Chapter 5 and 6 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 5, "Secret Rendezvous, Sex, and the Scent of Sukumawiki" details Ayaan's growing up in Kenya. Her mother becomes more hostile and beats her relentlessly. She attends school where she struggled with another language, Swahili and then also English.

Once again her father leaves the family. While her brother does well in school, Ayaan struggles to keep up with her homework and all her chores. Her mother decides to send her to a Muslim Girls' school.

She has many ordeals and struggles over the years in Kenya. She rebels mentally and questions and to some extent, becomes insolent. Her mother beats her and even a religious teacher beat her. She ends up in the hospital after a particularly brutal bout. Finally, her mother stops beating her for several years.

The chapter continues to show Ayaan's struggle between following and learning...