Africa Books

I would most likely want to buy this book if it had some scholarly backing. It looks to have some rather exciting information within it, but since I find no scholar reviewing it, I am held back for the present time. As a scholar myself dealing with Ancient Nubia/Kush, I find this subject relative to my interests.

Well, you're not much of a scholar of this subject if you haven't heard of Laszlo Torok. He doesn't need scholarly backing, he IS scholarly backing.

This is an excellent book to read to children at bedtime or during storytime at school or church. It's a short, easy read and it's full of excellent information about the history and culture of Western Africa. Don't be fooled by the title. This book has nothing to do with black magic; and everything to do with using ones own imagination. The storyline is rooted in reality as the main character enjoys his "travels" to other places; however he always wants to return home to the people he loves. The beautiful photographs in this book make it a great coffee table book as well. I encourage you to introduce the children in your family or neighborhood to Kofi and His Magic.

This book provides readers of all ages with a wonderful look into the life of Kofi, a "magician" from Bonwire. The children I have shared it with love it, and Kofi's magic serves as a reminder for all of us of the power of imagination. The photographs are rich, and the text is soothing. Look no further for a book that will put you in the mood to daydream.

Sidney Allinson's books are surprises. They can start off unassumingly and build up to rip snorting sagas of ceaseless adventure. In his finest work yet, Allinson doesn't even start off slowly. Kruger's Gold grips the reader at once and the pace never slows. As I read this action tale of the struggle a century ago between South Africa's Boers, and England and her "colonials," I was repeatedly struck with the idea this would be and should be a wonderful movie. Allinson's experience as a television producer may have given him that hot-shot cameraman's "eye" or it could simply be that any good yarn so stirringly told lends itself to theatre in the best sense.

On these pages, a segment of history that was soon obscured by two ensuing, bloodier world wars leaps to life. It is really the twilight of an era, with Europeans jostling for power and position and, in this case in particular, South African gold. Allinson fills in the historical perspective while following a Canadian soldier and his colonial troops who, late in the war, have been assigned to find the legendary government cache of gold that departing Prime Minister Paul Kruger was said to have stashed before leaving in 1900 for virtual exile in Europe.

Allinson writes sympathetically of the brilliant Boer commandos fighting to retain their homeland and their way of life. His story is not overly revisionist: the Boers have seized this land from the native tribes, after all, and even the most principled among them want to keep the blacks and "coloureds" in their place, lest their vast numbers overwhelm the white settlers. Even through a more politically correct prism, we must admire the self reliance of these men whose surprise tactics and talented marksmanship enabled them to strike at the enemy, melt away into the bush, and return to attack another day. Many if not most of the men have lost wives and children to the war; yet, while they can be ruthless, they treat surrendered prisoners with a decency and respect that arouses a sense of nostalgia in the reader. Their English counterparts do as well with their own prisoners, for the most part.

The story of the concentration camps where stranded Boer families and prisoners were placed to wait out the war is not as happy a one. Allinson paints a grim picture of these horrors where women and children and some men languished in filthy conditions with poor diets and disease and death dogging every step. A few selfless medical workers do their best, but there are no facilities and their supplies are woefully inadequate. The camps were not England's finest legacy to the history texts.

The romances in the book provide a lusty and pleasing counterpoint. Even the horses get to play a heart-warming role. And throughout the book, Allinson has peppered the story with fascinating historical minutiae, such as the Boer heroine not being allowed to play ragtime music, then the rage, because it was produced by black performers.

Read this book. It is a treat.

KRUGER'S GOLD: A GRIPPING, FAST-MOVING NOVEL SET IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN BATTLEFIELD OF ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO

In 1902, as in 2001, guerrilla fighters were challenging the might of the pre-eminent world power. Then it was the Dutch settlers called Boers fighting Great Britain for possession of South Africa. Today, Islamic extremists attack the U.S. and its allies anywhere and everywhere. The lesson from both: small forces are potent.

