Dr. Patrick Kalenzi details Ugandan childhood in 'Tears Run Dry'

While this is not explicitly an Inkberry Book, it was a book recommended by one of the paper's readers. I've said before that I enjoy memoirs and expressed hope that I'd read more nonfiction, so I was excited about the chance to read Tears Run Dry, a memoir penned by Dr. Patrick Kalenzi of Niwot Veterinary Clinic.

Kalenzi said, "I come from a tribe of cattle keepers and animal lovers in Uganda, that I was never going to be content doing anything but treating animals."

When asked why Kalenzi decided to pursue writing, he said that he wanted to inspire his own children. However, with time, he realized that his memoir could be applicable to a bigger audience.

"I decided to write and inspire young people, old people, all people, to believe in themselves no matter what their current circumstances are," he said.

There are so many reasons why I enjoyed this book. It's well written, descriptive and (mostly) engaging. If you've stuck around for a while, you'll know how much I appreciate good characterization. Of course, with memoirs--and other nonfiction for that matter--obviously those characters are real people. However, I think there's a clear distinction between simply telling an assortment of facts that describe a chain of events, and taking those facts and combining them with detail and emotion, weaving them into a story.

Humans are storytellers by nature, so to read Kalenzi's account of his life almost felt as though I was sitting with an older friend asking about their experiences and hearing their life story. Kalenzi describes his family in such great detail that I felt a deep sense of affinity for his parents, and his grandfather in particular. Hearing about how much his family cared for him made me think of my own family--so not only were his descriptions realistic and evocative, but they were relatable. The people in his story were totally accessible, which only made the action that much more engaging and believable.

I will admit that the first few chapters were a bit slower paced. Even though parts of his reflections on his early adolescence--such as his recovery from polio--were extremely interesting, it was a little tricky for me to really be engaged in his descriptions of various school days or chores on the family farm. That said, sprinkled throughout even some of these seemingly mundane anecdotes were interesting and exciting stories. My heart seemed to swell with pride, for example, when he wrote about essentially being the underdog and winning a poetry contest at his small village school.

Moreover, this context building, while not always exciting, was important because it set up other events later on. That poetry contest comes back later in the book at a similar scholastic event, for instance. It's very clear just how much Kalenzi's life and outlook were shaped by his early experiences of cattle herding, military training, and even being shipped around from family member to family member, just so he had a chance at a better education.

"My father passed away two months before I graduated from veterinary school," Kalenzi reflected. "He would have known that in the entire family, there was a graduate for once. But he didn't. That was a bad day."

The book, which was dedicated to his grandfather, also seems to be greatly inspired by him as well. In fact, Kalenzi remarked that now "the world knows about Baaba, my grandfather, who was a man in a small village in Africa, but an important person, whose words sow wisdom, like a mustard seed, to anyone who reads the book."

There is no doubt in my mind that Kalenzi has a fascinating story and I really think most everyone would enjoy it. Other than the descriptive characters and events I've already mentioned, I really like the way Kalenzi included phrases and words from his childhood in both Rwandese and Swahili. For me, it was a simultaneously gentle and powerful nod to his heritage, but also an excellent literary device as it served as some subtle foreshadowing.

You can find the book online as well as at the Niwot Veterinary Clinic. Kalenzi hopes to write more stories in the future.

Happy Reading!