A Grain of Wheat by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is a powerful novel set in Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising and its lead-up to independence (Uhuru), exploring themes of betrayal, sacrifice, heroism, and the complex moral landscape of decolonization through intertwined stories of villagers, particularly the haunted hero Mugo and the devoted Mumbi, revealing that true freedom involves confronting personal truths and collective responsibility. The book uses the microcosm of a village to examine the deep human cost and ethical dilemmas of political upheaval, culminating in a symbolic confession on independence day that shatters illusions and demands truth for a new nation