Africa Books

Ms. Ford has courageously put a face on the shameful epedemic and barbarian act of child abuse and AIDs ignorance around the World and specifically South Africa. This is an intimate and eloquent chronicle of how Ms. Ford and her daughter Vyanna's life intersected at precisely the right moment when the world needs to hear God..

This story gives us a glimpse of what happens when we open our hearts, excercise our faith and believe that, all of us, must take responsibility for the children.

African American, globetrotter, midwife, activist, scholar, feminist, author, mother, Claudia J. Ford is an extraordinary woman who has lived many places in the world while honing her expertise of issues of international development while raising three sons. On December 2, 2001, in a ghetto porn theatre in Johannesburg, a five-month-old girl was sexually violated -- gang raped and left for dead. Within two weeks of this incredible assault, little Vyanna would find herself in the care of Claudia Ford. In Why Do I Scream At God For The Rape Of Babies? Claudia candidly addresses an horrific reality. In South Africa more than 15 percent of all reported rapes are against children under the age of eleven. 26 percent are against children ages twelve through seventeen. In the year 2000, fifty-eight children a day were raped or the victims of attempted rape. This seminal, ground breaking memoir is a testament woven of journal entries, poems, epigrams, letters, and even portions of scholarly papers, and is specifically intended to lift the veil of silence and secrecy on this widespread atrocity. Why Do I Scream At God For The Rape Of Babies? embraces the power of love, courage, faith, and hope to change the world into something better for the sake of future generations. Would there were more autobiography voices against other such social injustices in the modern world.

How can we live in a sophisticated high tech world where desperate ignorant men rape babies to rid themselves of AIDS, addicted and abused women allow their babies to be brutalized, and governments play games with HIV/AIDS statistics to make sure tourism is not undermined in their country? When I finshed the book and wiped my tears, I too felt angry and wanted to scream. This poignant journey of one strong woman and one strong-willed woman-child changes the screams of anger into shouts of victory. Ford embodies the strength that we all need to make changes in our "sophisticated" societies ... we can each stop screaming and start doing something about the challenges we see every day. Ford did that. A powerful book from a powerful spirit.

This book is engaging, moving and unforgettable. It will toll in your heart like a bell.
The reader begins a journey with Ford at her first meeting with the baby, a survivor of rape at five months old. Ford asks us how the world became complacent, how we lost feeling, lost compassion, and then takes the reader by the hand, and says "walk with me" and we begin to regain our senses. Through the clarity of her writing we allowed into Ford's tears, her grappling, her powerful mother's love and her struggle for solutions. Our Compassion is restored. This book will change you forever.

The story, part of ancient Nigerian lore, is an intriguing one, providing insight into non-Western folktales. However, it is the illustrations that truly make this book. They are stunning in their vibrancy. My toddler son really enjoys this book and I love reading it to him.

Buy this book for the illustrations. They're spectacular. You'll want to frame each one and hang them on your wall. Of just leave it on your coffee table for people to ohh and ahh over.
For anyone who can't afford an original Carla Golembe -- she's a famous artist who exhibts in Mass. and Maryland -- this is the next best thing.

I find myself struggling to get my daughter to eat foods good for her body and read books good for her mind. This book accomplished what I wanted -- it teaches about a different culture, taking care of the environment, and how greed leads to punishment. It did this with an entertaining story and beautiful pictures, fully deserving it's prominent place on my daughter's bookshelf.

Why the sky is far away is a great story that teaches important ecological and moral values in a fun way. The illustrations are amazing and the story is delightful.

I thought this was a great book. This type of trip is what a lot of us dream about, but would never have the nerve to do. After reading it, I realized how difficult a trip like this would be for the average person to do. The boarder crossings were especially scary. They were indeed very brave to undertake this but at the same time the feeling came across of how much they enjoyed it and learned much from it. I especially thought the epilogue was interesting when Richard reflected back on what little necessities a person really needs to exist and be happy. I also visited their web site as suggested in the book where many photographs are posted, which brought the people that much closer.

The book starts in San Diego and whisks you off at the speed of a VW van to Mexico and Africa. The best part of the book is the honesty of Richard Ligato. He doesn't make you think its an easy trip, in fact, he and his wife Amanda have to overcome all kinds of obstacles. However, he remains very reflective and humbled by the whole experience. This book really draws you in to their world. A great read for anyone interested in traveling outside of the US. Lots of interesting facts and bits of trivia too.

