Africa Books

Angela Fisher spent seven years criss-crossing Africa, seeking out traditional forms and styles of jewelry and body adornment. The metal crafting, artistic modes and affectations of traditional piercings are stunning. The more extreme examples of African body art are already missing: cutting and/or scarring, limb binding (neck/arms/legs) and lip stretching are lost arts these days.

The photography is top notch, with highly detailed closeups and oversize, full-color images on most pages. Notes are included for each image, with geography, tribal information and craftsman's details for many pieces.

This is a great example of the "coffee table" book. I checked this title out of the library while in graduate school repeatedly until my mother gifted me with my own copy (thanks, Mom!). For artists and jewelers, this volume will be an endless source of inspiration.

The beauty, dignity, and composition of the photos are enough to lure the reader. This book features the jewelry and accessories of African costume in different regions and tribes. It gives the reader information on the people wearing these lovely adornments, as well as describing their meanings and ceremonial uses, when applicable. While this represents only specific aspects of some parts of Africa, it is a beautiful glance at some tribal costumes still worn in increasingly fewer and fewer places.

...origin as it relates to African cultural and creative expression and influence. Many designs and patterns we see repeated in contemporary jewelry design can be traced to African styles and designs created centuries ago - a fact beautifully exemplified in this book - with the added bonus of learning something about the meaning behind the particular adornment/piece of jewelry. The photos are brilliant! This book is a treasure and a highly recommended "must read" for everyone interested in design, jewelry and fashion history, and cultural customs, influences and contributions.

I found this book to be amazing...I loved the discussion about the different African cultures and most especially the pictures--I'm even considering purchasing another copy of this book just so I could frame some of the beautiful, highly colorful pictures. I am buying more books from those authors--I expect the other books to be just as beautiful and informative.

This is a thoughtful and gorgeous peek at the diversity of the continent. The colors of the photos alone are worth the price! Fisher's more recent work, "African Ceremonies", with Beckwith, is even better, if possible. And folks, Africa contains 54 countries, over 800 different languages and thousands of dialects, and has around 730 million people. If you consider yourself an interested citizen of our world, don't just look at the pictures, learn about the continent! Many people have criticised the authors, for this and their other works, because they present an Africa that doesn't exist anymore, or they are patronizing and exploitative- I agree in part with this criticism, but I would add some balancing words. This continent has some of the richest cities in the world- Johannesburg being one, and some of the poorest villages- I was visiting in one of them several weeks ago in eastern Namibia. People have cellphones, people have no phones, some drive Lexuses and some drive donkey carts made from the beds of old pick-up trucks. "Old" ceremonies are vibrantly alive for some people, and simply unimportant for others, sometimes within the same family or community. The point is that the images from this book *are* parts of life on this continent, but obviously do not tell the whole story. However, it is just as wrong and short-sighted to dismiss cultures as it is to see only the "exotic". The funny thing is that I first saw this book and "African Ceremonies" at a Himba village in Kaokoland, Namibia, shown to me by a man who was wearing "traditional" Himba clothes, with red ochre on his skin and so on. We were paging through this book and my friend, who is also Himba but wears "western" clothes, commented on how weird the images were, to which his friend laughed and agreed. To them, the pictures of most of these ceremonies were just as alien as they are to most westerners. So, to everyone who likes to box "Africa" and "Africans" into one category, this is perhaps something to think about.

Runoko Rashida, Wayne Chandler and Co. put together a fine work illustrating the Asiatic hereditary connections with so called "black" people, especially the Shang Dynasty. They also touch on the influence of the mysterious order of the Hashimiyyah & the Knights Templar. As always the text is accompanied by top rated images supporting the text itself. This book continues a standard of excellence, in the field of knowledge of Self.

There's a wealth of knowledge in this book. What illustrates the effectiveness of the book are the pictures, as well as the words. It's one thing to say that there are black people in India, who were the founders of civilization, there. It's another thing to actually show the descendents of those people, clearly black people, living in India. The book is impressive.

Dr. Rashidi and Dr. Van Sertima are esteemed scholars who have changed my life for the better. They have given me a wealth of knowledge about my Afrikan heritage, which spans worldwide.

