The General and I: A Memoir by Helen Pilale Nkaisserry is a welcome, deserving and long overdue addition to the nascent genre in Kenya's literary landscape. It offers a profound look at Joseph Kasaine Nkaisserry, the herds boy, student, Maasai moran, family man, military general, opposition politician and minister.

Writing or talking about a loved one's passing is a cathartic process that also helps in healing, albeit in a way that allows one to share inner private thoughts with total strangers. The author skillfully and concisely chronicles her husband's rise to the top echelon, his successes and challenges he faced.

Helen Pilale Nkaisserry also tells the story of her life as a young girl in rural Kenya, her achievements and challenges as a pupil, life in boarding school, teaching career, military wife, farmer, entrepreneur and astute community grassroots mobiliser, who oversaw the successful implementation of income generating projects for women in Kajiado County.