Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Bandgt;Based on a popular ESPN magazine article selected by Dave Eggers for The Best American Nonrequired Reading and a finalist for a National Magazine Award, the inspiring true story of Phiona Mutesi, a teenage chess prodigy from the slums of Kampala, Uganda.andlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;PHIONA MUTESI sleeps in a decrepit shack with her mother and three siblings and struggles to find a single meal each day. Phiona has been out of school most of her life because her mother cannot afford it, so she is only now learning to read and write. Phiona Mutesi is also one of the best chess players in the world. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;One day in 2005, while searching for food, nine-year-old Phiona followed her brother to a dusty veranda where she met Robert Katende, who had also grown up in the Kampala slums. Katende, a war refugee turned missionary, had an improbable dream: to empower kids through chessand#8212;a game so foreign there is no word for it in their native language. Laying a chessboard in the dirt of the Katwe slum, Robert painstakingly taught the game each day. When he left at night, slum kids played on with bottlecaps on scraps of cardboard. At first they came for a free bowl of porridge, but many grew to love chess, a game thatand#8212;like their daily livesand#8212;means persevering against great obstacles. Of these kids, one stood out as an immense talent: Phiona. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;By the age of eleven Phiona was her countryand#8217;s junior champion and at fifteen, the national champion. In September 2010, she traveled to Siberia, a rare journey out of Katwe, to compete in the Chess Olympiad, the worldand#8217;s most prestigious team-chess event. Phionaand#8217;s dream is to one day become a Grandmaster, the most elite title in chess. But to reach that goal, she must grapple with everyday life in one of the worldand#8217;s most unstable countries, a place where girls are taught to be mothers, not dreamers, and the threats of AIDS, kidnapping, and starvation loom over the people. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Like Katherine Booand#8217;s Behind the Beautiful Forevers and Gayle Tzemach Lemmonand#8217;s The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, The Queen of Katwe is an intimate and heartrending portrait of human life on the poor fringes of the twenty-first century.
Review
"A moving and universal story of the power of potential and the wonder of perseverance. This story will inspire you--and will make you wonder how many more Phionas there are among us."--andlt;bandgt;Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, andlt;iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt;-bestselling author of andlt;iandgt;The Dressmaker of Khair Khanaandlt;/iandgt; andlt;/bandgt;
Review
"This story of a young woman's triumph over the unimaginably cruel fortune she was born into would pierce a heart of stone."--andlt;bandgt;Hillary Jordan, andlt;iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt;-bestselling author of andlt;iandgt;Mudboundandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;When She Wokeandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
"Moving.... A poignant reminder of the power of hope."--andlt;iandgt;andlt;bandgt;Kirkus Reviewsandlt;/bandgt;andlt;/iandgt;
Review
and#8220;andlt;iandgt;The Queen of Katweandlt;/iandgt; is one of the most inspiring, thought-provoking, humbling books Iand#8217;ve ever read. Itand#8217;s a must-read for any chess player, woman, athlete, or frankly anyone who knows any of the previous three, aka everyone!and#8221;--andlt;bandgt;Siva Sankrithi, Math Teacher andamp; Chess Coach, Lakeside Upper School, Seattle, WAandlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;andlt;iandgt;The Queen of Katweandlt;/iandgt; is gripping. We witness Phionaand#8217;s incredible evolution as a player, as she competes against older and far more experienced competitors. It also offers readers a fascinating look at a war-torn and struggling nation, as well as the unlikely story of how her mentor Robert Katende, a refugee of Ugandaand#8217;s civil war, has created a flourishing chess program for kids in one of Africaand#8217;s most treacherous slums. This story has the power to inspire girls everywhere."--andlt;bandgt;Alexandra Kosteniuk, Grandmaster, 12th Women's World Chess Champion (andlt;a href="http://www.chessqueen.com/"andgt;www.chessqueen.comandlt;/aandgt;) andlt;/bandgt;
Review
"A must-read for all who dare to dream."
Review
andlt;divandgt;"andlt;Iandgt;The Queen of Katweandlt;/Iandgt;
Review
and#8220;Itand#8217;s a story almost too uplifting to believeand#8230; Crothers tells Phiona Mutesiand#8217;s story in a crisp, reportorial style, but itand#8217;s nearly impossible to read the book without a strong emotional responseand#8230; Inspiring.and#8221;
Review
andlt;iandgt;"The Queen of Katweandlt;/iandgt; Tim Crothers gives us an inspiring and heart-wrenching story."
Review
"An inspirational profile of an amazing chess player from one of the world's worst slums."
Review
andlt;divandgt;"A must-read for all who dare to dream."andlt;/divandgt;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"This story of a young woman's triumph over the unimaginably cruel fortune she was born into would pierce a heart of stone."--andlt;bandgt;Hillary Jordan, andlt;iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt;-bestselling author of andlt;iandgt;Mudboundandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;When She Wokeandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;andlt;/divandgt;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Moving.... A poignant reminder of the power of hope."--andlt;iandgt;andlt;bandgt;Kirkus Reviewsandlt;/bandgt;andlt;/iandgt;andlt;/divandgt;
Review
"Phionaand#8217;s story ... will break readersand#8217; hearts. Phionaand#8217;s perseverance, courage, faith, and hope will have the very same readers rooting for her success."
Review
"Part of Crothers's achievement is his presentation of the terrible circumstances millions of people battle every day to sustain themselves and feed their families, nearly all of them lacking the bright, improbable possibility provided by Mutesi."