THIS BOOK IS AMAZING IT PROVIDES INFORMATION THAT IS BOTH TRUE AND OF EXTREME VALUE. THE AFRICAN PRESENCE IN EARLY ASIA COVERS MIGRATION FROM AFRICA TO ASIA DATING BACK FROM OVER 100,000 YEARS AGO. IT ALSO COVERS THE REVOLT OF THE ZANJ, WERE EAST AFRICAN SLAVES REVOLTED IN IRAQ AND IRAN. CAUSING NUMEROUS DEFEATS UPON THEIR OPPRESSORS AND SERIOUS ECONOMIC DAMAGE TO THE EMPIRE OF THEIR OPPESSORS. IT ALSO COVERS NUMEROUS AMOUNTS OF AFRICAN PERSONALITIES AND PEOPLE IN ASIA. SUCH AS UTHMAN IBN BAHR AL-JAHIZ, MALIK AMBAR, LOKMAN, BILAL, ANTARA: THE LION AND MANY OTHERS. THE AFRICAN DIASPORA IN ASIA WAS MAINLY BY MIGRATION, BUT SLAVERY WAS ALSO AN EXAMPLE OF THESE MASSIVE AFRICAN POPULATIONS THROUGHOUT SOUTHERN ARABIA, YEMEN, SOUTHERN IRAQ, KUWATI, SOUTHERN IRAN, AND SOME PARTS OF INDIA. HISTORICAL MIGRATIONS INCLUDED SAUDI ARABIA AND YEMEN ALSO. AS WELL AS INDIA HAS AN EXTREMLY LARGE AFRICOID POPULATION KNOWN AS THE "THE BLACK UNTOUCHABLES OF INDIA" WHO ARE THE INDIGENOUS INHABITERS OF INDIA AND THE CREATORS OF THE INDUS RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATION. THERE ARE ALSO AFRICAN POPULATIONS IN MALAYSIA, SOUTHERN CHINA, ANDAMEN ISLANDS, SRI LANKA AND THE SOUTH PACIFIC ISLANDS. THIS BOOK IS OF GREAT SIGNIFIGANCE ON THE UNEXPLORED HISTORY OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN ASIA. OTHER BOOKS RECOMENDED IS AFRICANS AT THE CROSSROAD: NOTES ON AN AFRICAN WORLD REVOLUTION, INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN CIVILIZATIONS, THE DESTRUCTION OF A BLACK CIVILIZATION, AND THE AFRICAN ORIGIN OF CIVILIZATION

This book has made it clear that the inhabitant of this earth is GOD in all forms. There is nothing else to be said on this subject. This book and others like it, has opened the door for many to become what they truly are...GOD.

Rashidi and Van Sertima are shaping the world of future scholarship with this book. To realize that the Sumerians, Elamites, Dravidians, Harrapans, and the Sabaeans were all black, adds more honor to the "misplaced" History of the African people. This affects those rascist who try and make the beggining dates of Egypt, closer to those of the Tigres, and the Euphrates. Still even by doing so, the beggining of each were "Christmas Coal Black". This book provides much evidence of this fact! Also interesting, and something most unknown, is the images of Buddah, and Krishna, at first had African features. For those who haven't read Kersey Graves "16 Crucified Saviors" the myths of Buddah, Krishna, Christ, as well many others is almost exactly the same. What is even more interesting is Buddah , Krishna, and Christ, all have a 600 year split between their virgin births, and all there first graven images had African features, before they were tampered with. In the end this is a book that should be read by all, scholars, and common people a like, because it helps you to understand, and appreciate the role of the African people throughout history. This book has intense evidence, regardless if you choose to accept it or not.

This is the best book on the history of the Afrikaners despite its shortcommings. It is ironic that the policy of apartheid, which made Afrikaners a household name and a single Afrikaans word, a derogative international slogan, receives only 50 pages covering. In a timeline of their history this is befitting, although one might criticize it. Yet, one must also remember that Giliomee as sociologist published numerous books on the evils of apartheid. What is more dissapointing, is that he skipped a whole generation, who grew up on the renegate protest newspaper "Vrye Weekblad" and who rebelled with the rock music of the Voëlvry movement, his focus being too much on politicians and intellectuals.

This fascinating book is subtitled, "Biography of a People," and it certainly lives up to it. The book follows the history of the Boers of South Africa, from their arrival in the seventeenth century, through to the final collapse of apartheid and beyond (the book having been published in 2003). Along the way, the reader is treated to an in-depth and yet highly readable history that makes South African history come alive in an exciting and highly informative way.

