Only the Mountains Do Not Move

Review
By Publishers Weekly

Reynolds’s compelling portrait of Maasai culture centers on the Il Ngwesi tribe in Kenya. Through straightforward descriptions (“The Maasai do not count their animals. They know each one by sight”) and large, color photographs, readers learn intimate details of the Il Ngwesi people—for example, that they sleep on wooden beds covered in animal skins, and that all members of the tribe, including children, have chores to do before playing games or making brightly beaded jewelry. Reynolds discusses the Maasai’s dependence upon their animals and the effects of climate change and restricted land use on their way of life. A thought-provoking look at a culture that is peaceful and industrious, and which holds onto tradition while facing the future.