Walking the Bowl

A True Story of Murder and Survival Among the Street Children of Lusaka

By: Chris Lockhart, Daniel Mulilo Chama

Narrated by: Hlonela Ngqwebo

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

For readers of Behind the Beautiful Forevers and Nothing to Envy, this is a breathtaking real-life story of four street children in contemporary Zambia whose lives are drawn together and forever altered by the mysterious murder of a fellow street child.

Based on years of investigative reporting and unprecedented fieldwork, Walking the Bowl immerses readers in the daily lives of four unforgettable characters: Lusabilo, a determined waste picker; Kapula, a burned-out brothel worker; Moonga, a former rock crusher turned beggar; and Timo, an ambitious gang leader. These children navigate the violent and poverty-stricken underworld of Lusaka, one of Africa’s fastest growing cities.

When the dead body of a ten-year-old boy is discovered under a heap of garbage in Lusaka’s largest landfill, a murder investigation quickly heats up due to the influence of the victim’s mother and her far-reaching political connections. The children’s lives become more closely intertwined as each child engages in a desperate bid for survival against forces they could never have imagined.

Gripping and fast-paced, the book exposes the perilous aspects of street life through the eyes of the children who survive, endure and dream there, and what emerges is an ultimately hopeful story about human kindness and how one small good deed, passed on to others, can make a difference in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Chris Lockhart, Daniel Mulilo Chama (P)2022 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

Wonderful book; Excellent narrator

This was a beautifully written story based on years of research and experience by a team working in Lusaka. The characters are incredibly compelling, the plot draws you in and the prose is beautiful. I loved the narrator's style and voice. At first I wondered if the accent would prove distracting to me, but his beautiful voice and cadence carries you along in the story and his accent serves to place you firmly in the setting. Highly recommend!

Heartbreaking but with a dash of hope

I bought this book because i had an intuition about how different the lives of street children in Zambia would be from suburban America. Those differences were stark - even having listened to stories of others growing up in poverty (like Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime) didn’t prepare me for it.

Even so, the children keep on living. Despite the system crushing them and the (almost) absence of hope. I found myself still listening to find out what happened each of the several street youth characters, even the anti-heroes.

Docked points on the performance because the narrator volume came out pretty uneven - I had to keep cranking the car stereo up and down to hear properly.

Gripping and Informative

This book uses the narrative of a murder among street children to cast a light on the plight of children in quickly mushrooming African urban areas. It is most powerful as a window on the systemic exploitation rife in the world and the feble response of NGOs and governments. Walking the Bowl is a bit less satisfying as art being heavy-handed at times as obvious themes are driven home repeatedly. Over all this was an enjoyable read by a skilled narrator.

Heartbreaking, Unforgettable, Stumning

This most incredible piece of literary journalism I have ever read. Despite all the darkness and evil in this book, the beauty of kindness looms larger. Having lived in South Africa, I am overwhelmed by the raw honesty of this story. To those who wrote it, to those who walked the bowl, I am forever in awe of you.

Amazing.

Heartbreaking and also very bittersweet. I enjoyed the storytelling in the book so much. I highly recommend this for anyone. Even when it seems all hope is lost there is always a bit hope. Just such a wonderful story of hope and kindness in the midst of darkness and despair.

Highly Recommend

Such an emotional story… wow. So glad that I took time to listen to this.

Wow

What an exceptional story. Better than fiction. Also, this book was so well-written. I was very impressed by the writer’s ability to describe a situation with such perfect and poetic words. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this.

Beautiful story and beautifully narrated

A story of hardship and misfortune and the small acts of kindness that can make all the difference to those who need hope. It was reminiscent of Slum Dog Millionaire with its emotional gut punches, yet somehow still able to leave you with a feeling of hope. Highly recommended.

Walking the Bowl

The world has something like 100 million street children. This is the true story of one city and a few of those children. It's pretty horrible what goes on with the rape and violence. Older children are predators of younger kids, who then grow up and repeat the cycle. There are gangs. Glue sniffing. Forced prostitution of young boys. It's a trip through hell really. It makes Lord of the Flies seem civilized. But this is true. The main story concerns the hunt for the killer of a street boy. Normally this would go unnoticed, but the deceased was the bastard son of a famous prostitute and she wants answers from the police who pressure one kid to get answers, or take the blame himself. He goes on a journey through the underworld (literally) encountering a wide variety of people and situations as he gathers leads and clues to the identity of the killer. It has novelistic qualities if you can stomach the indignities and horrors. It's more than a thriller though, it has a lesson about treating others humanely. That's what the cryptic title means, left for the reader to discover.

Amazing. Horrifying. But true.

I worked on oil rigs and lived in Africa for two years in the 1970's. Being a white American I never got familiar with the lives of the beggars that I saw on the streets. But I saw enough to believe every word of this amazing and horrifying true story...... It took me a few minutes to get used to the African reader, but it added to the authenticity.