This is not a dry military history book, nor does the reader miss anything if, like this reviewer, he or she comes to it more or less ignorant of the Anglo-Boer War. The author, Sidney Allinson, has written the sort of gripping, fast-moving novel that keeps you turning pages long after bedtime. The characters and their loves and hatreds, their ideals and weaknesses, failures and triumphs, would have provided the human material for a thoroughly satisfying novel even if presented in an imagined setting.

The hero is a Canadian serving with the British Army, Lieutenant Harry Lanyard. Given the choice between disgrace before a court martial and leading a particularly hazardous mission, Lanyard takes the latter. With a rag-tag troop of Colonial mounted infantry, Lanyard is ordered to recover a king's ransom in stolen gold bullion - enough money to keep the Boers fighting for goodness knows how many more years. This gold had been looted by the Boer President, Paul Kruger, hence the book's title.

And hence also, the skilful merging of the fictional characters in the foreground of the story with the meticulously researched historical events that provide the backdrop. We are introduced to the tough Boer burgher fighters who adopted the title "Commando", to be handed down through the generations as the hallmark of military excellence. We discover to our chagrin that the war also fathered the concentration camp, a term synonymous with death. Although devised initially by the British as shelter for destitute families whose homes had been torched by one side or the other in this increasingly cruel and desperate campaign, disgraceful mismanagement reduced these camps to death traps.

Meanwhile the action continues: ambush, deception, espionage, mutiny, pitched battles and encounters with snipers - and all the time a forbidden romance struggling to survive across the invisible line separating friend from foe. Lieutenant Lanyard would be a real asset in today's Special Forces, but is this enough to gain his two objectives, Kruger's Gold, and the love of his life, Beth?

Advance copies of this book have stirred great interest among students of the period, some of whom have been brought up on "official" versions of events that omit what is unpalatable about your own side. The truth is that war brings out the best and the worst in mankind and there never was an unblemished battle record. Sidney Allinson pays his respects to Boers, Brits, and Colonials, and avoids any temptation to portray the fighting in terms of good guys and bad. To assist the keen researcher, the author includes a Glossary, Casualty Statistics, and Bibliography.

The book is presented in a handsome jacket carrying a contemporary action painting showing the Royal Canadian Dragoons in close-quarter fighting against the Boers.

Maurice Tugwell, retired British Army Brigadier, Military Analyst, and Author of Herzl Street (Xlibris, 1999)

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1IGFPZ0HY2ESV This book, while written as fiction, tells the real life saga of how iconic Hollywood legend, Tippi Hedren (aka Joan Tailor in the book) who starred in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" teams with embattled conservationist Meryl Harrison (aka Charlene Tynsworth in the book) and ex Special Forces commandos to expose ongoing brutal atrocities against endangered big game by some of the wealthiest men on earth. Meryl, who is also known as The Mother Theresa of Animals, has been awarded by almost every wildlife group on earth for her bravery in facing death to save and safeguard the lives of hundreds of thousands of animals in Zimbabwe. In this video she is seen winning yet another award, this time from the BBC in the UK. It also shows some real life footage of some of her animal rescues in terror-ravaged Zimbabwe. Please also cross reference the YOU TUBE video "Land of the Free" that contains some of the real life covert footage and documentation this team obtained as evidence of these atrocities... and who is committing them. [...]

This book is dedicated to Meryl Harrison, and every sale goes towards helping an animal's life. Please buy your copy here: Land Of The Free

Everyone should read this book - to know what is happening to our precious endangered species - who is doing it - and what you can do to help. Buy it now!Land Of The Free

