South Africa Books

Wow, what a story! This light little book packs quite a punch. Carol's account is uplifting, exhilarating and sprinkled with enough humor that this serious story does not weigh you down.

Reading about Carol's journey from The Big Apple to rural South Africa is almost like being on the voyage yourself. The sights and smells and sounds described are vivid, yet the detail is never overbearing.

Self-reflection. Seizing the moment. Challenging yourself to the farthest reaches of imagination. Being outside your comfort zone. Achievement. Sadness. Happiness. Fear and overcoming it. Seeing people without prejudice. - - - All of that and more will be found in these pages.

South Africa was far removed from everything businesswoman executive Carol Batrus knew: so what led her to move from her high-powered, successful job on Wall Street to the heart of Zululand to help the tribe's economic development? WHEN ELEPHANTS FLY: ONE WOMAN'S JOURNEY FROM WALL STREET TO ZULULAND is a moving memoir of her journey, which was to help the tribe economically without destroying the environment. Her decision and journey is inspiring and provides plenty of insights into South African and local environmental issues.

This book is an inspiration! I am an inveterate reader of travel literature. When I saw this book in my local independent book dealer I was intrigued by the subtitle--One womans journey from Wall street to Zululand!~ Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. Carol is a marvelous story teller and her honesty and transparency are thoroughly disarming. She lets the reader into her life and into daily life in Zululand.
I learned so much that I decided to adopt it as a supplementary text in my University level class in the business school. Students need to learn that they can do well by doing good and that they can, as Carol Batrus does so graciously, overcome life's challenges. When I came the end of the book, I did not want it to end--so I read the acknowledgements page. There I discovered the name of a former student and colleague--who I immediately wrote and asked her to put me in touch with the author.
A few month's later Carol Batrus came and spoke with my class at the University and I discovered that she is as charming in life as in her book!

Carol Batrus captures the flavor of finding oneself in the oft difficult world of 20th and 21st Century America through living in Africa. By way of her travails she discovers,in no particular order, life, herself, a whole new culture, and a myriad of friends that make life as fulfilling as could be for one who persues it. Uplifting and inspriational. A terrific read.

This book will be of interest to anyone going to a Third World Country. Whether one is a casual traveler or an NGO professional, Carol Batrus' experiences become lessons that will make the journey more effective. She shows that the steps needed to accomplish organizational priorities remain similar in large companies, family life, or in the bush. If her entertaining prose is motivational, you will be glad that she went first.

Having spent my teenage years in Mozambique during the 1950s, I've always felt a strong affinity for Mozambique and its people. I read Finnegan's book with a heavy heart, finally piecing together the puzzle of what has become of the, "Terra de boa gente", the land of the good people. Finnegan's book is amazingly sensitive and intelligent. This is a book built on a foundation of deep insight, patience and great scholarship. Through Finnegan's incisive reporting, I was transported back to this "harrowed" land down to the smell of the wood fires. Not having been in Mozambique since 1968, Finnegan re-kindled my interest and wish to re-visit this challenged land and to see it again for myself.

This is a great introductory book to understanding the war in Mozambique from independence until 1992. This would be the first book that I would recommend anyone wanting to know about the history behind current events not only in Mozambique, but in Southern Africa in general. Finnegan divided the war into sections based on the provinces of Mozambique, and then told the unique story relative to each region and how the war was influenced by Mozambicans and its neighbors. If anyone is interested in further reading on Mozambique and/or Southern Africa, the bibliography in the back of this book is exceptional. Most highly recommended!

I bought this book before a trip to Mozambique in the summer of 2000. I found it very hard to find books about the country. I found this to be the most complete book as far as giving me a big picture of what the people had been through in recent years. The book has many anecdotes to show the typical western reader just how different life is in Mozambique. I found that the sense of poverty as well as generosity and warmth that the author communicated was verified by my own experience. It is the stories of the everyday person in the book that are so wonderful. Stories of the joy of children upon recieving a gift of a pen or the desire of young man for a pair of shoes.

The Mozambicans are amazing people. I apprciated them even more because I had read this this book. I was filled with wonder at the total complete wonderful humanity I encountered given the populations truly horrible experience of war.

