Verdict: “GET IT” ; “An immersive and informative memoir of a girlhood in Samburu County.” -Kirkus Reviews

“10/10 …. a vivid, captivating glimpse of Maasai girlhood unfolding against an atmosphere of rapid sociocultural change.” -The BookLife Prize

Winner, Honorable Mention in Multicultural, 2025 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award

Quarter-finalist, 2025 BookLife Prize

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The captivating story of an extraordinary girlhood

Escape into the Kenyan highlands and remarkable true stories from a childhood rich in drama and humor, in a remote tribe on the cusp of rapid change. Monique N. Leparleen and Ann Hendricks collaborated to share Monique’s singular stories. Born to her clan’s first-educated man, PK Leparleen, she lived a lifestyle both ancient and modern, in the luminous western highlands. Tradition enriched her; and she had to fight it desperately to reach for her dreams, and to survive.

For those interested in memoir, childhood stories, animals and nature, life in cultures before electricity, farm life, Kenya and the Maasai/Samburu, postcolonial settings, the conflict between ancient and modern, and those interested in the global lives of girls and women who want to choose their own futures. Ages 14+: mature themes. We hope to complete adapted stories for younger readers soon!

in an extraordinary place

Public Domain Pictures, CC0

Vishva Patel, Pexels free-to-use license

Weldon Kennedy, CC BY 2.0

with extraordinary people

Samburu Krijgers, Collectie Wereldmuseum (v/h Tropenmuseum), part of the National Museum of World Cultures, CC BY S-A 3.0 . Morans: warriors.

Leparleen family photo

Eric Hunsperger, CC BY 2.0

at an extraordinary time

Weldon Kennedy, CC BY 2.0 Lion prints and vehicle tread.

A time of great change: when modernity was just creeping its edge toward the heart of the ancient ways. Life suddenly became constant tension and negotiation between traditional expectations and modern possibilities: especially for women and girls.

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