Africa Books

This interesting historic document allows the often ignored voice of the Rwandan people to be heard. Witness testimony is horrifyingly poignant when the victim is made known so clearly to the reader. It is as if I could see their faces and feel their fears. I have read many reference works on the genocide in Rwanda but none so accurately put me in the shoes of the victims. The killers are also represented, as are the international community and their failures, the actions of the church, the former government, the current government and members of the Rwandan Patriotic Army. This book really made me feel for the writers, the Rwandans themselves who have suffered so much through the failings of the international community.

For anyone with an already-primed interest in the terrible events of 1994 in Rwanda, this book is tremendously valuable.

It seeks to filter as little as possible the views of Rwandans. There are, in this book, some deeply disturbing survivor's accounts of the genocide, transcribed, unvarnished, from their own testimony. It is all the more powerful for the directness of its expression.

Most valuable to me was the material explaining the colonial origins of the division between Tutsis and Hutus. It is extraordinary to me that when Rwanda and Burundi were "assigned" to Germany in the 1880s, no European had even set foot in those lands. When they came, their pursuit of control caused divisions where previously - on this evidence - none had existed. Blame for the genocide must be seated in the Belgian colonial rulers in general (they took over after 1916), and the missionary churches in particular. This book explains why.

Rwanda, more than any other event since WW2, makes us consider the question put eloquently here by one of the witnesses: what is humanity? Who is included? Who is left out? For the world not to have acted effectively to have prevented the Rwandan cataclysm stands to its shame. Kofi Annan has admitted as much, but the real fault lies with everyone and we should all be ashamed.

The compilers of this book have acted bravely in including an apologia from the authors of the genocide. We hear their voices. We must be sickened by them. We must acknowledge that we were warned; the voices existed long before the worst of the genocide began.

Knowing what we know about the world, would we prevent it next time? Be honest now; would we?

Definitely intriguing and disturbing how humanity can be so cruel and evil to fellow humans. "Genocide in Rwanda" offers multiple views on the genocide from different people, not just the authors. The book is an excellent place to start if you are have not learnt much about Rwanda. You watch the genocide through various lenses and angles. Rwanda (and every other country in the world) should realize that only it has the power to change itself for the better or worse. Ultimately, they (Hutus and Tutsis) should take responsibiltty for what they did to themselves and to their own country.

The origins of the genocide in Rwanda started on the day the Germans colonized the country. The Belgians further polarized the once unified country into Hutu, Tutsi (and Twa). From then on the whole country was on a down-hill spiral. The culture of impunity set in, and the country was never able to recover. One thing let to the other...then BOOM, April 1994 came. UNAMIR was never meant to be their salvation. Neither was the "international community" - which heartily ignored the genocide. The Somalia situation is often used as an easy excuse as to why the world did not intervene...which is quite ridiculous. How does this same "international community" explain why the genocide in Sudan today has been ignored for decades? This should teach individual countries to resolve their own problems and to frown on external/foreign reliance.

This is the story of the genocide in Rwanda in all its power and horror expressed by the people who experienced it - Rwandans themselves. Therefore, it is the most important of all of the books on the subject. The others are also important and some may be more eloquent as literature, but none match Genocide in Rwanda for sheer unvarnished and unfiltered honesty and integrity. The book also provides an invaluable chronology of Rwanda that illuminates a vital perspective on the political and tribal conditions that precipitated the killing.

The previous reviewer,Rueben, is obviously basing his review on a personal dislike of the author. This book contains true facts about how communism infiltrates a society and the intimidation tactics they use to make people cooperate with them. It shows how they use class and race envy as a tool to motivate people to their cause. This book shows the atrocities committed to both the blacks and the whites, and those who call it racist have definitely not read the book too carefully.Even on the website, the author shows the horrible tragedy of the many lives lost amongst all races due to the communist thirst for power at any cost. There is more to this story than race; its greed. The book will serve as a warning to Americans not to listen to the Marxism that is touted in the country that supposedly makes everything equal. In this book he shows how communism creates crop failure, and how it prevents any country, not just African countries, from fully developing their rich resources. While they blame their economic failures on drought, it is easy to see by the evidence this man presents, that though many countries have drought, it is how the land is managed that makes is prosperous, something that communism has failed to do.If you really are open minded to truth, this book will provide a true history of the region. Whether or not one likes the author, is not the point.

It was with great interest I read the work of author Jan Lamprecht, a former Rhodesian who has lived in South Africa since the take-over by Mugabe in the early 1980's. I first read Mr. Lamprecht's work on the Rense.com website, and found it easy to read, personal and informative.

When Government By Deception was completed and offered to the public, I bought six copies for friends of mine. Two of them live in South Africa. The others are from the states. All have found the book to be an interesting and informative read. They are glad to see someone offering some real information on southern Africa. Mr. Lamprecht has good sources of information and some very interesting interviews are scattered throughout the book.