I bought this book before a trip to Mozambique in the summer of 2000. It was very hard to find books about the country. I ended up coming to Amazon and jsut doing a search. This was one of the books I bought sight unseen. It turned out to be the best. It was the most complete book as far as giving me a big picture of what the people had been through in recent years. The book has many anecdotes to show the typical western reader just how different life is in Mozambique. I found that the sense of poverty as well as generosity and warmth that the author communicated was verified by my own experience. It is the stories of the everyday person in the book that are so wonderful. Stories of the joy of children upon recieving a gift of a pen or the desire of young man for a pair of shoes.

The Mozambicans are amazing people. I apprciated them even more because I had read this this book. I was filled with wonder at the total complete wonderful humanity I encountered given the populations truly horrible experience of war.

This is a lively and well written book which deals with the period of civil war in Mozambique. It was completed and published just before the conclusion of a successful peace process and so provides a particularly clear and powerful view of recent history.It is based on the author's travels within country during the war period and includes extensive interviews. The people he talked and worked with emerge as very vivid and lively characters. The support of the rebels by Rhodesia and South Africa, and the reasons for that support, are well described. A must read for anyone going to work in Mz, strongly recommended for the serious traveler as well.

I've read all this author's works published in this country, and found them to be consistently top notch. In this book, he carries three plot lines through it dealing with complicated people that you find sympathetic. The author uses them to deal with major issues such as prostitution, alcoholism, and unsympathetic bureaucracy, as well as looking at some social issues mentioned in previous reviews. When the plot lines are meshed, it's done in an understandable and logical fashion leading to a satisfactory ending. The book is an exciting read. The protagonists are imperfect people with their own demons with whom they struggle. It is recommended highly and especially to those who wish to explore this South African's very original novels.

Deon Meyer's novel, Devil's Peak, is a complex, yet exciting tale of African espionage. The author has created a cast of characters so diverse, you will have quite a time keeping up with each of them. Yet, I wanted to know more about them as my fingers turned page by page.

There is the prostitute who visits a clergyman with a secret carton. Then a man, a modern-day vigilante, is seeking justice for the death of his adopted son. On his trail is an alcoholic detective inspector who risks his wife and children for the love of the bottle. That is just a few of the people who make the novel so compelling.

Out of all of their stories, Thobela Mpayipheli's is the one that kept me reading the book from start to finish. Here was a man who married the woman he loved and adopted her son as his. When she dies, he is left to raise the child, which he does with joy and determination. Then a fateful stop at a filing station changes Thobela's life forever. It sends him on a mission to send every criminal he encounters to a brutal and traumatic end. He is on a search for two men in particular who he has to exact a revenge that only their deaths can satisfy. Yet, he then realizes that his journey entails more than that.

There are AIDS-infected men who are raping children in an ill attempt to rid themselves of the disease. When the court refuses to condemn them to prison, Thobela decides to take matters into his own hands.

The author designs his characters in a way that their lives are all somehow entwined. This means that you must stay on your toes in order to follow the storyline. Yet, I found Devil's Peak to be an interesting and exciting read. I realize that Thobela Mpayipheli is my new hero and the man of my dreams.

Armchair Interviews says: Most interesting storyline.

Three very flawed but sympathetic characters populate this novel. There is Thobela Mpayipheli, a Black South African who was trained as an assassin by the East German secret police. Then there is Benny Griessel, alcoholic detective. And lastly, Christine van Rooyen, a prostitute with a three-year-old daughter. Somehow, their lives intertwine in a gripping story which keeps the reader off-balance all the way.

Initially, Thobela is introduced as a farmer who recently lost his wife, leaving him with a young boy who he loves very much. The boy is shot dead during an armed robbery, setting off a chain of events which leads Thobela to act as an avenging vigilante against abusers of children. Benny, once (and possibly even in his present continual alcoholic haze) a superior detective, is kicked out of his home by his long-suffering wife with the admonishment that he might be permitted to return if he stays sober for six months. Meanwhile, he is placed in charge of two important cases, including the serial killer of abused children. Christine's story alternates with the other two as she sits confessing to a priest. Her tale plays a pivotal role in the lives of the other two.