This book is great! I couldnt put it down. Takes the reader along on the adventure and shares unique cultural insights. Truly an amazing acomplishment, both the trip and the book.I hope the Authors write another soon.

A truly fun adventure in which the reader experiences life on the open road, exploring new countries and cultures, and gets a taste of what it would be like to live a more simple life.

Informative, fun, and inspiring!

The Ligatos have accomplished a goal that most of us only dream of. Their 3-year adventure is both heartwarming and nail-biting. They tell their stories with such clarity and passion that you can't help but get wrapped up in their adventures.

Being totally non-mechanical, I was fascinated with their tales of keeping their old VW running -- but they met such wonderful characters because it, that it wouldn't have been half as much fun in a more modern cruiser!

This book is a must read for anyone who has ever dreamed of just taking off and letting life happen. A truly great read.

An excellent book, well worth reading and very interesting. My only criticism being that is was a bit long. It would have been twice as good if half as long.

This is an excellent book that despite it's grammatical flaws, and occasional superfluous details give the reader what so few books attempt to do these days: an honest personal account that does not bow to anyone else interpretation of events. Say what you will about Grp. Cpt. Petter-Bowyer, but the man has brains and guts and is doing his darn'dest to present the reader with the view of things as he honestly, truly honestly, saw them! So few people have that kind of integrity these days and one should feel very lucky to have had the chance to read this mans words. It's a rare thing for someone to "say what they mean, and mean what they say." This book does just that.

In addition to being a very through account of operations that the Rhodesian Air Force participated in, Grp. Cpt. Petter-Bowyer clues the reader into many other aspects of the Rhodesian Bush War that may have previously puzzled readers of other books on subject.

The author has a gift for anticipating small, yet critical, pieces of information that a reader might think in his or her mind as they are reading this book; low-and-behold, he will answer these very questions just a few sentences after they pop into your mind. I can not say enough about how thoughtful this mans writing style is; I've never seen it's like in print before.

I have read many books on Rhodesia, however, after reading this one; I feel that it should have been my first on the subject. The attention to detail and logical progression displayed within these pages is "THAT" crucial to a well-rounded understanding of what was happening in Rhodesia and to some extent, why. I enjoyed this book immensely (although by standard printing and publishing formats it's really over 1,000 pages in length [rather than the 560 that this unusual format delivers it in], and a bit hard to finish in anything less than 2 weeks.) If you are fascinated by the unique story of Rhodesia--and like me want to learn something from these courageous people's raw-deal--then "Winds of Destruction" is mandatory reading material. I only wish that I could someday meet this amazing man named "PB." He is truly made of the "Right Stuff."

Gp Capt Petter-Bowyer's book is a highly-detailed account by someone who served from the Federal period through the demise of Rhodesia in 1980. Largely written from memory, the book is both technically detailed in its content with regards to the employment of Royal Rhodesian Air Force (RRAF)/Rhodesian Air Force (RhAF) assets against communist terrorists but is also a very personal book in its reflections on individuals. The RRAF was equipped for employment in the Commonwealth - hence the acquisition of Canberra bombers and Hunter fighters - and had an excellent relationship with the Royal Air Force. When Prime Minister Ian Smith was left with no option but to unilaterally declare independence, the British predicted the RRAF's planes would be grounded within weeks. Eighteen years later, they were still flying (and would continue to serve in the Air Force of Zimbabwe for several years past 1980). The inginuity of men like Petter-Bowyer led the RRAF/RhAF to modify their aircraft to suit new roles. They also acquired through convoluted means new aircraft to wage their own war against terrorism. Much of the work the men of the RhAF (and their Army counterparts) did, and the national determination of the Rhodesian people was no different to modern times and is a reminder to us of the dangers of wavering in the face of terror. Like many Rhodesians now living abroad, his heart is still in Africa, and his account of what has happened under Robert Mugabe is heart-wrenching.

Petter-Bowyer hurried through the production of this book because cancer was a serious threat to him then. He has since overcome those problems and is upgrading the book to include a full index and glossary - the two glaring faults of the book. Don't wait for a new edition; this is an excellent book that is a must-read for anyone interested in southern African history, in the Rhodesian War, or in the employment of small air forces in counter-insurgency warfare.