Law for the Elephant is an incredibly well researched work that deserves much attention. If the myth of the lawless trail riders perpetuated by pulp fiction scribes yet infiltrated the ranks of professional historians up until the publication of this work, this book was their death knell.
Reid methodically debunks one of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of mid nineteenth century life on the Overland trail. His exhaustive use of primary sources and his meticulous notes must brand this book as the definitive work on the subject of property and social behavior on the overland trail from a legal perspective. The weight of evidence regarding the relative lawfulness of the travelers is such that, as presented, nearly half way through the reader is inexorably swayed to its veracity. Reid presents not a modicum or even generous amount of proof, but a crush of evidence. The fact that he was only able to locate three specific journal entries of lawlessness regarding property, while it does not suggest there was not more, is significantly persuasive. The fact that he is able to logically illustrate that these cases of lawlessness may be shown as examples of how legal theory and values were imbued within the lawbreakers, is doubly clever.
Although not a scintillating read, Reid displays a certain deftness for keeping the readers attention through what could have been far drier material in the hands of one not so gifted with the pen. His assemblage of innumerable primary sources is a praiseworthy accomplishment. Quotes from primary sources are woven consistently and seemingly effortlessly throughout the text, creating a patchwork of storytelling by case study.
This is not to say, however, that this is an entertaining read for laity or even the armchair historian. Reid occasionally slips into legalese that may momentarily obfuscate the read for even the professional historian, but a standard or legal dictionary remedies this. Also, Reid believes the average American on the trail possessed a greater knowledge of the law then than previously thought. Although this may be the case, some of what Reid chalks up to proof of extensive legal knowledge seems no more than ordinary common sense on behalf of the traveler. In a broader sense, to be fair, Reid does not delve deeply into criminality other than in regard to property. But, conventional wisdom suggests that the two are closely linked and thus, Reid obliquely strengthens his argument by this subtle correlation. These few minor criticisms notwithstanding, as a work of legal historical scholarship, Law for the Elephant is nearly flawless and is a significant contribution to the historiography of the overland trail.

The Overland Trail that spread to the gold fields of California and Oregon was a trying ordeal; it tested the will and endurance of the American character. The experience of the trail not only shaped America geographically, but socially, politically, and economically as well. The trail also shaped another American institution: law. Law and the Overland Trail is a topic that deserves greater study to determine charaterisitcs of the overland trail and the development of law in America. Law during antebellum America focused on capital speculation and corporate structure, and a bed of safe property law allowed corporate proliferation to occur. Reid examines inherent social and legal developments of the Overland Trail with great detail by examining a plethora of sources. He examines diaries, papers and other records for inferences to legal conduct. Reid explores the use of property law on the Overland Trail. He concludes that property law was something that was inherent to Americans in general, and not something forced upon them by corporate America (p. 335). The trail is unique in American legal history, because it shows how Americans administered law in a lawless land. Reid starts the book with general assumptions about the trail, emigrants and jurisprudence. He notes that the emigrant is a typical American: man women, child, old Young, ethnic, educated and uneducated. This mass of humanity seeking a new existence, in a place presented as a paradise, was not a lawless immoral group as legend, and some scholarship dictates. In assuming so, Reid states that, "Easily overlooked is the possibility that law could be the common denominator, explaining both the definitions people shared and the conduct they followed" (p. 10). Reid examines a common thread: property rights. The remainder of the book examines the interrelationships, uses, and behaviors associated with property and property rights. He notes that the creation, operation, and dissolution of joint stock ventures operated with a high degree of jurisprudence. An interesting aspect explored is the concept of ownership. Except for natural resources such as water, property was an abstract concept. Emigrants abandoned property as the hardships of the trial demanded, to avoid liabilities associated with traveling weight. Emigrants obtained supplies by barter, or by acquiring discarded property (p. 293). Reid notes that the transfer and handling of property, whether by and individual, or partnership was peaceful, and rarely was violence employed as a means of resolution (p. 341-54). Reid concludes by stating, "Instead, they respected the rights of property owners much as if still back east in the midst of plenty. By respect for their neighbor, and their neighbors property, they were, more than not, adhering to a morality of law" (p. 364). Law for the Elephant is an excellent macro interpretation of property, legal, and social relations of California gold rush emigrants. Another advantage the work provides us is an understanding of why current views of property came to be. The research is well covered, and the readability of the book is excellent. The book not only provides generalizations about law and the Overland Trail, but gives insight into how emigrants acted at the micro level as well.