This is the author's fourth novel, each superior reading. His complex stories and descriptions of South Africa are exceptional, his characters unusual and graphic, his works top-notch. Like his previous efforts, Devil's Peak is highly recommended.

If someone had asked me if I wanted to read a "cop" story that takes place in South Africa, I may have "passed" on it. What a loss that would have been! This is one the best I've ever read.

First book I've read by this author and I will be reading them all. Action is fast paced and you have to put the book down and take a respite. Not for the faint of heart. When's the movie coming out will automatically be the question once you have finished this book. Principal character, Griesell, rivals Ian Rankin's Rebus. An alcoholic detective, an avenging former Stasi trained African freedom fighter taking out his wrath on pedophiles, a beautiful call girl, and a Colombian drug lord all come together in a very well crafted suspense yarn. Through the book you are aware or suspect that things are not as they seem and the author jumbles the present with the past and the future but there is no confusion, only clarity. Meyer keeps you guessing until the very end.

Today I'm back--rebuying this book in hopes of reliving some of the experience it produced 20+ years ago when I read it on a transatlantic flight. Everyone around me was solemnly absorbed in tearjerker movie while I was convulsed to tears of laughter in their midst.

When I realized Indecent Exposure was a sequel to Riotous Assembly I raced from the airport to the bookstore and ordered that one too. It was no disappointment. That came when I voraciously bought nearly every other novel Tom Sharpe wrote and found none of his other works even came close to his 2 South Africa novels.

Small wonder that oppressive regime expelled him. I ought to mention that however slapstick funny this has been described to you (and it is!) it is not an appropriate gift for your 12-year-old niece. The uproarious misanthropy is midnight black and as politically incorrect for many Americans as it was subversive for South African censors.

Hilarious, extremely funny. This is one of the fiction works that have made me laugh more in my life, including films, comics, or whatever.
I read this book after discovering Sharpe trough Wilt' s saga. One tip: read the african novels first! I have read almost all the books from Sharpe, and I think the two south-african satiras are the best, specially Indecent Exposure.

Tom Sharpe's novels, always popular in Britain, are known for being rude spoofs on the political establishment and of the upper echelons of British society. However his earliest works, as in 'Indecent Exposure', the setting is apartheid-era South Africa. His humour is still very baudy, perhaps repetitively so, and his target are the hypocritical, racist white establishment. Some of the language is a bit vulgar, and I imagine some folks might be offended. But Sharpe hits the bulls-eye on his target: the squabbling, pretentious and myoptic white (English/Afrikaan) establishment.

As for the story? Well, it somewhat doesn't matter. Some nonsense about a rural town's police force trying to fight (imagined) communist insurgents using some rather ridiculous means. It's all very slapstick, farcical. Enjoy the book for its now dated (historical) view of South Africa, not for its paper thin story.

Bottom line: a very curious and funny piece of Sharpe's earlier works. Certainly not his best, but he delivers the laughs.

This book must be one of the funniest I've ever read. My girlfrind threw me out of bed at four in the morning because I'd apparently been laughing in my sleep after having read the book. The best thing about any of Tom Sharpe's books is that you can read them again and again and still laugh all over again! Superb!

What more can I say? Go read it! I read it about 12 years ago or more. It was fantastic. I read it at least once every 2-3 yrs after that and it has never failed to make me laugh again and again. Though Apartheid is dead, the humor is still valid worldwide. Read it as satire or just for its humour. Either way, you'll love it. By the way, dont be put off that its British and thus a bit heavy in the reading department. Its not. Its a great read and you could easily finish reading it in one day unless, of course, you fall off your chair or bed and injure yourself laughing. Believe me, I'm not exaggerating.

Once you start reading, you cannot put this book down. This book is truly a way for people to visit Africa spiritually and experience another culture. Blacklaws' rich and detailed imagery takes readers on a journey of their own; this is probably why Chris Martin the singer of Coldplay said the book was so colourful. To truly enjoy the adventure u must read it with an open mind.

the african setting is poignant, evocative, romantic -- but the author's vocabulary and use of language raises this book to high levels of literary enjoyment...sort of like dylan thomas in its lyricism and poetic achievements...