I must say, this book is nothing short of a tour de force! I have read several books on South Africa, and I must admit that I was at first intimidated by this book's size and appearance, which convinced me that it was a school book. But, while this book is eminently useful as a school book, it is still highly readable, making South Africa's history interesting. It covers many details without sounding dry and academic.

So, while I have read several books on South Africa's history, I can easily say that this is the best one that I have read so far. If you are interested in South Africa and the Boers, then this is the best book you can get on the subject. I give this book my highest recommendations!

Nog nooit het ek geskiedenis so pakkend ervaar nie. Die boek lees soos 'n roman wat jy net nie kan neersit nie. En dit laat allerhande vrae -- dit bly jou by. Lees dit!

A wonderful book and the first of its kind to bring the Afrikaner historical experience up to date. From their beginnings as Dutch colonizers to their Brutal wars with the Zulu as they trekked northward to escape British imperialism. The Dutch of Africa became a hardened and embittered people. As they grew from a paltry group of colonists to become their own tribe, whose roots in S. Africa predate the migration of the Zulu, they also became hardened against those who wanted to crush them, namely the British and the more viscous of S. Africa natives. This book tells the tale of a people between two worlds, on one hand the African world of the Natives and the European of the imperialists. In the end the Afrikaans, being so numerous and having no country to call home could not simply move, the way so many whites did when fleeing black nationalism in Africa. The Afrikaners became victims of their own situation, although the first to suffer the horrors of the concentration camp, and although a poor and starving people in 1900 they grew to dominate S. Africa, and many opposed helping the English in WWII. A marvelous account that brings to life the history of the region this is a muct read for anyone interested in Africa, Aparthied or colonialism's consequences.

This is a wonderful new full account of the Afrikaner people of South Africa. This narrative history ranges from the first Dutch settlements to the post-apartheid era. It covers the Great Trek, the Zulu Wars and gives special attention to the harsh treatment of the Afrikaners at the hands of the British during the Boer War, in which many were forced into the worlds first concentration camps. A very fluid history and one of the only books to focus on the history of the Afrikaners as a people and a culture. The author is an eminent South African Historian, and an original fighter against Apartheid, yet he argues passionately to explain the reasons the Afrikaners, their nationalists having come to power in 1948, choose apartheid over majority rule. Important leaders are revealed such as Mr. Smuts, Mr. Botha and Mr. De Klerk as well as insights into Mandela and Mbeki's rule. A must read for scholars of south Africa and those interested in Apartheid, its creation and consequences.

The text is informative and succinct. But it's the illustrations that "make" this book. They are gorgeous and somewhat haunting.

This book is as beautifully illustrated by Diane & Leo Dillon as it is well written by Margaret Musgrove, and the Caldecott Award committee only did what it had to: acknowledge a hands-down winner, a book for the ages. Westerners particularly will find their eyes opened, even today, to the range and depth of Africa - a great and beautiful aid in helping children appreciate - and adults to remember - the array of cultural diversity in a poorly understood continent. The alphabet is presented in order, of course, but this is way more than your rote A-B-C primer... get it in hardcover if you can, or paperback if you can't, but get it! Gift-shoppers, get extra copies for yourselves - you'll be very glad you did!!

My brother & I received this book when we were children in 1980 from our parents. It's one of my favorite childhood books & I still have the same copy. It's a great way to introduce African culture to not only African American children, but all children who yearn to learn about other cultures.

This is a book that describes different African tribes from each letter of the alphabet. This is a great way to teach children about African tribes, and the book also pronounces each tribe so it is easier to read. The illustrations are wonderful and full of detail. This would be a great lesson in the classroom to learn about Africa. It would also be great to use each page as a poster or transparency.

Ho hum, thought I when I first saw this book. Yet another African alphabet book. It wasn't too long ago that I read, "Jambo Means Hello", the Swahili alphabet book by Muriel Feelings that was published in 1974. That book was okay, but I was disappointed that it didn't distinguish between tribes or acknowledge the advance of technology in Africa in the 1970s. Then I picked up this 1976 Caldecott winning book and upon reading it I was stunned. This book is everything that "Jambo Mean Hello" SHOULD have been. With meticulously researched information, delicate details, and stunning illustrations this book deserves to be read to every single child in elementary school for as long as there are either children or schools.

