In conjunction with US National Bike Month (May) we always share this chapter for everyone to enjoy. It is one of the few chapters in the book suitable for all ages of readers (in our view). We always keep it up through at least the end of the week containing June 3, World Bicycle Day.
Bicycles are among the things that were completely taboo for Samburu girls when Monique was growing up. She knew this on an instinctual level. But when she was 4 or 5 years old, a neighbor Maasai girl–an ambassador’s daughter–moved in next door to Monique’s farmhouse, and challenged all of her learned assumptions about Maa-speaking girls, freedom, and bikes. Read how asking Papa for her own bike went for Monique!
-chapter returning May 2027-
This chapter is one we commonly read in our presentations. We’re happy to make the PDF available for classroom use: if you’re an educator, reach out via the contact form to request one! It provides rich grounds for thought and discussion: about wanting, family, loyalty, love, and agency/revenge; and about class, cultural expectations, and gender.
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