This beautifully-written book is full of rich characters and convincing settings, but what makes this book special is the story. The protagonist of this coming-of-age tale (set in the South Africa of 1976) must wrestle with deep and painful problems under adverse circumstances. The ending is a stunner. I reread it within weeks of first reading it. Best book I've read in a long time.

Karoo Boy is an ambitious novel, in the sense that it tackles the really big themes that even angels (and definitely first-time novelists) approach with cautious tread: living in apartheid South Africa, growing up to consciousness, love and the loss of it, guilt and death. And yet Troy Blacklaws manages to tame these wild things, and bring them to rest in a compact novel, with a handful of well-drawn characters, surrounded by the vast impersonal canvas of the Karoo.

He is sensitive to the minutiae that make up a life, and he describes these in spare prose that paradoxically becomes lyrical in the repetition of the rhymes: "I paddle out through the ice-tea surf. The rising sun glints in the empty windows of the weekend train to Cape Town. I stand on a borrowed board. No flicks or tricks. The wave barrels. For a moment, I glide. Then the wave tumbles me. I fight it instead of going with it. Have I forgotten everything? I even forgot to dogleash the board to my foot. As I surface I hear the crack of the board on the rock. I wade up out of the water, feeling ashamed."

Karoo Boy is not only a welcome addition to the body of fiction now written by thirty-something South Africans, relating their experiences as teenagers during the unholy hey-day of apartheid. It is also a bloody good story, and it is well told.

"My mother's cry is a sky full of gaping-beaked seagulls." On the Cape in South Africa in 1976, Dee's twin brother is killed in an accident, struck in the head by a ball while playing cricket; the twin loses the other half of himself, his anchor. His mother can't forgive her husband, who threw the ball, determined to make him suffer for the tragedy. The small family unravels after Marsden's death, the parents drifting away from each other in their grief. In Cape Town, "an un-African Africa, death catches the unsuspecting off guard, dealing the cruelest blow." Dee soon realizes that every time his father looks at him, he sees the boy he killed, a constant reminder of his identical twin.

When Dee's mother leaves the Cape for the more rural Klipdrop, south of the Free Orange State border, the white boy finds himself in unfamiliar territory, a Karoo boy. The Freedom Movement has already begun and is growing in momentum, crowds chanting, the authorities responding with violence, bulldozing the Crossroads shanty town. Apartheid has not yet been defeated. Curious about the township, the black shanty town not far removed from the white enclave, the bright-haired Dee wishes to make friends with the Xhosa boys. Dee's new friend, Marika, defies her father to visit the township with the boy. This precipitates a series of unfortunate events, all of which could have been avoided had the adolescents realized the inherent danger they brought along on their excursion.

Caught between his affection for an old garage man, a black appropriately named Moses, and his friendship with Marika, a white girl his age, Dee's wants are few, mainly to live without conflict in his new environment. Moses is a precious commodity, his willingness to make friends with the white boy putting him in constant danger of reprisal, while Marika is careless, impulsive. But Dee hasn't reckoned with the harsh lessons of apartheid. His young world already broken apart by the loss of his twin, Dee's coming-of-age is painful, a rude awakening for a boy of generous heart in an uneasy land. The author sensitively handles his protagonist, exposing the boy's vulnerabilities as he is transplanted from the relative security of Cape Town to the chaos of his new home, where a carefully constructed world is transformed almost overnight and a fourteen-year old boy passes the boundaries from child to man. Luan Gaines /2005.

I've been using this guide in Southern Africa for the last 6 years, and it's never let me down. Great book for those traveling to the region, but keep in mind that most guides at the wildlife parks will already have a copy, so you could save the weight and space in your luggage.

Have not actually been to southern Africa yet, but plan to do so next summer. I have been an avid birder for 3 decades, and it looks like the format of this book will be very useful for my trip.

this is the best bird guide for birds of the region. I have carefully looked over others on the market.