If you like history, you will find interesting historical facts on southern Africa. The book was carefully researched and has many quotes by well known political players in this bloody and tension filled arena. Due to this book and articles by Mr. Lamprecht, the American people will, if they choose, see the many similarities between our countries. They will learn how the communists have pitted the blacks and whites against each other in a war that neither will benefit from. The destruction and suffering going on in southern Africa at this time will serve only a few who seek power and wealth for themselves alone. There is a message here for American's. This book will help you understand more clearly the signifigance of how little truthful news we are exposed here in the states, regarding southern Africa. How much do we hear regarding the brutal murders of some 1400 white Afrikaner farmers in South Africa? More recently the farm murders and the takeover of white farms in Zimbabwe are at last getting some attention. You will read about the workings of socialism and the potent weapon of white guilt. The importance of detecting the mind games and psychological warfare being used on the American as well as the African people each and every day.

I believe you will be surprised and perhaps shocked at some of the information presented in this book. It is an excellent buy, and a great effort by someone who KNOWS first hand what it feels like to see your beloved homeland painted "RED" with the blood of her people.

My suggestion to fellow Americans is to buy the book, read it, learn from it, and act on what you have learned.

The Author of this book has a website, with the latest news, photos, etc regarding Southern Africa.

It is: http://WWW.AfricanCrisis.org

I have read the book Government by Deception by Jan Lamprecht. I found the book had good information on the present day situation in South Africa. Jan is a computer-programming expert and used his talent to give a great analysis of the situation. He lays out the situation with an open mind gives credit where credit is due even though he may not agree with the results. He grew upon farm in Zimbabwe and left there when Mugabe came to power. He now lives in South Africa and has been in the middle of all the changes in Government. He is a great writer and has written a very interesting book

...

This book was probably one of the most relevant, gripping and epic history books I have ever read. The numerous parallels between the Iraq war and the Boer War make it all the more powerful.
Most Brit academics are long on tangential, spurious fact and short on prose. This is were Farwell parts with his contemporaries. It can be read by the casual historian (skip some of the long sieges) or the consummate soldier, as Byron fully illustrates the flaws and strength of each protagonist at every major turning point. He does not hold back personal judgment which adds much needed context. He imbues these real characters with life allowing this to become more Epic than history book.
As an avid reader of insurgent doctrine this ranks up there with: Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife, A War Like No Other and Guerrilla Warfare (Che not Mao).
While it is a hefty read I dare you to put this down after the first couple chapters. You will not be disappointed.

Simply put, one of the greatest, most detailed and yet most readable histories, military or otherwise, to ever have been published. If you have even a passing interest in history, this book is for you. The parallels that can be drawn to our present day situation in the middle east are shocking, and this book was written quite a while ago.

Quite easily the best book on the topic of the second Anglo-Boer war. If there were but one book you read concerning this timely subject, it is this one. The author leads the reader on a fast-paced but thorough and enjoyable tour of the people and places involved. The intermixture of battlefield strategic and tactical decisions are interspersed with human stories of the men who carried out the orders and the political forces that fueled the conflict. A must have for the panoramic big picture with detail enough to satisfy the most avid military historian. It is a work I come back to again and again.

This is an absorbing, well written account of a neglected (by American readers anyways) war at the turn of the last century. Rather than being a dry academic text, Farwell's writing style serves to bring the war to life 100 years after the fact.

Coupled with other accounts of the war, like Goodbye Dolly Gray (another excellent book) written by Rayne Kruger, the average reader can understand some of the causal factors of South Africa's apartied system and gain an insight into the history of a long troubled region.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any reader looking for a fast-paced non-academic history of the Boer War. You won't go wrong.

In preparing for a trip to Ethiopia, I found information about the country both scarce and scant. Phillip Briggs' guide has become a valuable tool for planning and introduction to this remote area of Africa. The fourteen chapters cover everything from history and culture to tourist information, health preparations and travel specifics for nine distinct areas of the country. Though Mr. Briggs admits that he found it very difficult to find pertinent information about Ethiopia, the factual portions of the book are both readable and accurate. It is, however, the specific information for the traveler in Ethiopia that is most valuable. In a very readable style, the author relates, for each area, information about climate, routes, sightseeing, transportation, accommodations, food, religion, local practices, parks, wildlife, and specific topics of interest. The humor of the writer makes this guide very interesting and readable. His maps of each of the areas a! re most often of his own making, as regional maps for many remote areas seem to have been nonexistant. The treatment of the "Faranji," or "foreigner," in Ethiopia is dealt with throughout the book. The author tells of his encounters with friendly, but nonetheless, persistent children who accompanied him everywhere with pushing, touching, staring, screaming and, on occasion, rock-throwing. Briggs' humor keeps him and his reader going as both progress through the book. For example, in his introduction, Briggs tells of his own introduction to Ethiopians while visiting Nariobi: "A troupe of white-robed musicians approached our table and erupted into smirking discord. Then, signalled by an alarming vibrato shriek, all hell broke loose in the form of a solitary Ethiopian dancer. Her mouth contorted into the sort of psychotically rapturous grimace you'd expect from Jack Nicholson at his most hammy. Her eyes closed. Her shoulders jerked a! nd twitched to build up a manic, dislocating rhythm. Benea! th her robe--driven, presumably, by her metronomic shoulders--a pair of diminutive breasts somehow contrived to flap up and down with an agitated regularity suggestive of a sparrow trapped behind a closed window. I left that room with one overwhelming impression: Ethiopians are completely bonkers. I knew, too, that I had to visit their country." ...and visit he did. And he has left an account for the reader of a remarkable journey into an area of the world that the reader will certainly want to get to know better. I look forward to his upcoming revision of this indispensible travel guide, to be published soon.