Peter Petter-Bowyer offers the world a unique airman's story of the Rhodesian Bush War. PB not only established and led the highly successful aerial reconnaissance effort but was not safisfied with it. Blessed with an enquiring, inventive mind, and without any engineering background, he not only improved the aircraft he flew but also invented a new range of weapons for them. He was and is also a well-loved and admired leader of men. He has provided us with an enthralling story.

These audio CD's are excellent. They have brought to the surface questions I had not fully formulated, and helped me to answer them. Very thought-provoking and potentially life-changing!

These tapes offer great wisdoms and insights from Sobonfu's heart. I found many answers to questions I had not even formulated. I now have many tools and techniques that I can use in my every day life that assist not only my connection to spirit but an honouring of my feminity. Sobonfu provides practical examples from her vast experiences as a woman, providing a platform of power for every woman. She shares the feminity that is universal, crossing difference and culture. As an initiated woman from the Dagara people of West Africa Sobonfu Some in these tapes offers women the opportunity to value her self, life and all her relationships. Changing our perspective and ability to create.

This audio CD is the most invaluable piece of information I have come across in a long time! I can listen while doing other things....I can use it for our sisters' group meetings.....family meetings.....brother meetings...for meditations....for elevation....to rise to the woman I know I am meant to be!

If you are woman.
If you are on a spiritual path of any sort.
If you wish to go deeper in your personal universe.
Then, this set is for you!
Sobonfu is fabulous.

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Western civilization has grudgingly recognized that homo sapiens evolved in Africa, within the last 40 years through the work of Richard and Louis Leakey and the discovery of the "Lucy" skelital evidence in Ethiopia.

However, Drusilla Huston's book copiously documents legends of of African culture before the dessication of the Sahara and the Egyto-Nubian desserts. She continued with ancient references to the ancient Kushite and Ethiopian civilizations and Kings refered to by Homer, Heroditus, Diodorus, Massey Champoleon and others to flesh out the stories of the Nubian, Nahesey, Napatan, Meroic, Alumic, Egyptian, Summarian and Ethiopean nations over 75 years ago.

It is therefore, a prophetic and profound example of pioneering African-American scholarship operating in a bleak and hostile environment over many decades. It's veracity is only enhanced and fortified with the passage of time and recent production of books such as "Black Athena" by Martin Bernal, "Civilization or Barbarism" by Cheik Anta Diop and the 1996 "African Exodus" by Chris Skinner and "Egypt Revisited" edited by Ivan Van Sertima and numerous others.

Wonderful Ethiopians of the Ancient Cushite Empire represents the crowning achievement of Ms. Drusilla Dunjee Houston. The work was originally published in Oklahoma City in 1926. It is the first known attempt by a Black woman, and perhaps anyone, to produce a multi-volume work on African history told from an African perspective.

Ms. Houston herself was an educator, journalist and historian. She spent most of her life in Oklahoma and Arizona and succumbed to tuberculosis in Phoenix, Arizona in 1941.

Her work is broad and comprehensive and was quite advanced for its time. Its audience was not confined to scholars but the layperson, particularly Black folk, who were in need of a accurate tonic to boost Black self-esteem. It retains a powerful value even today, more than seventy years since its initial publication.

This book explores the forgotten reality of human history from the source. Genuinely educating book.

Wonderful Ethiopians of the Ancient Cushite Empire represents the crowning achievement of Ms. Drusilla Dunjee Houston. The work was originally published in Oklahoma City in 1926. It is the first known attempt by a Black woman, and perhaps anyone, to produce a multi-volume work on African history told from an African perspective.

Ms. Houston herself was an educator, journalist and historian. She spent most of her life in Oklahoma and Arizona and succumbed to tuberculosis in Phoenix, Arizona in 1941.

Her work is broad and comprehensive and was quite advanced for its time. Its audience was not confined to scholars but the layperson, particularly Black folk, who were in need of a accurate tonic to boost Black self-esteem. It retains a powerful value even today, more than seventy years since its initial publication.

One of the many masterpieces within the Louvre is a huge and grim painting of a group of men abandoned on a raft in the middle of the sea, each in a pose of despair, or of the sliver of hope that a ship, seen as a tiny smudge on the ocean's horizon, might notice them. The famous painting, _The Raft of the Medusa_, is an 1819 version of what moviegoers now know as a disaster picture. It is the most famous artifact inspired by a real incident that had occurred three years before, the result of a shipwreck that had caught the imagination of the people of France and was a scandal that affected the restoration government of the time. The stories of the sailors, raft, and survivors have been told before, but Jonathan Miles in _The Wreck of the Medusa: The Most Famous Sea Disaster of the Nineteenth Century_ (Atlantic Monthly Press) has incorporated them into a larger tale of politics, painting, and propaganda. The disaster at sea is inherently fascinating, but it is finished in the first half of the book, the many strands of which Miles has made just as interesting and vital, if not so macabre.

