Synopses & Reviews
For readers of Behind the Beautiful Forevers and Nothing to Envy , this is a breathtaking real-life story of four street children in contemporary Zambia whose lives are drawn together and forever altered by the mysterious murder of a fellow street child.
Based on years of investigative reporting and unprecedented fieldwork, Walking the Bowl immerses readers in the daily lives of four unforgettable characters: Lusabilo, a determined waste picker; Kapula, a burned-out brothel worker; Moonga, a former rock crusher turned beggar; and Timo, an ambitious gang leader. These children navigate the violent and poverty-stricken underworld of Lusaka, one of Africa's fastest growing cities.
When the dead body of a ten-year-old boy is discovered under a heap of garbage in Lusaka's largest landfill, a murder investigation quickly heats up due to the influence of the victim's mother and her far-reaching political connections. The children's lives become more closely intertwined as each child engages in a desperate bid for survival against forces they could never have imagined.
Gripping and fast-paced, the book exposes the perilous aspects of street life through the eyes of the children who survive, endure and dream there, and what emerges is an ultimately hopeful story about human kindness and how one small good deed, passed on to others, can make a difference in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
Review
"An astonishingly beautiful book. Beautiful in its biting reality. Beautiful in its unearthing of life's deepest, darkest voids. Beautiful in its depictions of land and cityscapes, great and small. Walking the Bowl is one of the most revealing and heart-rending books I have ever read." Thomas Lockley, coauthor of African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan
Review
"A powerful, beautiful book. Lockhart and Chama throw us into the whirlpool of cruelty, solidarity, triumph and resilient survival of street children in Zambia, Africa, telling the beautiful stories of these kids' humanity and forcing us to recognize that most are dying much too soon and too hard." Philippe Bourgois, author of In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio
Review
"Told like a picaresque adventure story, Walking the Bowl captures magnificently the spirit of a hard, hard world. An enviable feat of writing and of sympathy." Jonny Steinberg, author of A Man of Good Hope
Review
"[A] transcendent study of the street children of Lusaka, Zambia... Fans of Behind the Beautiful Forevers and Strength in What Remains will flock to this riveting and deeply reported portrait of life on the margins.” Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
About the Author
Chris Lockhart is a widely published academic author. He currently lives and works in Namibia as a global health consultant for international development agencies.
Daniel Mulilo Chama is a former street child from Lusaka, Zambia. He currently works as an outreach worker for a consortium of nonprofit organizations as he completes his degree in social work at the University of Zambia.