Although I haven't yet travelled to Ethiopia, I have read the book several times to enable me to plan an itinerary. The book is essential reading for those wishing to travel to Ethiopia. ANY information on Ethiopia is scarce and the excellent conversational style of the author makes for an enjoyable and, at times, humorous read. Compared to other travel books on Ethiopia, this book is unsurpassed in providing positive down-to-earth information without glossing over the negative aspects of travel in this country. I am sure the 'mud maps' of major towns, accommodation and dining out information will prove invaluable to the independant traveller. And if you are interested in wildlife the author obviously has a sound knowledge of this topic, particularly the birdsof East Africa. He provides comprehensive summaries, scattered through the body of the text, on the birdlife (and other wildlife) you can expect to see in different habitats of the country.

This is a very useful travel guide. Some of the information is outdated (several new regional airports have been constructed and roads paved since this edition was published) but presumably the forthcoming edition will bring the descriptive material up to speed. What really makes this guide, though, (and why I think it is superior to the Lonely Planet guide)is the background material on Ethiopian history and culture. Since it is for historical and cultural reasons (as opposed to say viewing wildlife) that many travellers will visit Ethiopia, this part of the book is a real strength, as is the chapter on intercultural interaction. Reading this guide you get the sense of real human beings writing it, not some generic "three stars for this castle and here is a good restaurant." Definitely recommended.

I haven't read the second edition, but I read the first edition before and during my trip to Ethiopia 5 years ago and found it to be a wonderful and very accurate guide. In addition to the practical nuts and bolts of managing in this unfamiliar culture and language, I liked his attitude about situations he (and I) encountered there.

Thanks JP for your kind words about my book. You - or anyone else reading this - might like to know I've written another new edition recently. The fifth edition of 'Zanzibar - the Bradt Travel Guide' was published in Jan 2003. It's been totally revised, and it's bigger and better than the last edition - well, naturally, I think it's better! But it's not just me. It's been well reviewed elsewhere too. Zanzibar is still a wonderful place, and I hope it continues to prosper.

Thanks JP for your kind words about my book. You - or anyone else reading this - might like to know I've written another new edition recently. The fifth edition of 'Zanzibar - the Bradt Travel Guide' was published in Jan 2003. It's been totally revised, and it's bigger and better than the last edition - well, naturally, I think it's better! But it's not just me. It's been well reviewed elsewhere too. Zanzibar is still a wonderful place, and I hope it continues to prosper.

Don't bother looking any further for a guide, Bradt outdoes them all. Zanzibar, while extremely laid-back and peaceful can be a bit complex, if only because it's on the other side of the planet (for 99% of the world, anyway). The author does a fantastic job of explaining the nuances, accurately rating and describing the various tourist facilities, and helping to acclimate the reader before arrival (He's also not too shy to review his own book, I see). I've had two Bradt guides, and each time I've purchased the same guide from another publisher....each time I've ended up discarding the other in favor of the Bradt. Don't waste your money....

I'm the author of this book! But there seems to be no space for editorial comment on this page. I have visited the islands of Zanzibar several times since the mid-1980s. Until recently, the greatest impression the islands made on me was the `un-spoiltness' of it all. This was mainly due to the local political situation and the efforts required by travellers just to reach Zanzibar. In 1985, for example, before the days of high-speed catamarans, the intending visitor had to contend with long and uncomfortable dhow-rides !! However, since then many new hotels have been built and the transport services from the mainland have definitely improved. More visitors come to Zanzibar now than ever before, but it's still only a trickle compared to some other tourist destinations in Africa. Although Zanzibar may have lost some of its isolation, many parts of the islands still retain their unique atmosphere of peace, charm and remoteness. It's always a pleasure to return to Zanzibar to write a new edition. Things have changed, but I'm pretty sure we've got most things in this new book. It's certainly larger than the last edition! I hope you enjoy Zanzibar.