The ship _Medusa_ was a French frigate in a convoy bound for the French colony Senegal, carrying Governor Schmaltz, the new leader for the colony and captained by Hugues Duroy de Chaumareys, was an old Royalist who was given his commission by the new king Louis XVIII, who with Napoleon in exile was trying to produce a unifying government. De Chaumareys was an incompetent seaman, and the _Medusa_ ran aground on bank west of the Sahara. To handle those fleeing the wreck who could not fit into the boats, the crew made a huge raft, lashing together spars and planks, and giving it a mast and sail. 147 people crowded on board the raft, which was tied to the ship's boats and was supposed to be towed by them as the whole conglomeration made for land. The raft was waterlogged and it held the boats back, so the governor gave the order that the tow rope be cut. For two appalling weeks, the diminishing crew experienced murders, suicides, delirium, hallucinations, mutiny, and cannibalism. The raft was eventually found by another ship in the _Medusa_'s convoy, with only fifteen men barely alive. One of the survivors was Alexandre Corréard, an engineer who went on to co-write the outstanding account of the disaster, along with political blaming for it. One of those susceptible to the romantic horror and the political barbs of the book was Théodore Géricault, who was inspired by the horrors of Corréard's story to depict the lamentable raft and its final crew. To help with research for the painting, he gathered body parts from the nearby morgue, and kept them within his studio. Corréard would come to the study and be unfazed by the stench and the gore, as it was a commemoration of an episode he had actually lived. Géricault painted his new friend into a key role in the painting, and among his other (living) models was also his friend Eugene Delacroix, who could not endure the body parts in the studio with Corréard's detachment.

Géricault produced a romantic, horrifying painting which was not a journalistic depiction of the actual events but an artistic exaggeration of them in many ways. Miles points out that the bodies are of classic musculature, not wasted away. There are too many of them in the picture, and the raft is too small. There are three black Africans in the painting, one given pride of place at a pinnacle as he tries to wave down the distant ship. Actually, only one black man was aboard; Miles examines the French attitude toward slavery at the time, and Géricault's use of these figures to make a statement upon it. The painting, completed in 1819 made Géricault's name, although not immediately. Critics objected, among other things, to its almost monochromatic use of sickly browns and greens. When it was viewed in London it caused a sensation, but it failed to sell. It was rolled up for storage, and the disappointed Géricault lived on only three more years, dying at age 32. He was emaciated and crippled by tuberculosis, and by debt and disappointment. His morbid fascination with his subject and his macabre way of producing his masterwork could almost be said to have made him yet another victim of the shipwreck. Miles's retelling of the story of the wreck and the abandoned raft is full of grisly thrills, but his account of its effects on Géricault and his art is of heart-wrenching humanity.

Anyone who has studied art history is probably already familiar with Gericault's famous painting of the Medusa. I was first introduced to the painting in high school and while I remembered that it was inspired by a true and politically important incident, I didn't really know much beyond that. This book explains the event in great detail, but in a way that is very readable and not at all tedious. It also provides an overview of Gericault's life, his experience of creating the painting and public reactions to it. So really, you get a lot out of this book: naval history, 19th century French political history, art history and it has enough depictions of humanity at its worst that one might even classify it as having "true crime" elements. Highly recommended.

I had the impression to step into the very fabric in the canvas of Gericault's celebrated masterpiece, knowing personally each of the painting's characters. Mile's storytelling is so vivid, down to the last historical detail, that I soon forgot Medusa is not a novel. Compelling, hypnotic, fascinating.

If you`ve been fortunate enough to visit Paris, there's a good chance you've gone to the Louvre. There you may have found yourself looking at a very large and very striking painting, The Raft of the Medusa, by Theodore Gericault.

The painting graphically portrays men dying, dead, and clinging to life on a raft at sea, while frantically signaling to a distant ship on the horizon in the hope of rescue. Was this painting based on a real incident? How did these men come to find themselves there? Why did Gericault paint this horrific work? How did the public react to it?

