Paperback: In the Shadow of a Saint by Ken Wiwa

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Kelly Rissman

US News Reporter

In this rich, readable book, Ken Wiwa explores his relationship with his father Ken Saro-Wiwa, the activist executed by the Nigerian government in 1995. An extraordinary man, he was a businessman and fearless satirical writer who devoted himself to the betterment of the Ogoni people. Saro-Wiwi also emerges as a domineering father and unfaithful husband. His reputation violently oscillated after his death but his son has produced the closest that we will get to a just measure. In a letter to his dead father, Wiwa declares his determination "to honour and keep your memory alive". With honesty and clarity, he achieves this better than any hagiography.