Audiobook8 hours
The Price of Stones: Building a School for My Village
Written by Twesigye Jackson Kaguri and Susan Urbanek Linville
Narrated by Richard Allen
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
An incredibly inspiring and thrilling book, this is the story of Twesigye Jackson Kaguri, who grew up in rural southwestern Uganda, the son of an irascible small-time farmer and his loving wife. In spite of the family's poverty, Jackson succeeds and graduates from the national university with a calling to work in human rights that leads him to Columbia University. There he falls in love with and later marries an American scientist, Beronda.
When Jackson returns to Uganda with his bride, they are overwhelmed by the many villagers who line up to ask for help with food and school fees-and having lost two siblings to AIDS, Jackson is especially moved by the plight of the thousands of abandoned AIDS orphans in his local district. Impulsively, he and Beronda vow to open the first tuition-free school for orphans. A newlywed with little money, and facing opposition from his domineering father and townspeople, Jackson doggedly builds one schoolroom at a time with the help of many supporters in Uganda and the financial pledges of churches in America, and with the sustenance of his strong faith in Jesus Christ.
Weaving together stories from his youth in Uganda and the remarkable account of how one person with a dream can change lives-both his students' and his supporters'-this is an unforgettable book that demonstrates that one person can be a cup of cold water to a thirsty world. The book concludes with the graduation of the first class of Nyaka AIDS orphans, almost all of whom Jackson and his supporters are sponsoring as they continue their education and dream of becoming doctors, teachers, lawyers, engineers, and even, perhaps, the future president of Uganda.
When Jackson returns to Uganda with his bride, they are overwhelmed by the many villagers who line up to ask for help with food and school fees-and having lost two siblings to AIDS, Jackson is especially moved by the plight of the thousands of abandoned AIDS orphans in his local district. Impulsively, he and Beronda vow to open the first tuition-free school for orphans. A newlywed with little money, and facing opposition from his domineering father and townspeople, Jackson doggedly builds one schoolroom at a time with the help of many supporters in Uganda and the financial pledges of churches in America, and with the sustenance of his strong faith in Jesus Christ.
Weaving together stories from his youth in Uganda and the remarkable account of how one person with a dream can change lives-both his students' and his supporters'-this is an unforgettable book that demonstrates that one person can be a cup of cold water to a thirsty world. The book concludes with the graduation of the first class of Nyaka AIDS orphans, almost all of whom Jackson and his supporters are sponsoring as they continue their education and dream of becoming doctors, teachers, lawyers, engineers, and even, perhaps, the future president of Uganda.
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Reviews for The Price of Stones
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
2 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This story of how one Jackson Kaguri decided to return home to build a school in his village for AIDS orphans is well written and inspiring. I have a feeling that parts of the narrative have been "tweaked" a bit to make the progression more logical than perhaps real life could ever be, but, still, it shows how one person can make a difference with enough motivation and the appropriate resources and education.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Twesigye Jackson Kaguri’s The Price of Stones is an account of his building a school for AIDS/HIV orphans in rural Uganda. The project is admirable, the writing not as much so. Very little thought seemed to go into word choice or literary technique. Events were listed in the order in which they occurred (with some childhood flashbacks scattered about), and all were delivered with the same tone throughout. The book is liberally sprinkled with praise for Jesus Christ, and there are even a few times when Kaguri tells of the generosity of donors, attributing it to the help of God and barely acknowledging the compassion of his fellow humans. The cover on the book is lovely: smiling children in the vivid purple and white uniforms of the school. The center of the book has photographs of the people in the story, a map is at the front and a helpful glossary of Rukiga words at the back. There is also a list of ways that readers can contribute to the cause. Kaguri’s undertaking is truly worthwhile and heartwarming, his accomplishments enormous. I just would have preferred to read about them in a magazine article.