The book goes through the alphabet by naming a different tribe for each letter. First of all, I was surprised that there actually was an African tribe for every letter in the alphabet. Shows what I know. As we view each tribe we get a stunning illustration of their clothing, towns or villages, and activities. Author Margaret Musgrove describes their life, picking out the most interesting details for each. Through this method we learn that in Baule legend the crocodiles aided them when they were at war with the Ashanti. Or we find out that in the Tuareg tribe the men are veiled and the women do most of the talking, storytelling, and poetry. From A to Z we see a wide spectrum of African inhabitants, ending with a map of Africa that shows where each tribe resides.

But it doesn't stop there. Feelings explains in her Author's Note in the front that modern technology is changing the face of African life, though she contends that the traditions pictured in this book are still being passed on from generation to generation. She points out that some customs mentioned here are unique and relate only to that particular tribe while other values and philosophies are shared by all. She is even so careful as to point out that many (not all) African language prefixes are added to denote the plural. She, however, has used the root words throughout the book for simplicity's sake. Should you have any doubts about the background of this author, you can read in a tiny note on the publication page that she lived and studied in Ghana for years and a list of publications consulted is included. And if you've any doubts about the illustrations, don't. As noted, even the interwoven designs at the corners of the pages are based on Kano Knots. Every article of clothing, every animal, every home depicted here is accurate and beautiful.

I don't mean to pooh-pooh "Jambo Means Hello", but that book hasn't got anything on the amazing "Ashanti to Zulu". It's stunning.

The story of the South African struggle for liberation has been told in many ways by those who participated in this worthy course to liberate the country from the yoke of oppression.Never have I come accross this kind of perspective as postulated by Tsoaledi(Daniel)in his book.

His story is so compelling that I urge you to spare some time to read it in this book.

It is an incredible first hand account of the struggle for liberation in South Africa from the apartheid regime.
A must read for anyone interested in knowing more about the oppressed and exploited masses, in people's struggles worldwide, nature of racism and exploitation.
I therefore recommend you to read this book.

It is an incredible first hand account of the struggle for liberation in South Africa from the apartheid regime.
A must read for anyone interested in knowing more about the oppressed and exploited masses; in peoples struggles worldwide, nature of racism and exploitation.
I therefore recommend you to read this book.

The story of the South African struggle for liberation was told only from one perspective for a long time.A lot of people only know about a liberal or a non-racial approach to the struggle against apartheid.

Mr.Thobejane brings another perspective which was not known by many people especially outside South Africa.The Black Consciousness approach, which was mooted by people such
as Steven Bantu Biko and others, as Tsoaledi clearly states,should also be brought to the front so that we can fully understand what entailed this worthy struggle to liberate the oppressed in this country.

By reading his book, I can now understand these different underpinnings of the struggle for liberation especially from the Black Consciousness school of thought.I therefore recommend you to read this book.

Tsoaledi gives an incredible first hand account of the struggle for liberation in South Africa. He details the apartheid regime's
stronghold on the oppressed and exploited masses, and gives a powerful alternative. A must read for anyone interested in peoples struggles worldwide.

Richard Trout's second book, Elephant Tears, kept my attention to the end just like his first novel. Again, Trout's knowledge of endangered wild life, research of the customs and people, and descriptions of the land made me feel like I was in Africa.

Poaching, government corruption, and the beautiful animals of Africa combine to make Trout's second MacGregor Family Adventure a great read. Once again Trout puts the MacGregor family in an exotic location with an action-packed adventure that you won't want to put down. This time it is not just the kids as Jack MacGregor and his kids gets stranded by poachers in the African bush to test their survival skills. Trout also helps us see the tradgedy of what poachers do to the great animals of Africa. If you want a book that takes you on a African adventure, this is it.

From the author of CAYMAN GOLD comes the second of three books in the MacGregor Family Adventure Series. Teens who enjoy the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, and young adults who thrive on outdoor adventure and action stories, won't be able to put ELEPHANT TEARS down until they've read it all the way through. At least once.

Richard Trout, author, environmental biologist, consultant and college professor, invites us to join the MacGregor family on an East African wildlife adventure. We hit the ground running as the novel opens in the Masai Mara Wildlife Preserve where we join Chris, Heather and Ryan MacGregor, a baby elephant and a handful of angry lions. We're immediately pulled into a world of survival of the fittest. Unfortunately for much of the wildlife, poachers are sometimes the fittest, rifles in hand.