Excellent book with very good graphics and organization. Just what is needed to confirm your observations or identify your sightings.

Now in a fully revised eighth edition, Newman's Birds Of Southern Africa is a field guide to 125 species of Southern African birds illustrated throughout with realistic full-color artwork. Each species has an entry with a map indicating their distribution, their common and scientific name, a brief paragraph with a basic physical description and notes on distinguishing characteristics, and a gorgeous, realistic color illustration. A revised introduction teaches the reader step-by-step how to use the guide to quickly identify avian species, and a glossary, index and birdwatching checklist round out this first-class resource. A treat for bird lovers due to the top-quality artistry alone, as well as being a quintessential identification guide, Newman's Birds Of Southern Africa is enthusiastically recommended for amateur birdwatchers and professional biologists alike.

This book, written by a personw ith long standing attachment and interest int he Bushmen of the Kalahari is a good summary of what they were like in the l950's and how they have (beenforced) changed and moved into today south Africa and Bostwana.

An interesting and unique group of people, the Bushmen give links to what early human life was like. Ms Thomas does do a little interpreting about violence and drinking and gender roles, but it is plausible and interesting to reflect upon.

I first heard of the Bushmen through National Geographic's Genographic Project (Spencer Wells "The Journey of Man") which found genetic evidence suggesting Bushmen are one of the oldest, if not the oldest, peoples in the world--a "genetic Adam" from which all the worlds ethnic groups can ultimately trace genetic heritage. Within the face of a Bushmen one can see all the genetic expressions of the world (Asian eyes, African nose, Indian skin, etc..) So I was delighted when this new book appeared by bushmen expert Elizabeth Marshall Thomas who, along with her brother and parents, were one of the first westerners to live with and scientifically document the Bushmen in the 1950s (when Elizabeth was a teenager). Her parents and brother went on to become famous Bushmen experts and proponents in their own careers.

Older members of the Bushmen tribe were valued and respected for their wisdom, likewise Elizabeth is passing down her knowledge and experience for later generations. The Bushman way of life she saw in the 1950s, perhaps as old as 150,000 years, no longer exists - all it took was one generation and the long unbroken chain known as "The Old Way" has disappeared. It is the same sad story told the world over from Native Americans to Tibet to Eskimos. Yet Elizabeth reveals a deeper lesson, which is the "myth" that the Bushmen ever wanted it any other way - they want the comforts of modernization, just as we would prefer not to hunt and gather food each day. Bushmen want to travel, see the world, be a part of wider humanity, and for that we can celebrate and welcome all they have to teach. This book provides that introduction.

Thomas, anthropologist and author of such diverse bestsellers as "The Hidden Life of Dogs," and two excellent pre-history novels, "Reindeer Moon" and "The Animal Wife," began her writing career with the study, "The Harmless People," based on her youthful sojourn among the Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert. The Bushmen may be the only people who ever lived without war. But more on that later.

With "The Old Way," she returns to the subject of that first book - a title that has been in print since 1959. Marshall first encountered the Ju/wasi, one of the five groups of Bushmen, in 1950 when she was 18, on the first of several Kalahari trips with her parents and brother.

Her father, a founder of Raytheon, was a highly organized, take-charge sort of person, with versatile skills. Her mother, a former ballerina turned teacher, became a noted anthropologist over the course of these (and more) trips, and her brother devoted most of his life to the Bushmen.

In the 1950s the Ju/wasi maintained their ancient nomadic culture in near isolation. Except for bits of metal they obtained in trade and used for arrowheads, the Ju/wasi made everything they needed from local material. They did not farm and had no domestic animals, but obtained all their food from hunting and gathering. They were the last people on earth, says Thomas, to follow the "Old Way," a way of life that depends on knowledge handed down one-to-one from generation to generation. The Old Way depends on intimacy between habitat and humanity.

Thomas' book is not a scientific study or a memoir, but a bit of both, as well as a celebration and lament for a culture now gone. It's also a thoughtful reflection on how the Old Way shaped our species from the time we came down out of the trees and stepped on to the Savannah.

