The Present Moment by Macgoye Marjorie O.

This powerful contemporary African classic by Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye tells the story of seven unforgettable elderly Kenyan women, tracing over sixty years of turbulent national history. Divided by ethnicity and class, they reside at "the Refuge," an old-age home in Nairobi, where they share their hidden personal histories around a charcoal fire. Their collective stories reveal struggles for self-determination, survival through conflict and loss, and the intersection of their lives across generations. Ultimately, a sudden local murder exposes how securely their past experiences are tied to the present and the future of their young nation, forging a deep and unexpected community.