Through the eyes of the MacGregor teens and their Kikuyu friend, Rebecca, we cross the Serengeti, hike Mt. Kilimanjaro, camp in the bush with hyenas, and give thanks we aren't having roast agama lizard for dinner. Rebecca and the MacGregor teens encounter the heart-breaking devastation the poachers leave behind, while fighting for their own lives in the African bush. What will happen if the poachers learn they've been exposed? Will the teens' parents find them before it's too late?

Trout weaves his extensive knowledge of wild animal conservation and primitive camping and survival skills into a novel rich with action-packed scenes. His informative, entertaining style infuses us with enthusiasm for conservation and environmental issues. By the time we read the last page, we want more. Trout, a passionate advocate of endangered and threatened animals, gives us more, with his heart-felt introduction, glossary, list of library and internet resources, and recipe for Marrakech Stew.

It's Clive Cussler for teens. Once you read ELEPHANT TEARS, you'll be eagerly scanning the shelves for copies of the first and third books in the MacGregor Family Adventure Series.

5 out of 5 wildlife preserves
Reviewed by True North
gottawritenetwork.com
May 18, 2005

As a librarian and mother, it is about time an author writes books for young adults that have nothing to do with [love making], drugs, or dysfunction. Mr. Trout brings world issues to the attention of young adults while appealing to their sense of adventure. This particular book uses the written word to describe an area that not a lot of young people have ever seen, and while they read the book, the images of Africa truly come alive.

If you were just trying to decide whether to buy this book or not, I have one comment- BUY IT!!! It is a GREAT book that is fast-paced, often educational in a fun way, and thrilling- I LOOOVE this book series and i'm about to buy the third one, falcon of abydos, buh-bye!

PS: BUY IT!!!

REVEWED BY SCOTTY THOMPSON LAS VEGAS NV, THERE ARE TWO ELITES, A HISTORY OF THE RHODESIAN SAS AND HER COMPANION THE ELETE PICTORIAL. BOTH ARE UNQUESTIONALY THE BEST ON THE WAR IN RHODESIA.BOTH INDESPENSABLE!! NO COLD WAR LIBIRARY SHOULD BE WITH OUT BOTH!! DO NOT READ ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER!! BARBRA COLE IS WALKING LIVING HISTORY! THEY WILL MAKE YOU CRY. THERE IS ONLY ONE C TROOP! SEMPER FI "AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING, WE WILL NOT FORGET THEM, WE WILL NOT FORGET THEM"

Having just reread this book, I remain as impressed by it as ever and continue to recommend it to anyone interested in either Rhodesia or the SAS. It's a great contribution to the history of the Rhodesian war and as time proves Smith was right all along about Mugabe, a remainder of much that was lost and of the Rhodesians who gave their lives fighting for our shared values.

"They shall not grow old,
As we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun,
And in the morning,
We will remember them.
We will remember them."

I Read this book as a young soldier just starting out on a 23 year odessy,and i can honestly say it is still one of the best books on Special forces to be read. Not only is it informative bringing you upto speed on the Rhodesian's dire situation it also show's you how the SAS learned to react fast to changing terrorist tactics and modus operandi so they where hot on the terrorist tracks and not locking the door after the horse had bolted! The book also looks at the equipment that was designed for combat and the excellent pictures show you just how advanced their personal load bearing equipment design was, most modern systems are a variation of their theme! The Rhodesians ability to improvise was and still is legendary and their tenacity,Aggression,daring are what modern soldiers aspire to. I had the honour of serving along side ex RLI,SAS,Parabats and Selous scouts whilst in the British Army and they are as impressive soldiers in real life as they are in print! The shame of the Mother country abandoning them to thier fate after all the sacrifices they made for us in both World Wars and Malaya, however while books like this survive "Their name liveth for ever more, They were Men amongst Men" An excellent companion book to "Pamwe Chete" and Chris cocks Fireforce". Highly reccomended.

This is truly a one of a kind, straight up and informative look into a people who stood up to the world but in the end were ganged upon and betrayed by the so called world leaders of the day.. They did so much with so little and yet made a difference. My hat goes off to all the Rhodesian units. Counter insurgency>this is it.. p>s More men more time, Hmmm ,Could have been a different ending. Five stars all the way, IB

Simply put, this is the best Non-Fiction unit history I have ever read...the amount of research that went into this book is phenominal. You MUST READ this book! The only question that remains is...Where can I get the "Elite Pictorial? "...if someone knows...EMAIL ME!