"A Handful of Summers" is the most informative and entertaining book on tennis I've read.

But the 1997 HarperCollins edition is dreadful: the paper quality is poor, and -- most importantly -- all the photographs are missing. I was so disgusted with it I returned it to Amazon and bought a second-hand copy instead.

The five-star rating is for the writing, not the edition.

Be warned.

I think this book was named the best book on tennis by some or other panel. Though I have not read all that many books on the sport, I cannot imagine a better book on tennis, or any other sport for that matter. Forbes is a delightful author, writing with gentle wit and charm about his childhood on a farm in the Eastern Cape, his tennis career and his life after tennis. Reading the book it is impossible not to mourn the passing of an era when sport was played for the enjoyment thereof, and sports star were friends.

A book that should be read by everybody, not only people interested in tennis or sport.

Gordon Forbes has captured the essence of what sport used to and should still be. From South African farmlands to the lawns of Wimbledon "Forbsie" paints a humorous picture of tennis in the fifties and sixtys. The cast of characters become personal friends and the author like a big brother. A Handful of Summers is among the classics on my bookshelf.

This is a journey through one man's life in an era so different from today. An insight into the world of 'amateur' tennis and its twists of professionalism. An era when tennis was played for the joy of the game, travelling, a varied existence, and a lack of anything better to do!

This traces the realities of life on the tennis tour in the 50s and 60s and the ups and downs which went with it, especially given that Gordon Forbes was from a culture as complex as that of South Africa.

This books gets you really involved in the lives of some of the greatest tennis legends of all time, and others who strove to reach their heady heights, but never quite made it to the top! This book contains so much passion and honesty that it draws you in. You can almost believe that you are right beside these tennis greats, treading in their every footstep, hearing their every breath. You feel as if you grew up with them, laughed their every laugh, and suffered their every defeat.

This is a must for every lover of tennis, and should not be written off by those who have no interest in the game. This is no ordinary tennis chronicle.

Deon Meyer's American debut novel, HEART OF THE HUNTER, is a first-rate thriller, worthy to be on a bestseller list. Not only does Meyer write a fast-moving story, he also acquaints his readers with the landscape of South Africa. He writes suspense that moves quickly and delves deep into the heart of his characters. They jump from the page and involve his reader with immediacy. Meyer invokes sympathy for minor characters as well as his protagonist, Tiny Mpayipheli.

Tiny is a six-foot three strongman, retired from a life of killing for hire to that of a mechanic in a motorcycle shop in a small town. He lives with the woman who changes his life, Miriam Nzululwazi, and her son, Pakamile. All three are drawn into a spider web of life changes that none can control. Tiny's former life seeks him in the form of an old friend, held captive by persons unknown, who is desperate and contacts the quiet giant.

In 1984, the complicated government of a South Africa that has emerged from its struggle for independence is the undercurrent for Meyer's plot. Distrust among competing agencies leads to players with ambition seeking their own dynasties within government departments. Prime among these is Janina Mentz, officer in charge of the Ops Room's special unit of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). Her agency intercepts a phone call from Tiny's friend, Johnny Kleintjes, to his daughter and rolls into action. Mentz's mission is to stop Tiny from delivering a disk, believed to contain sensitive government information. Mentz calls on the diabolical Tiger Mazibuko, a marine officer with no scruples, for help in the Ops mission.

Tiny's skills as a former assassin and KGB operative come into play when he sets forth on a stolen BMW motorcycle across the Cape country to deliver the tape and rescue his old friend. Adrenalin long suppressed by his present pastoral life bursts into activity when he leads his pursuers across the South African veld on a chase for survival. Meyer's description of the terrain makes his audience a part of the story, cheering for Tiny's success and the return to his new life. But we want to witness the strength and skill he possesses as part of the old. We're not disappointed.

HEART OF THE HUNTER is a wealth of information about South Africa's struggle, disparity within her infant government and identity crises in both public and private sectors. Meyer's capable scripting weaves images with identity and blends the two with incredible skill. Chapter breaks blend portions of the story into a continuous thread that connects the characters through common word bonds. For example, Tiny waits for the subject of his first assassination. "The door, dark wood, was shut again...This was not the way to wage war...not right." A section break follows. Then, "There was a bar on the door, white letters on a green background that read PUSH/DRUK, and Miriam obeyed...She realized she was in a dead end."

HEART OF THE HUNTER should be in strong demand in the American market. We'll look for more from this outstanding author.

--- Reviewed by Judy Gigstad

In Cape Town, South Africa, former freedom fighter (or assassin depending on which side you supported) during the "Struggle", Thobela "Tiny" Mpayipheli has become a dedicated family man. He contentedly works at a low paying job because he looks forward to going home every night to his beloved Miriam Nzuluwazi and her son.

