces some unimaginable circumstances: both good and bad. Through the challenges he is faces with a new perspective of family and home.

I appreciate that the book attempts to address the themes of identity, discrimination, and family. I think if you are someone who likes simple, direct, writing with a simple and direct story, this book could be for you. However, while I love the concept, I felt that the book could have addressed the themes better and portrayed the story in a more engaging way. The biggest obstacles between me and loving this book are:

1. I really feel like Jude exists to make white people comfortable- both in the book and for white readers. There is a scene in the novel where Jude faces blatant discrimination, and he seems mostly apathetic about it. I was expecting some sort of character development in which he reconciles his apathy, but (sorry- spoiler) he doesn't.

2. There is no difference in tone/vocabulary/perspective between the narrator and ALL of the characters. This drove me crazy. I want to close my eyes and hear the characters, but they all blended together.

3. Similar to number 2, there is too much explanation in the descriptions. Let us readers figure things out!

4. I listened to the audiobook version, and I wish another audiobook narrator was chosen. About 20% into the book, I was really feeling like the voice was too "newscaster" sounding and Googled the narrator out of curiosity. I was not surprised to find that he mostly reads for nonfiction book.

Despite my qualms, I like that the book made me question aspects of society and perspective. This is one of the best things a book can do.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bon Esprit Books for providing the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

3/5 stars

“I see you’re one of those people who feel they have to be able to reciprocate any kindness they’re about to receive. But what if you have nothing to give yet still need help? What then?”

A young man embarks on a journey to Nairobi, Kenya, in order to pay homage to a childhood hero, and unwittingly ends up in an adventure of mistaken identities and retracing his own roots, in this third literary fiction novel by traveling author Ndirangu Githaiga.

Jude grew up with his adoptive family, as one of the few black kids within the quaint town of Clarksville, USA. He enjoyed a worry-free childhood with a loving family, longtime friends and low-stake adventures with his fellow- Boy Scouts. Now 27, his life is shaken up by the sudden death of his childhood friend Connor following a short uphill battle with cancer. Inspired by one of their final conversations about their shared hero from their Boy-Scout days, as well as Connors deathbed advise to “not postpone anything”, Jude sets off on a journey to Kenya to honour both of them by visiting their hero’s final resting place in Nairobi. Along the way, he finds more than he bargains for. Hero’s fall in the light of new discoveries, mistaken identities uncover hidden truths, and an unexpected friendship with a local hotel manager places his own roots in a different light.

What I liked:
Pulled along by the very readable narrative voice and the fast moving plot, I finished this novel within one day, and had a very good time throughout. Although a character-driven story at heart, the star of Place of Cool Water is its vibrant cultural, environmental and political setting of Kenya, which leaps of the pages to greet you. It makes for the perfect background to host the many themes the novel touches upon, including race, discrimination, privilege and the lingering feeling of mistrust brought upon by the political upheaval and terrorist threats in the country. Although the novel doesn’t quite have the scope and length to unpack all these topics completely, it still put them at the front of my mind for days and had me thinking about this book for days after finishing it. Key here are the contrast and similarities between Jude and Qadir, that Githaiga uses to maximal effect.
Githaiga manages to keep the novel light and readable, with a likable cast and a good balance of elements of character-work, political- and cultural themes, mystery and some quite suspenseful scenes.

What I didn’t like:
The novel unfortunately suffers from a lack of balance in many other aspects, including pacing, and the attention of detail between different characters and themes. The synopsis makes Jude and Qadir out to be dual-protagonists, when that does not reflect the content of the book at all. This truly is Jude’s story, with him taking up about 80% of the page-time, leaving Qadir to be little more than a side character. Considering the reveal at the end, I really would’ve liked to have seen more development of Qadir and his background.
Speaking of the reveal; a rushed, exposition-filled and very abrupt ending strongly took away from my enjoyment. The pacing at the end only seems to pick up speed, in stark contrast with the start. A major development is dropped within the final pages, leaving no more room for us to see the characters react and grow from it.

Overall, Place of Cool Water is an easy book to recommend; it’s compact and well-written and its themes will make it a great candidate for book club-discussions and the like. For readers who prefer to listen, rather than read visually, the audiobook is great as well. The narrator has a very pleasant tone and I personally loved to hear the pronunciation of the Swahili sentences sprinkled throughout the text.
Aforementioned balancing-issues and the abrupt ending kept it from rising “good” into “great” for me personally, hence the 3-star rating.

Many thanks to Bon Esprit Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Wow, just wow!

This story went nowhere near what I was expecting, it was so much more! It is the narrative of two men, from vastly different beginnings. Jude is a black man, who was raised by adoptive white parents, in the US. and Qadir is a black man that was raised by his aunt and uncle in Nairobi, Kenya.

The author, Ndirangu Githaiga, has a wonderful way of writing the characters so realistically and believable that I found myself angry with certain situations, excited in others and fearful as well. I didn't catch that the narrative flipped between Jude and Qadir at first, but when I realized I thought it was the comparison between the men and their life experiences..

I enjoyed the story was thrown by the ending. So amazing!

I was given the opportunity to listen to this ebook by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

A very readable book, that kept me entertained and engaged while listening to the audiobook. The story is sweet, and offers interesting perspectives on a number of themes. 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.

The characters also fell a TINY bit flat (mostly at the end, when the reveal happens), but that may have been because of the narrators tone when doing dialogue.

All in all, I did enjoy this and flew through the audiobook!

I liked this for the most part. It was very "slice-of-Life" but it felt disconnected. This had a lot of promise but near the end the dual points of view are dropped in favor of the American and then the the ending has a sadly predictable "twist."

Place of Cool Waters takes you for quite a trip along Jude and Qadir. One comes from a small town in Washington, the other is from Kenya. Both are connected in ways they have yet to discover. And we are right there with them. It's amazing how the story's slow build made me yearn for more. The author uses themes of family and self-discovery in a way that intelligently intertwines with the plot. It's a slow-building narration, where we get to learn about their environment and relationships through their eyes.

I appreciate the nice narration in the audiobook. It was just perfect, steady read/listen.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed the story of Jude Wilson who was adopted as an African American baby into a loving family with Caucasian parents.

Jude lives a relatively normal and happy life in America until the loss of his best friend at a young age. His dying friend told Jude to live life to the fullest because you never know when your last day will be.

This piece of advice led Jude to travel to Nairobi where he experiences a starkly different culture to the one he grew up and includes a dangerously scary event where he ends up in a situation of mistaken identity. A synchronistic event follows that changes the course of his life.

A great read. Although as an audiobook I think I would have preferred the voice of an African American. I don’t think the narrator’s voice was a great choice for this novel and definitely detracted from a well-written book.

My recommendation would be to read the book and not listen as an audiobook.

Thank you to Ndirangu
Githaiga, NetGalley and Bon Esprit Books for a gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review.