Dare to Defy captures the efforts of an individual in Africa as he breaks the constraints of ethnic traditions and carves a path for himself in a fast-changing world. Told in a detailed, humorous and captivating manner, the memoir traces the life of Shompole Ole Leroka as he moves from a pastoralist base by the Shompole Hills on the Kenya-Tanzania border, to Kiserian, a fast-urbanizing setting in independent Kenya. It is a story about relationships, betrayal, love, education, diligence and ambition; an engaging narrative of the pleasure of parenthood, the joys of community life, the value of land, the making of a nation and the effects of globalization on individuals and on the Maasai community.