Prime
Books they read
Gloria Kembabazi
What you need to know:
Also, the best way to write is to be natural, to copy and paste from mind to paper. That makes your writings rich and many people would identify with them in some way.
What kind of books do you read?
I read all fiction, thrillers, comics, inspirational and developmental books.
How did you start reading books?
In school, I had to read the literature books because I had to if I needed to pass literature. Admittedly, I never completed any then and dropped the subject after my Senior Two. However, in my Senior Four vacation, I decided to try out a novel my mum suggested from the pile she had. It was awesome! I read even more of them including those I had failed to read in school like Mine Boy by Peter Abrahams, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, Miguel Street by V.S. Naipaul, among others. My love for reading could only grow.
What have you learnt from books that you have read?
There’s this amazing book, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie which says people love to be appreciated, complimented, called by their names and in order to catch their attention, you need to speak in terms of how ‘they benefit’ not about your own gains. It has made my interaction with people much smoother than before.
Also, the best way to write is to be natural, to copy and paste from mind to paper. That makes your writings rich and many people would identify with them in some way.
How has reading changed your life?
I’m a rather reserved person; however, my love for reading will get me initiating a conversation with someone I spotted holding a book. I always want to find out what they are reading. It has improved my ability to relate with other people. Information is Power: reading makes me confident. It’s important to read about a variety of subjects because it gives you a balance of knowledge. When people talk about a certain concept, you don’t have to ask the blonde question of ‘what is that?’ rather you ask trying to understand more about it and sharing what you already know.
Which are some of the most memorable books you have read?
No Place like Home by Mart Higgins Clark, The Crimson Code by Racheal Lee, Prisoner of Birth and Honour among Thieves by Jeffrey Archer and Mine Boy by Peter Abrahams. The imageries used in these books are memorable that years go by but the fascination is as fresh as it was when I last read them.
What are some of the Ugandan novels you have read?
I have read Whispers from Vera by Goretti Kyomuhendo, Cassandra by Violet Barungi, Fables out of Nyanja by Brian Bwesigye, among others. And of rib-tickling books, Thoughts of a Few by Davis Atuhaire is one that will keep you amused to the very end. I like that these writers tell stories in familiar environments and they control their diction, unlike some writings where the writer gives you the impression that he isn’t Ugandan. I can relate with the stories.
Which are some of the books you read when you are going through a difficult moment?
The Bible is the best book to read for comfort. It restores your faith and helps you live past those moments. I recently read Hardness of Heart by Andrew Womack. It is such hardness that makes it hard for us to leave past difficult moments and makes us miss out on what God has in store for us. Such hardness reveals how we are of weak faith which doesn’t accomplish any good for us.
Which books are you reading at the moment?
I am reading A Jeffrey Archer novel, Only Time Will Tell: The Clifton Chronicles. There are five of chronicles. Harry Clifton hardly knows what happened to his father. The subject was never to be discussed in detail, apart from everyone making him believe that his father died in a war. But the man Harry thinks was his father may not be after all. He could be the first son of a very powerful man who is also his best friend’s father.
You might want to have all the five books with you before you start on the first one.
I’m also reading a book about refugees called Victims As Security Threats by Edward Mogire, which talks about how perceptions of refugees have changed over time. They are no longer viewed as consequences of conflict from their home countries rather as the perpetrators of crime in the host states.