TE

I looked up 'foolhardy' in the dictionary, and Jeffrey Tayler's picture was there for illustration. Even Tayler admits at the end, in a brief but moving epilogue, that his initial motivations for the trip were absurd: "I had pictured (Zaire's) wilderness as a bourn where I could rejuvenate myself through suffering and achievement and the conquest of my fear. But my drama of self-actualization proved obscenely trivial beside the suffering of Zaireans and the injustices of their past. That it should have seems obvious to me now, but I learned this only by buying a pirogue and attempting the descent."

It's that type of personal insight - not the trip itself - that makes "Facing the Congo" such a great read. In fact, the blurbs for this book are misleading and fail to capture the best parts of the book. For example, the back cover says "But once his tiny boat pushed off the banks of the mysterious river...".

Hey, I'm here to tell you (and I think Tayler would agree) that the *least* compelling part of the book is the pirogue trip itself. It's what leads *up to* the first step in the pirogue and what happens after the trip that makes the book stand out from the average travelogue. Tayler travels upriver in a barge owned and operated by the book's standout character: Zairean Colonel Ekoondo. And, luckily, Tayler is obviously as fascinated with the guy as he figures his readers will be. In fact, when Tayler departs the barge and the Colonel leaves the picture, Tayler deflates...and so does the energy of the book. The paragraph where he takes leave of the Colonel is spine-tingling:

"There was another knock on the door. It was the Colonel. He looked grave. 'Don't play games with your safety. Hire a soldier.' He fixed me with his eyes. He stepped forward and hugged me hard, then wished me bon voyage and walked out...I closed the door and leaned back against the wall, feeling my heart pounding. In fact I was trembling. Whether he was in league with Mobutu or not, the Colonel had helped and protected me. He had treated me like a son; he had been straightforward with me; he hard asked nothing of me, nothing at all. During the long trip upriver I found only he dealt with me without pretense, without discernable ulterior motive; and only he perceived the risks of my venture and thought in practical terms about how to surmount them. Now I would go on without him."

Well done, Mr. Tayler. That's brilliant stuff.

The other thing worth noting: this is no ordinary traveler. Tayler's sojourns are backed by his astounding linguistic skills. This is a guy who speaks fluent French, Arabic and Russian for starters. And he picks up some Lingala for the journey. This guy is incredible. Thanks for the ride, Mr. Tayler (although staying at home with Tatyana in Moscow sounded like a far better option to me).

Tayler's ability to capture the full flavor of Africa while giving the reader room to make an assesment of this often violent culture attests to his flare and careful attention to the human experience. Tayler never forgets that he is traveling this river looking at its inhabitants with Western lenses. For the reader looking for adventure, this book is full-flavored. For a fellow and perhaps struggling writer, Tayler's words speak a priceless and empathetic language. But what makes the book most successful is that it speaks to anyone who has lived, loved, and searched for that missing piece, realizing it can always be found in the journey. It is travel writing at its best, full of observations and rhetorical questions presented to the reader as writing's greatest gift.

A great read for anyone interested in adventure travel or Central Africa. Tayler chronicles his travels along the 1,100 plus mile Congo river in Zaire, and his personal journey to find meaning in his existence.

Demonstrating laudatory courage, Tayler navigates the dangers of the Congo (e.g., weather, disease, beasts, banditry, corruption, etc.), first up-river as passenger on a barge, and then down-river along with two Zairean companions in his pirogue (a small wooden canoe) - a trip no mondele (i.e., white man) may have completed since the explorer Stanley (many of the several who have tried did not survive). The result is a compelling tale that provides a glimpse into Tayler's inner soul and the people of Central Africa, while also indirectly shedding light on political, economic and social issues regarding the developed and undeveloped world.

An eminently enjoyable read that you are not likely to be able to put down, and one which may cause you to contemplate planning your own existential journey.

This is perhaps the best travel log I've ever read. It makes those in the western world appreciate more what they have compared to the desolation that wreaks havoc in this area of the world (in particular).

It is the journey of an American living in Moscow who wants to retrace Henry Stanley's trek down the Congo River in modern day Zaïre. It chronicles his planning; the trip to Brazzaville, Congo; the ferry to Kinsasha, Zaïre; the barge up to Kisangani; and the trek back town towards Kinsasha. It chronicles the folks he met (those who helped and those who hurt), personal fears and human tragedy.

There are even a few incidents of humor interjected (for those who have read the book: When Desi uses the toothpaste, the use of the shotgun, the TV show playing at the Kinsasha diner, among others).