His violent past returns when a distraught Monica Kleintjes informs him that his old compatriot in arms her father Johnny needs his help. Tiny owes Johnny so when Monica asks him to deliver a disc to terrorists because if they are not handed over to them by a certain time they will kill her father. He accepts the mission bur the CIA, al Qaeda, the government, and other agencies also want the disk. Killing a retired assassin to obtain what they want is fine by everyone involved as Tiny learns how perilous a friend in need is and how deadly competition can be to the "supplier".

This exciting post apartheid and 9/11 thriller never slows down especially when everyone seems to be chasing after Tiny (actually he is sort of a South African Little John) fleeing on a stolen motorcycle. Tiny is a terrific center of gravity as he keeps the tale moving and focused while the support cast either enables a deep look into the HEART OF THE HUNTER or want to kill him. Cape Town and the surrounding countryside make a fabulous background to the escapades. Though over the top at times, Deon Meyer provides an action packed suspense thriller starring a fabulous hero.

Harriet Klausner

Thobela Mpayipheli is an African giant, ex-spy, who is now living with his fiancé and her son in a small town in South Africa, called Guguletu. He has vowed never to go back to his old life, but his peaceful existence is broken when Monica Kleintjes, the daughter of one of his dear friends from the past, asks for his help. Johnny Kleintjes has been kidnapped and will only be released upon the delivery of a disk containing information that is crucial to national security. Kleintjes gathered this information when working in an integration project in an effort to document the real history relating to the events that took place in the dark era of the Apartheid.

Thobela, or Tiny as his friends call him, is a mysterious man that shows great kindness at moments, and cold-blooded violence at others. In a world when everyone wants to see things white or black, he presents a solid gray. This can be clearly appreciated by the reaction of the people as he goes on his quest, mounted on a powerful motorbike. Some see him as a hero, while others regard him as a dangerous man who cannot be good because he used to work as a "collector" for a drug baron. There is one reporter for the Cape Times, Allison Healy, who tries to answer the question: Is Tiny good or bad? This will provide us with valuable insight regarding the main character, but: can the question be answered with certainty?

One would thing that helping a friend that has been kidnapped would be hard enough, but Thobela has other problems too. Janina Metz, a high ranked officer in one of the intelligence agencies, had a wire that allowed her to listen to the conversation between the kidnappers and Monica. Therefore, she activated a special forces group led by a violent and vicious captain named Mazibuko. The idea is to prevent Tiny from delivering the information to the kidnappers. Thus, he is drawn into a mission filled with dangers and violence; a mission in which he will be faced with a worthy opponent in the relentless captain Mazibuko.

The exotic setting, the cleverly crafted plot, the exciting action, and the rich and complex main character, make this a novel that has it all. Deon Meyer has created a real masterpiece that is not even one notch below the work of some great authors in the genre, like John le Carré. I will be eagerly looking forward to this Meyer's new book!

A man contacts an old friend asking for his assistance; with that one action, a government agency is set in motion, tracking all activity, assessing security and setting safeguards in place, so finely tuned as to be error-proof. In one simple act of acquiescence, lives are irrevocably changed.

A society is defined by the agencies that conduct the business of the people. Developed by the South African Presidential Intelligence Unit (PIU), designed from an intelligence-specific prototype, the Reaction Unit (RU) falls somewhere between a counter-terrorist organization and hostage rescue unit, similar to the British Special Air Services. The creators of the RU have dark dreams of redemption from a shameful past in South African human relations and, given an opportunity to prove the superiority of the unit, envision new beginnings for a country struggling to redefine its political and social systems.

Thobela Mpayipheli, a six-foot-three giant of a man with a gentle heart, has finally found contentment in his life, living quietly with his woman and her young son. A former member of Umkhonto we Sizwe ("the spear of the nation"), part of the black resistance when South Africa was fighting for racial balance and equality. Thobela, AKA Tiny, has made a covenant with himself and those he loves, putting the violence forever behind him. But when an old friend from the past makes a request, it is a call to honor that must be met. Thobela must act as his conscience dictates, aware of what is at stake when he allows his natural instincts to resurface. Tiny is the unknown quantity in the equation, the one man to test the raison d'etre of the RU.

Like all bureaucracies, once set in motion with agendas activated, everything proceeds as planned, inexorable. Regardless of nuance or human complications, these pseudo-machines are incapable of subtlety, or changing plans to adapt to exigent circumstances. Whatever and whoever is in the way is simply collateral damage.

"Contact. Action. Control." Protect the State at all costs. The action man of the Reaction Unit is Tiger Mazibuko, who lives for the thrill of the chase and a worthy opponent. He's been training his team relentlessly, preparing for just such an opportunity. Mpayipheli is the perfect adversary, a man who challenges all the skills Tiger has honed. As long as Tiger's supervisor, Janina Mentz, dehumanizes Mpayipheli, Tiger can behave dispassionately, impossible to stop. Meanwhile, Mentz sits in the catbird seat, answerable only to her Director, watching the machinations as the RU goes into overdrive, tracking Mpaypheli. This is a high-stakes chess game, and it is deadly serious.