Jonathan Miles in his excellent new book, Medusa: The Shipwreck, The Scandal, The Masterpiece, answers with passion and wit these and more questions about the events that inspired this masterpiece. Compelling though the astonishing acts of heroism, savagery and villainy spawned by this horrific ship wreck are, they're only part of the story. The resulting scandal rippled through 19th Century French and British politics and society for many years.

Miles' work is an excellent piece of scholarship that is also a "ripping good yarn" of a wreck at sea and human survival at its rawest. It also a study of a cover-up and justice, both gained and tragically denied. In telling the story behind Gericault's memorable painting, Miles demonstrates how events can influence art, and how art in turn can influence events.

Whether you are a Historian, Art Historian or just someone looking for a good book that provides food for thought, Jonathan Miles' vivid account of the Medusa and its fate is well worth a read.

Zomo is a rabbit who is "clever" but wants "wisdom" so goes to SkyGod, who tells him he must do "three impossible things:" bring him "the scales of Big Fish in the sea, "the milk of Wild Cow" and "the tooth of leopard." Zomo tricks the fish into dancing to his drumbeat until his scales fall off, tricks the cow into ramming the palm tree until she's stuck so he can milk her (reminds me of Brer Rabbit and Sis Cow), and then trips the leopard on the slippery scales and milk to get the tooth. Unique, vividly colored illustrations accompany the simple story. I will say I don't quite get the ending where he earns wisdom, and all he does with it is run very fast (wasn't he doing that already?). Overall however, the illustrations and clever rabbit make a great story for my toddler.

With Zomo the Rabbit : A Trickster Tale from Africa, Gerald McDermott demonstrates again why he is our favorite when it comes to children's books. The tale is clever. The illustrations are spectacular, as always. McDermott's books are the favorites of my 7-year old, who reads them over and over again. My 2-year old also loves them.

Is there any higher praise an author/illustrator can receive than to hear a reviewer say, "Well, I never really loved anything else this person did, but I think this book is bloody brilliant"? Probably. But I for one feel that Gerald McDermott (who I've always respected but never felt any real affection for) really hit the nail on the head with this book. "Zomo" has the near impossible task of being both amusing and informative. So many African folktales relayed in children's picture books end up being a little dry and dated. For example, the book "Zomo" most resembles in plot is, "A Story, A Story" by G. Haley. Yet that book is a dour dull creation when compared to this amazing little concoction. This is a book that every child should read at least once in their lives.

As you open the book you see a clever little rabbit all decked out in kinte cloth. The text reads, "Zomo! Zomo the rabbit. He is not big. He is not strong. But he is very clever". When Zomo decides that being clever is not enough and that he wants wisdom as well he quickly requests it from the Sky God. To attain wisdom's secrets, the Sky God commands Zomo to fetch him the scales of Big Fish of the sea, the milk of Wild Cow, and the tooth of Leopard. Zomo immediately sets out to fulfill these tasks. For the fish he plays a catchy tune on his drum, so entrancing the sea dwelling creature that it dances its scales off. The Wild Cow is lured into a tree and, while stuck, Zomo milks it. As for Leopard, some of the slippery scales dropped into slippery milk cause the feline to slip and knock out a tooth. When Zomo presents these items to the Sky God he is instantly told that wisdom consists of courage, good sense, and caution. Zomo has thus far had the first two, but now with three new enemies he should exercise the last for a while.

I think what I loved best about this book was Zomo himself. This is a remarkable thing too. Too often the cocky hero of a tale (especially a trickster tale) is too brash and self-important to garner any real love from the reader. But Zomo's different. He's sprightly and a joy to follow. From the geometric patterns of his face to the energetic dancing of his little black furry feet, he's a pure pleasure to watch. The illustrations themselves are so bright and cheery it puts such similarly colorful stories like, "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" to shame. But best of all is the narration. I've given you the first sentence of the book, but the rest reads just as well. It's catchy and delightfully placed upon each and every page.

Some books you pick up and groan when your kids want you to read them forty or fifty times in a row. Other books you wish they'd ask you sixty or seventy times more. "Zomo" is in the latter category. A fun filled romp with a delightful West African base, the book is one of the best I've ever had the pleasure to peruse. Highly recommended from here to the sky and back.