It is, as Bill Bryson describes it, an "immensely gripping tale." I never found myself bored with it and was able to tackle its reading quite quickly (for me). I was actually near tears right at the end because I had become so involved with the book and its characters and I almost felt as if the tragedy was my own.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in either Zaïre (or Dem. Rep. Congo as it is today), Africa, or just likes to read a well written and intensely interesting novel.

Part travelogue, part memoir, Jeffrey Tayler's Facing The Congo takes the reader on a memorable and fascinating journey into sub-Saharan Africa's crocodile waters and lush jungles, lush jungles, and a spectacular variety of merchants, deckhands, prostitutes, mothers, spiritual followers, fishermen, children, and many other assorted charecters. From lively marketplace banter to cramped, mosquito infested sleeping spaces, Facing The Congo is the story of Tayler's trip up and down the legendary Congo River complete with fog covered backwaters, hostile tribes, and true-life high adventure. Facing The Congo is thoroughly satisfying, enthusiastically recommended reading for the armchair traveler.

Having lived in Southern Africa and talked to people who had knowledge of those events this is a good account of what went on for a historical point of view. I would recommend reading the entire series. A very good read!

I am a 49 year old man who has recently taken up reading after an absence of too many years. I have found that Wilbur Smith's books have filled the void of recent changes in my lifestyle. Although I started with Angry as The Sea some ten years ago, I cannot read Mr. Smith's novels quickly enough. Each thought or phrase summons me into it's very existance. My only regret is that memory will not allow me the pleasure of re-visiting Mr. Smith's adventures.

This book is, beleive it or not, right on par with Smith's other breathtaking adventures like Birds of Prey, Monsoon, Blue Horizon, Seventh Scroll etc. Only River God can be considered better (and even that is close). None of the books in the Courtneys of Africa series or the others in the Ballantyne series can even come close to this book. A truely marvellous adventure yarn and one of the overlooked gems in the entire genre, A Falcon Flies is a masterpeice which, if had been published after Smith became internatioanlly famous (that is, after River God), would have done as well as any of Smith's other monster bestsellers.

I must say as a fan of Wilbur Smith, this book captures anyone's imagination from the first page to the last and it leaves you wanting to start on the next one in the series. As an African and Zimbabwean in which most of this story takes place I am left with no option but to salute Mr. Smith. He is a briliant researcher and an accurate writer of our historical stories even though he calls them fiction. Some of the facts are so true that you really feel you're in that age. He gives vivid descriptions of the Ndebele state as if he was there during that time. I have no problem rating it 5 out of 5!!!

Wilbur Smith is my favorite author, and "A Falcon Flies" is one of his best. You are introduced to the Ballentyne's, Maj. Zouga Ballentyne and his sister, Dr. Robin Ballentyne as they search Africa for their missing father, the famous missonary and anti-slavery cruscader Fuller Ballentyne and have the bad luck to travel to Africa on board the ship of Mungo St.John, who it turns out, is a infamous slave trader himself...With that breathless start, you would expect action and lots of it, and you won't be disappointed. Duels, attack by slave traders on the Ballentyne safari, and ship to ship battles with thundering broadsides are but some of what is in store for the reader. Smith has never been afraid to write a strong woman character, and Robin Ballentyne certainly qualifes, coming close to unsympathic, being saved mainly by her constant concern for human life, never hestiating to place her own in jepoardy to help the ill or injured, but always sure of being right and never hestiating to say so. Neither is Zouga perfect, being more concerned with making the expedition profitable,from gold and ivory, than finding his father.All of Wilbur Smith's books are of the "keep you up late reading it" variety but "Falcon" is ones of his best, which makes it one of THE best, period.....

Hey i loved reading the boook Heven Shop, I never wanted to put it down it rocked it was so fantasicing!!! I have loved all of your books that I have read!!!
Carly.....13yrs Ontario