I wanted to get a book about African animals for my two year old neice- a simple story, with morals explained in a fun and engaging way. As soon as I saw LAZY LION by Mwenye Hadithi I knew I found my book!

The story is simple: The Lion, King of Animals, asks his subjects to find him a home. But he is very picky and lazy - this house is too big, that house is too small, this house is too wet...nothing pleases him.

When it rains, all the animals rush into their houses, leaving the LAZY LION wandering across the great African plains, which remains his home to this day.

The Moral? Don't be lazy and picky, either get what you need yourself or accept what is given to you with gratitude!

Accompanying this simple but great story are bright, colorful illustrations which really capture the essence, the beauty of the African Wilderness.

All of the books by this author are great, clever stories with
fun illustrations. How dare they go out of print. Republish,
PLEASE!

On the banks of a dam at the Havelock Trout Farm in spring 1991 a white man is LEARNING from a black man how to cast a line when suddenly the former cries out. A fishing hook has deeply embedded itself in the left hand of Roelf Meyer, South Africa's Deputy Minister of Constitutional Development who has been coaxed into this weekend with the secretary general of the African National Congress Cyril Ramaphosa by a mutual friend.

Back in the lodge all attempts TO carefully remove the painful metal fail. There is only one way left. Cyril Ramaphosa fetches a pair of pliers and offers Roelf Meyer a glass full of whiskey before he takes a firm grip on the hook. Roelf, he tells the deputy minister, if you've never TRUSTed an ANC person before, you'd better get ready to do so now. He presses the hook down to make space for the barb and pulls it out with a powerful wrench. As his wife staunches the flow of blood Roelf Meyer mutters to the trout fisherman who like him will be one of the key figures in bringing about the new South African DEMOCRACY: Well, Cyril, don't say I didn't trust you.

The individual and social learning processes and the resulting transition from the racist apartheid regime to the democracy of the rainbow nation are the subject of this publication. The summit of this road is the date of the first free and fair elections open to all South Africans: April 27th 1994. The sociological microscope is focused on this single day: the day from which to look back and from which to look forward.

The outcome of an exemplary peace and democratisation process in South Africa was dependent on the success or failure of its founding Election Day. In the end, the new democracy emerged clearly victorious, which was seen by many observers to be a 'miracle'. But this miracle can be explained against the backdrop of media involvement in a large-scale pedagogical undertaking that was probably the most massive national educational communications campaign of all time.

This book shows how African, coloured and Indian voters learned the fundamental concepts of democracy and the role of the state in the new South Africa, as well as the purely technical procedures of voting. But the interpretation also elucidates another successful learning process that was as important to make that miracle happen: their LEARNING TO TRUST DEMOCRACY.

On the banks of a dam at the Havelock Trout Farm in spring 1991 a white man is LEARNING from a black man how to cast a line when suddenly the former cries out. A fishing hook has deeply embedded itself in the left hand of Roelf Meyer, South Africa's Deputy Minister of Constitutional Development who has been coaxed into this weekend with the secretary general of the African National Congress Cyril Ramaphosa by a mutual friend.

Back in the lodge all attempts TO carefully remove the painful metal fail. There is only one way left. Cyril Ramaphosa fetches a pair of pliers and offers Roelf Meyer a glass full of whiskey before he takes a firm grip on the hook. Roelf, he tells the deputy minister, if you've never TRUSTed an ANC person before, you'd better get ready to do so now. He presses the hook down to make space for the barb and pulls it out with a powerful wrench. As his wife staunches the flow of blood Roelf Meyer mutters to the trout fisherman who like him will be one of the key figures in bringing about the new South African DEMOCRACY: Well, Cyril, don't say I didn't trust you.