The contretemps between man and "machine" balances in fragile stasis before chaos erupts and the forces collide, uncontrollable. Special interests, driven by self-preservation and pride, are motivated by the arrogance bred of power, corrupted, a somnolent decay that destroys the integrity of the agency itself. Meanwhile Mpaypheli's only desire is to fulfill his mission and return home, but circumstances conspire to isolate him, returning him to that state of existence he inhabited when he was a killing machine.

Meyer's complex characterizations are excellent, introspective and compassionate, revealing the underlying humanity that is at war with rigorous indoctrination. These people are multi-faceted, troubled, dealing with the demands of duty vs. personal integrity. Meyer uncovers the layers that form the whole of the human heart and the violence that destroys innocence, fomenting intolerance and distrust. Luan Gaines/2004.

As Hinge fo Fate opens in early 1942, The Japanese had just destroyed most of the American fleet at Pearl Harbor; Japan was about to drive Britain from Southeast Asia and (perhaps) invade Australia; German and Italian troops under Romel were about to invade Egypt, and Stalin's Russia was under attack by the German Army, which had completed itsoccupation of virtually all of Europe, from France to Norway, Lithuania to Greece. Parliament was calling for Churchill's head. This was a true world war (contrast, Bush's War on Terror)--and Britain was losing.

Churchill's reaction--the entry of America and Russia into the war as Britain's allies guaranteed that the Allies would ultimately win--Britain, US, and USSR simply had greater resources than Germany, Japan and Italy. Thus it was only a matter of time.

The attack by Parliament was a sign of a healthy, strong democracy--as Churchill said, how many countries had strong enough political institutions to allow this type of no holds barred debate while under attack, and still survive.

And survive they did. The first half of Hinge of Fate describes a series of worldwide disasters, unbroken by a single significant Allied victory. Then came the legendary battle of Alamein--where General Montgomery beat Rommel, the Allied landing on the north coast of Africa, the US Naval victories at Midway and in the Coral Sea, and Russia's effective resistance against the German Army at Stalingrad and in the Caucasus Mountains.

By the end of 1942, it was not yet clear that tha tAllies would win, but they looked a whole lot batter than they did at the beginning. Along the way, Churchill gives us his impressions of the politics involved--both internal British, within the larger Commonwealth, among the Allies--and particularly his relationship and struggles with Stalin--and the tension between the British (focused on Europe) and the Americans (pushing for more resources to fight the Japanese in the Pacific).

Hinge of Fate continues Churchill's inimitable style, mixing contemporaneous, detailed, memos, telegrams, letters, and directives he wrote, the responses he received, connected by new (in 1950) commentary by Churchill himself. This makes no pretesne at being an "objective" or multi-focused history of WWII. It is clearly, and exclusively, the war from Churchill's unique perspective. But, what a perspective!

Winston Churchill was remarkable, as much as for any other reason, for the sheer volume of words he produced. In a long life, during which he was often preoccupied by both family matters (he had four children) and matters of state, he nevertheless found the time to compose an inordinate number of books. I say compose, because he perfected a system during the first war, which revealed its efficacy more than ever in the second, of working through secretaries. There are many odd anecdotes told about Churchill, not the least of which is that his secretaries, sometimes working in rotation throughout much of the night, were obliged to attend to him and take down what he said, even in the bath. This way of getting the material down in print proved to be very effective, as the tens of thousands of published pages of his work amply demonstrates.

His long history of the Second World War continues with "The Hinge of Fate." Although he was personally assured that the American entry into the war meant the ultimate defeat of Germany, he still had to see to the day to day running of the war machine, and counter the perverse effects of both German victories and British pessimism. Now began, as well, the long battle with Stalin about opening up a second front in France, to take some of the heat off the Russian armies in the East. In fact, his relationship with the Russian leader is one of the most interesting sources of anecdotal references throughout this series.

This is history being well told by a man who was, while perhaps not a trained historian as such, so steeped in the history of his family and his country, that he an utterly unique point of view. The fact that he was also a central figure in the war itself, means that we have, if you like, a one in a million chance victory on our hands, as though we had just won a lottery of sorts, by being able to read him.

Churchill's fourth book, `Hinge of Fate', covers the time period from January 1942 to June 1943. The Japanese, after Pearl Harbor, were advancing through the Malaya peninsula and onwards towards Singapore. With bold offensive strokes Hong Kong, Burma and Singapore were soon in Japanese hands. In the Atlantic, U-boats were taking high tolls in allied shipping and soon the British, Dutch and Americans were being run out of the Pacific. The gains in the African desert were soon lost as Rommel regain the offensive and retakes Benghazi. Churchill now faced censure at home and soon he needed to reorganize his Generals. Hitler was pushing forward on the Eastern front towards Stalingrad and many setbacks were shifting the balance.

