LUCKY GIRL, a novel

324pp., paperback, New York, 2023

Soila, a privileged and sheltered Kenyan teenager, chooses to leave Nairobi, escape family expectations and study in New York City.

“Lucky Girl is at its strongest when Muchemi-Ndiritu addresses the topic of American racism ... [Soila’s] honesty about her ‘different brand of Blackness,’ and ultimately her ability to drop the idea of it being a brand, make for some of the book’s most compelling passages.” The New York Times Book Review

Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu grew up in Nairobi and moved to the United States to attend college in 1998. She has worked as a journalist in New York City, Washington D.C., and Boston and currently lives in Cape Town. Lucky Girl is her debut novel.