Review
"TimCrothers powerfully captures the crushing poverty in which Mutesi and herfamily still live."
Review
"Phionaand#8217;s story transcends the limitations of the chessboard--her life not confined to the miniature pieces that her hand glides from her side of the board to attack her opponentand#8217;s king. No, Phiona succeeding at chess, like the fight to become great athletes for so many impoverished people around the world, has been a game for her life."
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Riveting."andlt;/divandgt;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"[A] remarkable story." andlt;/divandgt;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Wonderful.... A story of resilience and creativity in the midst of immense need."andlt;/divandgt;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"So compelling... Crothers writes the story matter-of-factly ... reserving judgment and bias.... It beckons the reader to wonder at the possibilities that lay before Mutesi, and it reminds us of the harsh reality in which she continues to live."andlt;/divandgt;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Crothers provides in-depth portraits of the people and institutions around Mutesi."
Review
"andlt;Iandgt;The Queen of Katweandlt;/Iandgt; is an extraordinary account of one young womanand#8217;s exceptional achievement. It is also a lament for this world in which only a tiny number of incredibly fortunate and exceptionally determined children have any chance of escaping the dehumanizing poverty that prevails in Katwe and places like it."
Synopsis
Based on a popular ESPN Magazine article--a finalist for a National Magazine Award and chosen by Dave Eggers for inclusion in Best American Nonrequired Reading 2011--the astonishing true story of Phiona Mutesi, a teenager from the slums of Kampala, Uganda, who becomes an international chess champion.
Based on a popular ESPN magazine article selected by Dave Eggers for The Best American Nonrequired Reading and a finalist for a National Magazine Award, the inspiring true story of Phiona Mutesi, a teenage chess prodigy from the slums of Kampala, Uganda.
PHIONA MUTESI sleeps in a decrepit shack with her mother and three siblings and struggles to find a single meal each day. Phiona has been out of school most of her life because her mother cannot afford it, so she is only now learning to read and write. Phiona Mutesi is also one of the best chess players in the world.
One day in 2005, while searching for food, nine-year-old Phiona followed her brother to a dusty veranda where she met Robert Katende, who had also grown up in the Kampala slums. Katende, a war refugee turned missionary, had an improbable dream: to empower kids through chess--a game so foreign there is no word for it in their native language. Laying a chessboard in the dirt of the Katwe slum, Robert painstakingly taught the game each day. When he left at night, slum kids played on with bottlecaps on scraps of cardboard. At first they came for a free bowl of porridge, but many grew to love chess, a game that--like their daily lives--means persevering against great obstacles. Of these kids, one 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. In September 2010, she traveled to Siberia, a rare journey out of Katwe, to compete in the Chess Olympiad, the world's most prestigious team-chess event. Phiona's dream is to one day become a Grandmaster, the most elite title in chess. But to reach that goal, she must grapple with everyday life in one of the world's most unstable countries, a place where girls are taught to be mothers, not dreamers, and the threats of AIDS, kidnapping, and starvation loom over the people.
Like Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers and Gayle Tzemach Lemmon's The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, The Queen of Katwe is an intimate and heartrending portrait of human life on the poor fringes of the twenty-first century.
Synopsis
Based on a popular ESPN Magazine article—optioned by Disney films, a finalist for a National Magazine Award and chosen by Dave Eggers for inclusion in Best American Nonrequired Reading 2011—the astonishing true story of Phiona Mutesi, a teenager from the slums of Kampala, Uganda, who—inspired by an unlikely mentor, a war refugee turned missionary—becomes an international chess champion.Phiona Mutesi sleeps in a decrepit shack with her mother and four siblings and struggles to find a single meal each day. Phiona has been in and out of school her whole life because her mother cannot afford it, so she is only now learning to read and write. Phiona Mutesi is also one of the best chess players in the world.
One day in 2005, while searching for food, nine-year-old Phiona followed her brother to a dusty veranda where she met Robert Katende, another child of the Ugandan slums, who works for an American organization that offers relief and religion through sports. Robert introduced Phiona to the game of chess and soon recognized her immense talent. By the age of eleven Phiona was her country’s junior chess champion and at fifteen, her country’s national champion. In September of 2010 she traveled to Siberia, just her second time ever on an airplane, to compete in the Chess Olympiad, the world’s most prestigious team chess event. Phiona’s dream is to one day become a grandmaster, the most elite title in chess, and to blaze a trail out of Katwe that other children in Robert’s chess community can follow. But to reach that goal, she must grapple with everyday life in one of the world’s most unstable countries, a place where girls are taught to be mothers, not dreamers, and the threats of AIDS, kidnapping, and starvation loom over the people of Katwe.
Acclaimed sports journalist Tim Crothers has written a riveting and inspiring account of one girl’s improbable journey to becoming a chess champion. The Queen of Katwe will thrill every reader who loves a great underdog story.
About the Author
Tim Crothers is a former senior writer at andlt;iandgt;Sports Illustratedandlt;/iandgt;. He is the author of andlt;iandgt;The Queen of Katwe: One Girlandrsquo;s Triumphant Path to Becoming a Chess Championandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;The Man Watchingandlt;/iandgt;, the biography of University of North Carolina womenandrsquo;s soccer coach Anson Dorrance, and coauthor of andlt;iandgt;Hard Workandlt;/iandgt;, the autobiography of UNC basketball coach Roy Williams. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with his wife and two children.