This volume is well named as there is much offensive and defensive struggles going on in the Pacific theater, the African desert and the Eastern front. All three Allied countries were up to their necks in trouble, and the Axis forces still had the upper hand. It wasn't until Alamein, on the African coast that the hinge turned in favor of the Allies. Churchill states that "Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat." Some of the most interesting parts of the book are Churchill's relationships with Stalin and FDR. Much has been written about these and it is nice to get Churchill's views and opinions about these men and the struggles they faced. Churchill acted, in many ways, the diplomat and statesman greasing the way between the Allied powers and paving the way for Torch (French North Africa), Bolero (Administrative preparations for invasion of France) and soon Overlord (France liberation 1944). Stalin wanted the Western front cross channel attack, of German held France in 1943 as planned, but because of the efforts on the African desert it wasn't until 1944 that Overlord was able to take place. Churchill needed great diplomacy and FDR's help to convince Stalin of the inability to make Overlord work in 1943.

It is great to read Churchill's rendition of this time and place. He was right in the middle, and at this time, still in command of the allied war effort. Well worth reading and adding to the history shelf.

Because he was writing for a population that had lived through World War II and knew its facts, Churchill's 6-volume history of that time can be more than a little daunting for contemporary readers. His is a kind of top-down history that approaches unconscious autobiography: Churchill seems to feel that reproducting his memos, letters, and "minutes" -- in painfully small type -- will provide the reader with all the info necessary to completely know and understand the war. Of course we know it ain't so; Cornelius Ryan, John Toland, and Stephen Ambrose, just for starters, have written far more accessible and comprehensive histories that present a variety of viewpoints and don't gloss over difficult or unsavory moments. Instead, one should read Churchill in order to read Churchill-- in order to enjoy the company of that most remarkable statesman, in order to savor his impeccable prose and snicker at his wicked humor, in order to marvel at a life that began in mid-Victorian times and ended in the heyday of the Rolling Stones. The man's prescience was uncanny, not only in recognizing the evils of Hitler long before any other world leader, but in comprehending the nature and extent of what was then a genuine Soviet menace. Despite his anachronistic attitudes about people of color, Churchill was no racist; he simply lived in his world as we live in ours, and his story is an object lesson for the present. How much of what we now revere as received truth will be questoned, even debunked, 50 or 60 or 70 years from now? Yet authenticity and honesty will always last longer than glibness and flash, and Churchill has more a & h on one page than the easy-to-read historians have in their entire oevre. I'm afraid our puny and wan little world, so beset with its infantile fears and carefully nurtured insecurities, gooey with political correctness, dizzied with the hoohaw and the yelping of the media, is now far from capable of producing such a giant. Young Winston would be given Ritalin in school today and taught that white males like him are born evil. To paraphrase "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," he saved the world -- a lot -- and he did it with the English language.

Even as a child, and as an African, I have always been interested in the TRUE HISTORY of my continent not told by the so called conqueror, which has always shown people who rebel in a disgustingly bad and unture light. Especially the american majority, who somehow get amnesia regarding the how and why this STOLEN LAND got its so called democracy.
Once again, this book is very detailed and tells how and why really the ENTIRE CONTINENT OF AFRICA, was inflicted with dirty politics (GOLDS,DIAMONDS, MINERAL WEALTH, ETC.),for the ill gotten gaines and total disregard of the indgenous people by europe and the united HATES of america.ESPECIALLY THOSE OF COLOUR.

As a professional legal historian with an interest in both social history (I was nurtured in "Warwick school" historiography) and in colonial legal histories I have a strong professional interest in the subject matter of David Anderson's account of the Mau Mau period in Kenya. The book is first-rate in all respects.

It is more than this however. Thoughtful and learned, it nonetheless reads beautifully.

The book resonated with my own family history however - as it will for many readers around the world. Born into the British Empire of the 1950's, I was raised in a British settler society (Canada), saluted the Union Jack in school each day, and heard stories of Dominion and Empire as I grew up. The British Empire was the best of all possible Empires and its treatment of subjects more humane than others (the USA "Indian Wars" provided particularly strong contrast for one raised in the prairie west). Part of an Irish diaspora family, my cousins lived and live in the old country but also in Canada, Australia, the United States, and New Zealand. One uncle lived out his days in India and one black sheep dedicated herself to a communist liberation of Ireland (another served Scotland Yard arresting suspected IRA terrorists: I think they never met).

Anderson's account of Mau Mau is disturbing, not just for explaining the violence on all sides and the state excesses conducted in the cause of "security" in times of "terror", but for its account of settler society in a colony where the "native" was in the numerical majority.

