Summary

“Chapter 1” takes place in Nattetta, Uganda, in 1975. Kirabo was a 12-year-old who loved to tell stories. She did not know where her mother was or why she was not in her life. Kirabo lived with her father, her grandparents, and a large amount of extended family and neighbors she did not quite understand her relation to. Her grandparents were heavily involved with the schools, and many teenagers came to stay with them during the school year so that they would be sure to attend and graduate. The teenagers mostly ignored Kirabo, but she used her grandfather’s love and favor to force them to listen to her imaginative stories. When they seemed unimpressed, she threatened to cry about her missing mother, and all the teenagers catered to her so as not to upset her grandfather. Kirabo thought she was a witch...