The heaven Shop, By Deborah Ellis is about a 13- year old girl, Binti Phiri who works at a popular radio show called, "Gogo's Family," to help earn for the family. Binti lives with her brother, Kwasi, her older sister, Junie and her father, who earns money for the family by making coffins at his shop, The Heaven Shop. Binti's mother had died of AIDS when Binti was a child. As a responsible and typical child, Binti is shocked to hear her father has also passed away, because of the same horrible disease: AIDS. Now, Binti is only an AIDS orphan, separated from her Kwasi and forced to live with her Uncle Wysom and Aunt Agnes. Junie's fiancé's, Noel, breaks up their engagement because as said by Noel her family had been "tainted by AIDS." At Binti's new home she and her sister are treated worse than slaves and are forced to give up all their belongings to Aunt Agnes' daughters. Leaving school, Junie runs away from her new home at the urge of finding a new job and leaves a note commanding Binti to go to her Gogo (grandma) who is looking after a group of AIDS orphans and young homeless people (pg. 105). Once again at a new home, Binti meets 13 year old Memory, who already has a child due to Memory's uncle (an HIV positive), who thought raping a virgin will cure AIDS. Binti learns her sister had become a prostitute at one point (pg. 169) and takes help from Jeremiah, an HIV positive man, who helps Binti, find Junie (now HIV Positive) and Kwasi. Kwasi, Junie, Memory and Binti now start a profitable business of coffins to help improve the condition of the AIDS orphanage. They name their business, The Heaven Shop.

The story of Binti a young radio actress. She has no mother and her father dies. Her family is split between relatives, can she get them together again?
A wonderful book. I gives you a childs point of veiw of the aids crisis.
It is well written and apropriate for children and adults alike.

This book is about a girl Binti, living in Malawi in Africa. Her mother died from a disease called Aids. She comes a poor family. She has a brother Kwasi, sister Junnie and her father in her family Every Saturday she goes to her radio studio and earns some money for the family. Her father runs a coffin shop, which is called "The Heaven Shop."

When her father dies of Aids she has only enough money to pay for his funeral. But when her grandmother Gogo says that her father died of Aids she is treated badly by all her relatives. Her whole family is split apart and Binti vows that she will find her brother who as been sent away to their Aunt. But from now on Binti is sent to live with her Aunt and Uncle who are incredibly rude and obnoxious and will not go near her just in case she might have Aids. Their children play horrible tricks on her. She gets hit with a fly swatter almost every day. "No!" she said that was enough so Binti and her sister decide to run away. But her sister has to find work and Binti has to go on her own to Grandmother Gogo's house.

Binti has to find her way to safety but without her sister or her brother. It's very hard for her and she has to face many challenges. When she gets to grandmother Gogo's house she meets a girl who has Aids. She didn't get treated differently because of her positive attitude and she wouldn't let herself feel different to anyone else. So I think the moral of the story is no matter how different the person may look or if they have a disease or anything that makes them different you should always treat them the same
"Treat others the way you would like to be treated."

My favorite quote in this book was from grandmother Gogo it is
"In the old days, when there were still lions around, if a lion came into our village and carry away our young, we did not keep silent! If we were silent it would keep eating our children we had to make noise. We banged pots and yelled, there is a lion in the village! Then we could get rid of the lion and save our children. There is a lion in our village now. It's called AIDS. It carries away our children and our adults."





This is a very gripping book and it is very intense you will never want to put it down. It carries you away to another world. Here we are thinking that a holiday is fun and there they are thinking that getting some food is amazing! When you compare your life to theirs it makes you think how lucky you are and it makes you appreciate your life and the world around you.

How would you feel if you had AIDS and you were treated differently to others? I can tell you that. I would feel awful. I would feel as though I've been thrown into a ditch and left there. But like Binti and Memory I would pick myself up and carry on and not let myself or anyone make me feel different or be treated differently.

By: Rima (New Zealand)

This book is about a girl named Binti. Her father owns a shop called the Heaven Shop. Her mother died of a disease called Aids. Binti works for a radio show called Gogo's family. then her father dies of Aids. Her sister and her brother loose everything. Her sister and Binti go to their Uncle's,where they work in the bar that they own. Their brother on the other hand got to their Aunts where he gets caught stealing and gets sent to jail.He only stole the food because they were starving him, he was better feed in the jail.Everyhting goes to their releatives, they manage to save alot of money and then of course they find it. Binti and her sister escape and got in search for their grandmother, Gogo. Her sister takes of elsewhere. Later she comes back HIV positive. Binti meets a girl her age Miracle that has AIDS and is still strong. She even has a baby with AIDS. in the end they all get united. t didn't matter that her sister was HIV positive and that their parents both die of AIDS. When you read this book it will take you on an adventure that discovers that it doesn't matter if you have AIDS or your HIV positive, just live your life to the fullest because you never know when it might end. Your still the same person inside whether you have a disease or not.Trust me you will not want to put this book down i know i didn't.Go ahead take a chance read it it will truly change the way you think about something.