Ever-smug, Canadians are too prone to celebrate our country's commitment to civil liberties, human rights, and anti-racism. The parcitular features that make Kenya's "White Highlanders" (as the settler society was known) seem vile, however, are features also present on both sides of the border in North America: the first-people's deprivation of lands; the denial of customary entitlements long-established under native law; the refusal of one generation to acknowledge the wrong-doings of their testators; the insistence on non-native political control; and subtle and not-so-subtle racism directed against the lands' first inhabitants.

Though the reader is drawn at every juncture to critical judgment of "White Highlanders", and - by necessary implication on the part of anyoone locating the book in its temporal and spatial context - white Rhodesians, and the creators of South Africa's apartheid state, no descendant of immigrants to any "settler land" can fail to recognize that their own status bears more relation to the "White Highlanders" than to the "native" victims of colonization.

HISTORIES OF THE HANGED is must-reading for settlers and their children everywhere.

Read against the background of telling classics such as Harold Cardinal's UNJUST SOCIETY, it is informative and disturbing in equal measure.

W. Wesley Pue,
Nemetz Chair in Legal History,
University of British Columbia

This expose of the English colonial history of Kenya does a good job setting the record straight on some key issues, and brings to light the suppressed shadow side of the endgme during the period of the Mau Mau. The infamous reputation of the Mau Mau always deflected attention from the totally inept and repressive nature of the last hurrah of the colonialists in the sunset of the British Empire. The colonialization of Kenya was ill-conceived and predatory from the start, and the whole history was a riddled with a set of contradictions, such as the artificial creation of the exploitative white settler culture dooming Kenyan development from the first. You cannot let loose such a gang of people such as the white settler crowd, poor white trash in a true sense, without the rapid appearance of a malignant culture and infrastructure. This account brings to light what was quickly downplayed, the massive repression of the Kikuyu during the Emergency, with the creation of acutal Gulags. The depiction of many of the judicial processes of the period, including the trial of Jomo Kenyatta, is of a mockery of justice. The Kenyan style colony was really an instance of the Empire in decline from its nineteenth century peak and at least the British had the sense after Suez not to prolong the inevitable. See also _Imperial Reckoning_, by Elkins

With the fracas about the American prison at Abu Ghraib in Iraq, one could read this book for a different perspective. It looks back at the anti-colonial rebellion in Kenya after World War 2. Best remembered in Britain and the US for the depredations of the Mau Mau. Who were demonised as the terrorists of the 1950s. A war against the Mau Mau was portrayed as a war between civilisation and savagery. See "The Hunt for Kimathi" by Henderson, as an example of the British viewpoint.

But the book writes of a different reality. The Mau Mau were only part of the manifestation of a people rising up against European colonialism. The British resorted to harsh tactics, including the detention of 70 000 Kikuyu, without trial. Here in the text is another and different account of the Kenyan struggle. Independent of the British government, and sympathetic to the Kenyans. Not that the author holds any brief for the Kenyan-style socialism which Jomo Kenyatta pursued after independence.

As the title alludes, the book gives unstinting coverage of the death penalties handed out by the British, in a valiant but futile attempt to hold back the tide. The book reminds me of how in the late 70s, in Perth, Australia, a local newspaper interviewed a white bloke who had been one of the hangmen in Kenya. His job was to execute the convicted guerrillas. But not just hang. Often, the shock of the drop would decapacitate the head. And, in any event, the bowels would evacuate. He had to clean up the mess. "A loathsome task" and "nothing like [what] the movies" depict about the gallows.

To be fair to the British, they were at that time also executing people in Britain by hanging. Albeit in far smaller numbers.

As a homeschooling mom, I highly value books that inform my child about historical facts, while captivating them with exciting stories. I highly recommend this book as a supplement to any Egyptian studies. Written in "newspaper format", it is a joy to read aloud to my children. Using imaginative headlines and wonderful illustrations and photos, this book has definitely captured my child's attention. The plethora of historical facts presented are accurate and entertaining. I would recommend this book for children between the ages of 5-12.

This is a wonderful book that written in a News form. The information are incredibles. I totally think that this is a great book for anyone who is interest in Ancient Egypt.

This book presented some events from Egypt's history in the form of newspaper articles. It was a very creative way to give children an introduction to Egyptian history. It presented lots of interesting informationa, and also some neat pictures. This book is good at sparking a greater interest in history in children while entertaining them at the same time.

This is a delightful book. It has wonderful color illustrations on every page, and it's loaded with facts and information about the history of Ancient Egypt. It covers a 3000 yr. period, and contains a detailed, colored map of ancient Egypt, articles on pyramid building and the mystery surrounding the death of Tutankhamun, a list of the most important Egyptian gods and pharaohs, and charming colored "ads" for goods and services in use at that time. This informative book should appeal to kids, teenagers and adults alike, who want to learn more about the fascinating realm of ancient Egypt.