Water, says Thomas, controlled the size of human hunter-gatherer groups, and that remained true among the Ju/wasi. Rain was scarce, and water holes passed down through families. Though children were betrothed young, they did not cohabit until the girl reached menarche - about age 17 - and the average age for bearing a first child was 19.

Similarly, though no birth control was used, women bore children about four years apart and seldom had more than four. This was just what could be sustained, without starvation or overburdening the mother or group.

Alliances were complex, all going to foster the strength of the group. Survival depended on group cohesion and the force of their culture went into strengthening those bonds, subsuming, smothering, the desires of the individual.

The sharing of food, for instance, had little to do with who actually killed or gathered the food and the complex system was worked out before the gathering or hunting trip began. Periodic dances also reinforced ties and helped to dispel repressed tensions.

Repression was the usual means of maintaining harmony. Temper tantrums, even among children, were frowned upon - for one thing childish noise could attract predators. Arguments flared, of course, but were almost always settled without violence.

War, to the Ju/wasi, was unknown. Not because they were right thinking pacifists, but because they had developed the perfect weapon to make war - or murder - unthinkable.

The Ju/wasi had only one real weapon - the poisoned arrow. It was all they used to hunt (though they finished off game with a spear). The poison was invariably fatal. A man who settled an argument with a stab from an arrow couldn't take it back - but he would have days to watch his victim die. And the victim, facing certain death, would be perfectly healthy for a day or more and quite capable of wreaking revenge.

The lack of suitable weapons, and even more, the lack of any kind of shield, convince Thomas the Ju/wasi have never known war. She makes a convincing case.

By the 1980s, however, the Ju/wasi were being forced into villages. Many of those Marshall knew as children are now dead - killed in fights, often fueled with drink. Today, alcohol and violence have decimated the Ju/wasi.

While the book's conclusion is wrenching, most of it is a celebration of their intricate culture. Marshall captures the imagination with anecdotes - many from her old journals - that illustrate the matter-of-fact resourcefulness of a people who know the intricacies of all the plants and animals of their desert home.

Some of her anecdotes simply demonstrate the odd commonalities of humanity: "Although I will eventually learn enough !Kung to stumble along in the language...at this point I am at the stage where the Ju/wasi either address me in baby talk or raised voices, or both."

She describes gathering trips that take all day, but don't get going until mid-morning, baffling her own Yankee work ethic. Until she realizes the wisdom of waiting until lions and other nighttime predators are well and truly asleep.

The lion stories are horrifically thrilling. She describes a lioness coming to the edge of their small encampment and roaring threateningly: "The roar was so deep and so loud that it had no direction. It seemed to be coming from anywhere, everywhere." Yet, scary as they were, the lions never hunted or preyed upon the Bushmen.

Marshall does not try to provide answers for all her questions. Some things are "unknowable." This eloquent, passionate book does foster a sense of wonder at our own evolution. Though we've traded much of our intimacy with the earth for modern civilization, Marshall shows how many traces of the Old Way linger on in our blood.

After reading the super review on Amazon of this book, we ordered it for our son as a Christmas gift. He is a college senior Anthropology major. He was glad to have it and read it on the way home from FL to AZ. He said the book was very insighful and a good read.

I have all her books but two and I have been a fan for years and years. Starting with reindeer moon and then The hidden life of dogs, Tribe of Tiger, Certain Poor Shephards and everything else except Warrior Tribesman and The Harmless People which I plan to order. The books I have ordered or which were bought for me online were ordered by my best friend. I hope Elizabeth Marshall Thomas writes many more books. If I did not already have the most wonderful mother, I would wish that she was my mother. I really love her view of life, people and animals and nature. She is my favorite author of all time and I would'nt even loan her books to anyone else for fear of losing them. Keep it up EMT I'm forever your fan and I will always reread your books.

This book should be standard issue to any candidate officer at both Sandhurst and West Point.

There are a ton of lessons here that could/should have been used in Iraq.

