Two cultures converge at the crossroads of independent and modernizing Kenya where a burgeoning population must find a means of sustaining itself. Employing African bee colonies as metaphor, The African Queen weaves together themes of women's issues, medical care, politics, and biology. Author Richard Godfrey's personal journey traces the evolution of Matibabu, a clinic and hospital in rural Kenya, as well as the role of three matriarchal individuals who define the emerging role of women in a new frontier: Mama Sara Obama (Barack Obama's Kenyan grandmother); Mary Onyango (Director of Kenya's Breast Advocacy Programme); and Wangari Maathai (Nobel laureate and Kenyan female rights activist and politician). Combining his personal encounters with the honeybee, modern medicine, and the Kenyan community, Godfrey's detailed, first-hand account of these African queen bees so-to-speak sheds light not only on the struggle to provide healthcare in a rapidly changing continent, but more importantly on the eusocial behavior among Africans and Americans alike that drives both cultures to expand the horizons of their interdependence and mutual respect.