Hunger and Shame -- A Book Review

Hunger and Shame is the compelling truth about African poverty and how outside powers has shaped child malnutrition in Tanzania. It is about the trend of suffering and deaths of malnourished children in a region where there is a dramatic variance among rich coffee farmers and the poor. Mary Howard shows how crucial it is to step into patrilineal Chagga society and put aside Western/European ideals. The reality and tragic outcome of child malnutrition and shame are identified – she proves that to understand kwashiorkor is to understand the Chagga.

Testimonies from researchers, prospering coffee farmers, and members of the Christian faith serving as illustration of how closely related hunger and shame truly are. The author has exhibited through her diary, an emotional picture of the lives of hungry families, the death of young children, and harsh realities of a rule-bound culture. Observations from two time periods bring readers closer to issues at hand by way of anecdotes and pictures.

Having spent years in this Tanzanian community, Howard may be considered an authority on the subjects of child malnutrition and Chagga society. Her efforts began in agriculture, and then expanded to helping indiv

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She identifies problems with the church, the shame of being poor, and the conveniently ignored morals of kinship. The long distance travel and nature of her work most likely did not provide ideal situations to bring Roberto or breastfeed. Educated and better-off people directly relate the illness to laziness and ignorance.

The importance of Hunger and Shame in anthropological work is clear.

Some Chagga also believe that infants with large rounded bellies may be receiving too much food, and may reducing feeding to prevent obesity. She proves this by reviewing Francis Lema’s many appeals for help from the union – he never received aid as he was ruled to be a high risk. Positions in the lineage are clearly defined, helping the reader to comprehend how individuals become trapped in lives of poverty. Perhaps wet-feeding could be employed to help the children of working mothers such as Anna. The combination of bottlefeeding, inadequate education, mixed feeding practices, unequal land inheritance, shame, and lack of medical attention serves individually as causes for child malnutrition. While illustrating her points clearly with true life examples, her jumping back and forth through time often makes the book hard to follow. Effects of Christian beliefs on procreation and breastfeeding practices are known, along with how the missions practiced. However; this is a root cause of forcing women into the workforce, and would be beneficial if the system did transform over time. There is no simple explanation as to the cause of Roberto’s malnourishment and consequent death. A consequence of such behaviour would be directed by superstition which would imply that kwashiorkor developed because the ancestors were made angry by her sexual impropriety – it would be deemed the cause of her child’!

s malnutrition. How NURU failed is explained, along with how other programs and learning stemmed from its presence.

Approximate Word count = 2939
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)

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