This book should be a mandatory read for Non-commissioned officers and Officers serving in special mission units or special operations the world over. In the counter-insurgency / low-intensity conflict arena there are many valuable lessons to be learned from this text, and for the armchair historian or casual reader the story is still gripping enough to keep you enthralled to the last page. Basically this is story of the birth and death of one of the most feared insurgency units of the time, as told by the founder of this outstanding unit; Ron Reid-Daly. It covers the units training, selection, operations, and personalities of the unit with the war being the tool that propels the story and evolution of the unit. One of the most remarkable aspects of Selous scouts was their employment of pseudo-terrorist techniques, which were used to melt into know terrorist cells, to either eliminate the terrorist themselves or direct other assets to the known cells to be neutralized. While conducting these type operations the Selous Scouts maintained the cover of being a combat tracking (mantracking) unit, as to keep their true purpose under wraps from the rest of the Rhodesian Security Forces. I would also like to point out they were truly all trained tracks and maintained this capability to superb levels of proficiency. This book is a re-release and completely revamped version of "SELOUS SCOUTS - Top Secret War" (original title). If you read the original edition you will enjoy this one much better. Many areas in the book have been rewritten and their many additions and details added to the text. Many of the names of individual have added into this text, originally kept exempt for security and safety reasons. Also there are many new photographs added and the Illustrations are a lot crisper. One of the biggest treats in this edition is the added appendix covering; roll of honor, wing nominal roll, awards and citations. Bottom line is this version truly opens the door to this once `Top Secret" organization of combat trackers turned pseudo-terrorist specialist.

Pamwe Chete is without question one of the most interesting accounts of counter-insurgency operations ever written. LTC Reid-Daly formed the Selous Scouts in the early 1970s' at the behest of the Rhodesian Army Chief of Staff. What follows is the most famous (or infamous) counter-insurgency campaign in recent history. The Selous Scouts were the finest counter-insurgency force ever to take to the field and hunt down guerillas. LTC Reid-Daly has written an honest, detailed account that draws the reader's interest on the first page and never lets go. This book is a must read for any military historian. Reid's engaging book is chocked full of incredible stories about the incredible challenges the Selous Scouts overcame and the unbelievable but true successes they achieved.

LTC Ron Reid-Daly has written a superb book on the finest killing machine in Africa, the Selous Scouts. LTC Reid-Daly was the founder and commanding officer of this psuedo counter-insurgency force. The author gives us the insight into the bravery, courage, and brutality of his men while performing their operations. This group of highly skilled black and white operators wrecked havoc on the guerilla forces inside and out of Rhodesia. Because of his availability to intelligence Reid-Daly also gives the reader a overview of the conflict and the politics behind the decisions. This is a great read on special operations and Reid-Daly gives a great narrative of the missions and the background for them. This is a great story of an exceptional group of men written by an exceptional soldier and is a must read!

This is an excellent and comprehensive book on the Selous Scouts - a special forces unit based in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during the 1970's. The book covers the history of the unit from the time its founder, Ron Reid-Daly, spent in Malaysia with C Squadron 22 SAS, to the end of the war. What is interesting is the high level of racial integration in the unit, and the use of 'turned' guerillas. In some cases captured guerillas were turned, briefed and back in the field within hours of capture.

While the unit's informal approach to standard military discipline made it shunned by the high command the unit had stunning military successes, especially with cross-border raids to target enemy bases.

This book is a must read for anyone interested in the bush wars in Southern Africa in the 70/80's and terrorism in general. Special forces soldiers could learn a lot from this book.

Chaikin has done it again. This spectacular writer keeps me coming for more with this next installment of the "East of the Sun" series. The mystery of Evy's attacker kept me guessing and anticipation over Rogan's and Evy's reunion kept my eyes glued to the pages. Can't wait till the conclusion -- Linda, please write fast!

Linda Chaikin does a terrific job in this sequel to Tommorow's Treasure. I absolutely love the main characters, Rogan and Evy. This book, like it's prequel is a must read. You are sure to love it because it has just the right mix of everything.

I was slightly disappointed in this book, but don't get me wrong...I loved it. My complaint is this: Rogan is in South Africa, while Evy is in England. The relationship between Rogan and Evy is what drove the first book for me...if it hadn't been for their constant interactions, I would have gotten slightly bored. So, since Rogan and Evy are apart for most of this book, it was harder to read and not as compelling. However, it was still great! It was nice to see things from Rogan's point of view, and the storyline in South Africa was very exciting. This book is my least favorite in the series, but it's still excellent.

