The Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers
Now on value-priced Encore CD The astonishing (
The New York Times Book Review) and inspirational (
Shelf Awareness) true story of Phiona Mutesi--a teenage chess prodigy from the slums of Uganda--soon to be a major motion picture starring David Oyelowo and Academy Award-winner Lupita Nyong'o.
One day in 2005 while searching for food, nine-year-old Ugandan Phiona Mutesi followed her brother to a dusty veranda where she met Robert Katende. Katende, a war refugee turned missionary, had an improbable dream: to empower kids in the Katwe slum through chess--a game so foreign there is no word for it in their native language. Laying a chess-board in the dirt, Robert began to teach. At first children came for a free bowl of porridge, but many grew to love the game that--like their daily lives--requires persevering against great obstacles. Of these kids, one girl stood out as an immense talent: Phiona.
By the age of eleven Phiona was her country's junior champion, and at fifteen, the national champion. Now a Woman Candidate Master--the first female titled player in her country's history--Phiona dreams of becoming a Grandmaster, the most elite level in chess. But to reach that goal, she must grapple with everyday life in one of the world's most unstable coun-tries.
Filled with aspiration, determination, and belief,
The Queen of Katwe is a remarkable (NPR) and riveting (
New York Post) book that shows how Phiona's story transcends the limitations of the chessboard (Robert Hess, US Grandmaster). This is a must-read for all who dare to dream (
Library Journal, starred review).