One of the universal figures in mythology is the trickster, from Hermes of classical mythology to Iktomi of the Indians of the American plains. Zomo the Rabbit is an example of an animal trickster and is often at the center of many of the traditional tales of West Africa, while other cultures tell similar stories about the Spider and the Tortoise using guile and trickery to outwit their larger foes.

In "Zomo the Rabbit: A Trickster Tale from West Africa" Gerald McDermott knows that he is clever but wishes to acquire wisdom. But before he can earn wisdom the Sky God gives him three impossible tasks and requires Zomo to bring him the scales of Big Fish in the sea, the milk of Wild Cow, and the tooth of Leopard. The question is whether Zomo's cleverness can make up for the fact that the is not big and he is not strong. Well, of course, he can, but that does not necessarily mean that gaining wisdom will make his life any easier out in the jungle.

McDermott's colorful artwork is influenced by African designs and he tells the tale with simple, rhythmic language that will appeal to the youngest of readers. The author and illustrator has been studying the trickster motif in folklore and mythology for some time, having earned a Caldecott Honor for "Anansi the Spider," another tale from Africa. "Zomo the Rabbit" will obviously remind many young readers of another rascally rabbit, which will help establish the idea that the trickster has been around for a long time in many different, but similar, guises.

I read & collect everything I can find on hunting in Africa. I rate this as one of the best of the modern books on the subject.

It is beautifully illustrated, nicely bound, and well-written - it is hard to believe an officer actually wrote this! (Tongue-in-cheek here.) It is both informative and entertaining.

I hope it is a great seller for Donarski and for Stackpole. It is good to see them putting out a book like this.

I'm not a big-game hunter and am not interested in becoming one, but I knew I would love this book when I read an excerpt in Sports Afield. Hunters will find much to admire in it, but it is about much more than hunting. The author proves himself an amiable, enthusiastic, reliable, and knowledgeable companion as he blends his compelling stories with a great deal of useful information about traveling to and within Africa. He manages to do it all with skillful literary touches and enough light-hearted moments to keep a reader chuckling. And he never blows smoke up your skirt. This is the straight dope -- and it conjures up the sights, sounds, and smells of one of the planet's most magical places.

David Graham of the Flint Journal was the critic who recommended this book. He said it brought back the verve and honor to the safari genre. He couldn't have been more correct.

This book is not just for hunters-- it is for anyone looking for an adventure tale that occurs in real time. Sure, there's good stuff for travelers to Africa to know, but the meat of this book is the journey. It is simply very well done.

Oh, the photography is stunning. It should have been a coffee table book simply for the quality of the photos.

Africa veterans will remember their first trip with smiles and tears, Africa virgins will have their dreams burn all the brighter.

ABOUT BLADY is a touching book about life and death. It inspired this poem which I hope will suffice as a reveiw.

HE DIED OF CANCER HE WAS 68 HE DIED OF CANCER HE WAS 36 HE DIED OF CANCER HE WAS 24

LATTER RAINS come sparking on a comet's tail out of control

strike a silent blow to grow in him out of sight coming in visionary midnight dreams

frightening misunderstood meaning clear in afterthought

after ravaged body nears end of capability felt end of being

Pain no pills can erase subdued by chords of Beethoven passages of Mozart

Sunshine overshadowed by death clouds a peaceful finale echoes through stainglass windows to silence

ABOUT BLADY is a touching book about life and death. It inspired this poem which I hope will suffice as a reveiw.

HE DIED OF CANCER HE WAS 68 HE DIED OF CANCER HE WAS 36 HE DIED OF CANCER HE WAS 24

LATTER RAINS come sparking on a comet's tail out of control

strike a silent blow to grow in him out of sight coming in visionary midnight dreams

frightening misunderstood meaning clear in afterthought

after ravaged body nears end of capability felt end of being

Pain no pills can erase subdued by chords of Beethoven passages of Mozart

Sunshine overshadowed by death clouds a peaceful finale echoes through stainglass windows to silence

Laurens van der Post gives us glimpses into various parts of his life, and finally bears down on the subject of the title of this book, a mare called Blady, spotted in a field by a young horsewoman of Argentine origins in Spain, purchased on the spot, and trained and ridden by her against against the greatest rider in all of Spain. Van der Post writes the story with great affection for the for the young woman and her mare. Many insights are given into the complex interrealtions and customs of the Spanish, none more interesting than Laurens' reflections on the meaning and symbolism of the bullfight.