The individual and social learning processes and the resulting transition from the racist apartheid regime to the democracy of the rainbow nation are the subject of this publication. The summit of this road is the date of the first free and fair elections open to all South Africans: April 27th 1994. The sociological microscope is focused on this single day: the day from which to look back and from which to look forward.

The outcome of an exemplary peace and democratisation process in South Africa was dependent on the success or failure of its founding Election Day. In the end, the new democracy emerged clearly victorious, which was seen by many observers to be a 'miracle'. But this miracle can be explained against the backdrop of media involvement in a large-scale pedagogical undertaking that was probably the most massive national educational communications campaign of all time.

This book shows how African, coloured and Indian voters learned the fundamental concepts of democracy and the role of the state in the new South Africa, as well as the purely technical procedures of voting. But the interpretation also elucidates another successful learning process that was as important to make that miracle happen: their LEARNING TO TRUST DEMOCRACY.

Let's Talk Africa is an excellent and thought provoking plunge into the realities and effects of culture. It is an honest exposition of how developed countries have effectively stymied the culture and by implication, the economic growth of this continent.

This book is also a great read for any meaningful study of education and it's effects on people of colour -- a vehicle for cultural upliftment, that is the culture of the dominant class.

Joshua Spencer has written his first book. I look forward to reading many more.

Glendon Lawrence

This book is excellent for the reason that it adequately attends to all its topics and even though it is geared toward an educated populace, it is easily understood by the average person. The writer sets out to teach and clarify points as he presents the various intriguing arguments that relate to Africa and the usefulness of its cultural base, Affirmative Action, one's right to sexual choices, the origin of formal education in the West, among other relevant topics.

I have no regret in purchasing the text and would recommend it to others. Fluctuating Life Quest for a Dream: A Life Committed to Progress

Stuart Van Slyke has led an amazing life - born at the end of the First World War, he lived through the Depression and served in some of the most interesting theaters of the Second World War. He leaves out no detail, no matter how painful or seemingly small, which has the effect of building a very rich story - at the end of which you feel you know the author and his times quite well. I highly recommend it.

This book is one of those rare finds for which historians are always looking. Mr. Van Slyke managed to keep all of his old correspondance and notes from a lifetime of over 80 years, and has compiled them into a gripping story of one person's experiences through the Great Depression and WW II. Although not interested in the "big picture", this book conveys a ground's eye perspective of some under-developed areas of WW II history. The portion about the author's challenges in the military government in Korea at the end of WW II, provided this Iraq War veteran an eerie sense of deja vu, as well as highlighting several key lessons that are still valid today.
The writing style is very simple and flows naturally. The reader feels like they are sitting in a living room, while their grandfather relates his stories to them. The addition of actual copies of orders, pictures and other documents throughout the book serve to further enhance the experience.
In sum, this book is a must have for any serious student of American life from the 1920s to the end of WW II. Future books may include a continuation from WW II until the present day.

***Truth in Lending***
The author is the Maternal Grandfather of the writer of this review. However, the reviewer has been trained in history at the United States Military Academy, and conducted research on WW II history.

THE LION OF JUDAH HATH PREVAILED WAS WRITTEN BY CHRISTINE STANFORD IN 1955...IT WAS PUBLISHED TO COMMEMORATE THE SILVER JUBILEE OF EMPEROR HAILE SELLASSIE'S CORONATION...MS STANDFORD WRITES WITH A SMOOTH STYLE THAT UNLEASHES ELEGANT VERSE FLAVOURED WITH ROYAL REIGN...A GREAT FIND FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN THE LAST OF THE SOLOMANIC LINE OF KINGS...HOW HE WAS RAISED...HIS POWER AND HIS PRESENCE...EARNING THE CALL AS THE ELECT OF GOD JAH RASTAFARI...PRIZGAR

Whether You may be black or whether you may be white, open up your eyes so you can see the light. RASTAFARI liveth and ruleth upon this Earth!