Lessons From My Grandmother

After completing her graduate studies in England, Yeukai returns home to rural Zimbabwe to a jubilant celebration rich in the cultural traditions of the Shona-speaking people. There, she receives life lessons from her beloved grandmother-a wise elder holding sacred knowledge passed down through generations. Though impressed by her grandmother's lessons, Yeukai sets them aside to pursue a corporate career in the biotech industry in California. For years, Yeukai embraces a consumer lifestyle, pretending to live the American dream. However, the busy activities of her life--focused on chasing material delusions--hide the emotional turmoil within, until things come to a head. In search for meaning in her life, Yeukai returns home to Zimbabwe only to be heartbroken by the devastation inflicted by AIDS, rampant corruption, and a near-collapsed economy. In despair, Yeukai turns within in search for answers in her life. And the answers start to be revealed-in the deep meaning of her grandmother's teachings and the rediscovering of her own true nature. And she begins to redefine her relationship with the world. Poems interspersed throughout the novel poignantly capture Yeukai's triumphant journey to the realization that a life of purpose is truly possible if we allow ourselves to be guided by mystic powers.