{"id":9410,"date":"2010-06-08T09:00:37","date_gmt":"2010-06-08T13:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bookdragon.si.edu\/?p=9410"},"modified":"2015-08-17T09:58:05","modified_gmt":"2015-08-17T13:58:05","slug":"the-price-of-stones-building-a-stone-for-my-village-by-twesigye-jackson-kaguri-with-susan-urbanek-linville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/the-price-of-stones-building-a-stone-for-my-village-by-twesigye-jackson-kaguri-with-susan-urbanek-linville\/","title":{"rendered":"The Price of Stones: Building a Stone for My Village by Twesigye Jackson Kaguri with Susan Urbanek Linville [in Christian Science Monitor]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Price<\/a>If you\u2019re reading this review, $4 lattes or $15 lunches are probably not shock-inducing numbers. Now think about this: \u201cTwo dollars feeds a child for a week…. Fifteen pays for books for a trimester. We can do so much with so little<\/em>.\u201d With pure gratitude as he begins a meal with students from his Nyaka AIDS Orphans School<\/a> to celebrate Uganda\u2019s Independence Day, Twesigye Jackson Kaguri<\/a> states a simple fact. \u201cOne of these giggling children might even become the future president of Uganda,\u201d he marvels.<\/p>\n

Kaguri dreams big. And not without merit. Presented simply and humbly, Kaguri\u2019s story \u2013 and that of the giggling children \u2013 debuts this month in his unforgettable memoir, The Price of Stones: Building a School for My Village<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Born and raised in rural Nyakagyezi in southwest Uganda, Kaguri learned the value of education early from his older brother Frank, whose kindness and generosity he idolized. In spite of their father\u2019s disdain, Kaguri excelled at school, eventually joining Columbia University\u2019s Human Rights Advocacy visiting scholars program.<\/p>\n

Even as he discovers that \u201cmany in New York considered Africa a country, not a continent … [that] all Africans were the same\u201d he also marvels at \u201cthe freedom of expression [he] found in America.\u201d He pointedly notes his \u201camaze[ment] that primary through high school education was free.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time Kaguri journeys home after his American adventure, his beloved brother was dying of AIDS. His oldest sister, then her baby son, rapidly followed. Kaguri returned to the U.S. \u2013 and the love of his life; he married Beronda, whom he had met while living in New York, and the couple eventually settled in Michigan.<\/p>\n

By 1991, 15 percent of Ugandans were thought to be infected with HIV\/AIDS and almost 100,000 Ugandans were dying from the disease every year. All around, families were disintegrating: in a population of 31 million, over 2.2 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS.<\/p>\n

This lost generation of orphans becomes the focus of Kaguri\u2019s life work. On his first trip home as a married man in April 2001, Kaguri cannot turn orphans away: \u201cBecause of the stigma of AIDS, many children are abandoned…. [F]amilies take the parents\u2019 property and use the orphans as household servants or hire them out as prostitutes.\u201d Kaguri realizes only education can help these children escape destitution and servitude. Beronda recognizes the immediacy of the situation: \u201c\u2018These children don\u2019t have time,\u2019 she said. \u2018They need a school now.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The heartwarming journey from dream to reality is filled with tremendous challenges, utter faith, and Social Security check donations: \u201cThis is the true price of stones.\u201d On Jan. 2, 2003, Nyaka AIDS Orphans School officially opened with 60 students \u2013 all orphans \u2013 receiving free education, including free books, uniforms, health care, and food. A birthday cake \u2013 not a tradition in Uganda \u2013 was presented to the students \u201cto symbolize their passage from orphans to students.\u201d Each wore purple-and-white uniforms, \u201cbecause [purple] symbolizes happiness.\u201d The school motto proclaims, \u201c\u2019For Our Children\u2019s Sake.\u2019\u201d [… click here for more<\/a>]\n

Review<\/strong>: Christian Science Monitor<\/em>, June 8, 2010<\/a><\/p>\n

Readers<\/strong>: Young Adult, Adult<\/p>\n

Published<\/strong>: 2010<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re reading this review, $4 lattes or $15 lunches are probably not shock-inducing numbers. Now think about this: \u201cTwo dollars feeds a child for a week…. Fifteen pays for books for a trimester. We can do so much with so little.\u201d With pure gratitude…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29021,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,287,107,6535,31],"tags":[6608,148,22,75,10,28,3023,44,3024,3025],"class_list":["post-9410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adult-readers","category-african","category-memoir","category-repost","category-young-adult-readers","tag-bookdragon","tag-christian-science-monitor","tag-civil-rights","tag-death","tag-family","tag-politics","tag-price-of-stones","tag-siblings","tag-susan-urbanek-linville","tag-twesigye-jackson-kaguri"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Price of Stones: Building a Stone for My Village by Twesigye Jackson Kaguri with Susan Urbanek Linville [in Christian Science Monitor] - BookDragon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/bookdragon\/the-price-of-stones-building-a-stone-for-my-village-by-twesigye-jackson-kaguri-with-susan-urbanek-linville\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Price of Stones: Building a Stone for My Village by Twesigye Jackson Kaguri with Susan Urbanek Linville [in Christian Science Monitor] - BookDragon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you\u2019re reading this review, $4 lattes or $15 lunches are probably not shock-inducing numbers. 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