Reviewed by Karen Pirnot for Readers' Favorite

Hida Jessie Piersma has written an interesting memoir of her life in Uganda under the reign of dictator Idi Amin. Ms. Piersma describes a deprived and uncultured upbringing, in which multiple wives, dying children, primitive health care and poverty all played a basic role in daily life. Her father was a local schoolteacher raising five children, after his wife was taken back by her family following a family dispute involving money.

Despite being a single parent herself, Ms. Piersma managed to immigrate to Europe, where she began to see various life styles not available to her in Uganda. She began to take night classes, after working a day job to support herself and her daughter. Throughout her trials and tribulations, she kept focused on her hope of extricating herself from poverty via a good education, a dream she finally realized, after marrying and moving to the United States.

This book has the potential to appeal to many readers. Mrs. Piersma's writing is unique and worthy of attention.