I read this and the first book "Tomorrow's Treasure" back to back. Both were wonderful. The storyline becomes so much clearer in this one. I can't wait to read the third book.

I must confess, I believe this series is one of the best by Linda Chaikin! I loved the characters. I loved the plot. And I loved the exotic background to the whole story! The future Sir Rogan Chantry of Rookswood estate of Grimston Way, England is searching for the gold his uncle, Henry Chantry had left to him after Henry's supposed suicide. Despite facing his family's opposition and their own plans for him, Rogan sets out on his own to try to find the gold deposit in rich South Africa. His incredible journey to Bulawayo and Salisbury were well-detailed and well-thought out. The description of the colonists' journey admidst the escalating tensions of the natives and the Boers were also well-descripted. In England, Evy Varley has finally accomplished her dream of having her own piano school. But a confrontation with Henry's murderer has left her scarred for life. Will she and Rogan be reunited? Or will they lose the love they had discovered before Rogan left for South Africa? I couldn't put this book down, I finished it in one day. The suspense of finding out who is Henry's killer and Evy's attacker and the impending reunion of Rogan and Evy kept me reading to the satisfying end. But as you know, there is "Today's Embrace" which will continue the story of Rogan and Evy and their destiny in South Africa so I will definitely buy the third book when it comes out. Linda Chaikin is definitely one of my favourite authors and I can't wait to find out what she has in store for Rogan and Evy and other characters she will create in the near future!

I absolutely loved this book. I read it with amazement as I compared the events of my time in Zimbabwe to the behind the scenes information presented in the book. I was amazed at just how much was never put on air for the general public to be aware of and also to know the depth of the people's convictions (even when they are wrong) and their willingness to act it out was very intriguing to me. Well written book I even learnt some things about my history I was unaware of. I can't wait for the next book.

The title says it, his book is excellent, written very well, blending the facts and interviews in a flow that makes it easy to read, but i would say it could prove very hard reading if you are not familiar with the area or African politics. I would not give this book to someone to read unless they were from Zimbabwe or studying the history of the country.

What i enjoyed most, having lived in Zimbabwe until 2004 is the book explains the reasons behind what happened, even living in Zimbabwe all my life i have learnt facts i never knew before, it does not change the way i feel but it does give me greater understanding.

As i said, unless you are Zimbabwean, have lived in Zimbabwe or studying the history of the area, this book may prove tough going.

I am originally from Zimbabwe, but left in 1981. I was looking for
a book on the history and current situation on Zimbabwe that would
be informative and not dry. I feel very much more educated about
the various issues that have led this beautiful country to the
very sad situation it now finds itself in. I definately would
suggest others read it.

With a deep understanding and love for this magnificent country, Hill lays out an excellent expos? over Zimbabwe's rise and unfortunate fall under the rule of President Mugabe. By elegantly blending historical events with a large number of interviews from both ZANU-PF officials and the MDC opposition to ordinary Zimbabweans, Hill has created a solid piece that is thorough and analytical but yet easy-to-read. Highly recommended for any reader in search of the root and underlying causes to Zimbabwe's worsening plight.

Africa correspondent for the Washington Times who grew up in different countries of southern Africa, including Zimbabwe, Hill gives a detailed account of the overthrow of the white-controlled government when the country was known as Rhodesia by indigenous black rebels and the subsequent cementing of the autocratic, often brutal rule of Robert Mugabe. Mugabe was one of the leaders of the insurrection and political leader of Zimbabwe (as the country was named after the end of white rule). To a large extent, this is the story of the murky circumstances whereby Mugabe became leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), including the assassination of its leader, and its role in helping to keep him in power. Instead of a bona fide political party in a democratic system, ZANU became the enforcement arm of Mugabe's one-man rule. Hill's chronicle of unfortunate Zimbabwe and biographical portrayal of its autocratic leader is a set piece in how things have gone wrong in many countries in Africa.