Find Me Unafraid: Love, Loss, And Hope In An African Slum

Kennedy lives in Kibera, one of the worst slums in Nairobi, Kenya. The book opens with Kennedy hiding in his rundown shack, praying that the paramilitary police conducting a raid outside do not find him: “I can feel spiders crawling over my back and rats poking my toes, but I stay still, afraid that any movement will draw the uniformed men” (3).

He is hungry, and food is scarce during raids. He often spends only $2 a week on food. Kennedy goes to his neighbor’s house, Mama Akinyi, for a single bite of porridge to wet his mouth but won’t take more because the food is meant her young daughter. His good friend, Chris, warns him that the police have a picture of Kennedy and are looking for him. In the terror of the raid, he thinks of Jessica, who has already returned to the United States: “All I want to do is write her a letter, tell her how much I love her, and tell her that I should have listened, I should have left” (5). He hides behind a metal panel in his house, hearing the police outside. His door is locked, making the officers believe he is not home; they leave, and Kennedy is safe.