Africa Books

Join Jeff Corwin as he shows us the dry, hot desert of Arizona, the life and death struggle in southeastern Africa, the rain forests of Costa Rica, and the grasslands of the Venezuela. Along the way we learn about life, death, love, and the web of nature. He also pops in facts and short stories, many of which are as funny as you can get without a Nun's outfit, a donkey and a jar of peanut butter.
The book itself is a lovely hardcover, with full color photos and something I would be proud to have on my coffee table if I had a coffee table. And it is so enjoyable to read you could easily finish it in a day if you wanted to.

Jeff Corwin is not only a great tv personality but is also a very good author. I have read his book like three times already and each time I read it I like it even more.The pictures, all of which he took himself, are great and I like how he goes into his life experiences with animals. Also, I like how he sprinkles humor throughout the book. I have learned so much from Jeff Corwin and he is the reason I am majoring in Environmental Science. He has made me realize how important it is to protect the environment and all of the animals in it.

Gives good complex look at the animals in different environments and shows the environmental issues challenging each place. Filled with stories from Jeff Corwin's life and his own encounters with both exotic and extraordinary animals.

This book is great! Altho I am a big fan of Jeff's and the Jeff Corwin Experience, I am still blown away by this book. Jeff describes everything vividly, yet in a beautifully poetic way (i've never heard of so many diff ways to describe the sunset). I was really surprised b/c he isn't like that on the show. I loved that many lesser-known animals are introduced, as well as the more common ones. Also, I loved that Jeff gave us the pecularities/specialties of each animal so I'm not just reading the same old boring stuff that I've read in too many nature books or seen on tv. I've learned a lot of things that I never knew about (ie: the symbiosis btwn strangler fig & wasp) and Jeff describes them all so vividly that it was even better than watching the show. The only complaint I have is that there's not enough pictures. But as I read along, I realized that Jeff already painted the whole scene for me that photos would just be icing on the cake. I totally and whole-heartedly recommend this book to any nature lover!

This is a very entertaining and educational book. I'm a fan of The Jeff Corwin Experience, and this book did not disappoint me. It is very well organized and well written, and I was amazed at the way it managed to drop me right down into the middle of the Costa Rican rainforest or the African savannah. What I particularly liked was the variety of bizarre and fascinating details that Jeff adds. I found myself sharing these bizarre facts (like giant anaconda orgies that can last for weeks and weeks...woohoo!)with all sorts of people who, no doubt, thought I was some sort of animal expert now. But best of all is Jeff's obvious enthusiasm for the subject matter, particularly the topic of conservation. It's hard not to enjoy his stories when he presents them with such passion and humor. I definitely recommend this book to Jeff Corwin fans and any readers who want to take a walk on the wild side.

This is the grand finale of the Africa books for the Owens'. I have read all with great appreciataion for what they have done over many years, but I felt that this book was the best of all. It is the culmination of more maturity and experience of their programs and writing. I would recommend it to anyone with any interest in conservation. It is also glimpse into the human spirit when confronted with the difficult task of orchestrating the survival of both man and animal harmoniously. These are two awesome people doing great work.

I had read the owen's two previous books and really loved them. I found this one and thought well, I already know what they did so this will just be review. Well, was I wrong. It is a great book and kept me enthralled till the end. They have such a practical approach to getting the local population involved, and they have had such sucess. Anyone would love this book. It is so possitive that it just tickles your heart, and such a love story. To think they have done all this together. Wow. I gave it a 5 and would have given it 10 if I could. jeannie Clarke

Life in the harshest of places....Africa in the wildest wildness. If you love animals of planet earth, this is a book to read, weep and rejoice.

Written so that you feel you are looking over their shoulders as they see and work in Africa. A bit of mystery, a cautionary tale and an inspirational love story. The book describes the obstacles they faced and the gile, resourcefulness, courage and passion they bring to their work and lives. A worthy follow-on to Cry of the Kalahari and Eye of the Elephant.

This book tells of Mark and Delia Owens' work with the animals and humans in the Luangwa Valley of Zambia. Poachers have decimated the animal population (particularly the elephants), and the Owens work toward animal repopulation and human education. They follow a good business plan in reeducating the Zambians. Those relying on poaching for a living must be taught alternative means of support, and the Owens are very creative in this regard. Their self sacrifice during 23 years of residence is amazing!

We enjoyed this story very much. It is written as a story of a play that is taking place. The pictures are fantastic. Someone is in rabbit's house and will not let him in. Frog has figured it out but rabbit will not listen to him. Frog enjoys watching the trouble as the other animals try to help rabbit out. Finally out of exasperation Rabbit asks for Frogs help. This was a very fun book. Recommended for ages 6-9 years.

my 5 year old son loves this story and its surprise ending!

the play within a story framework is very clever but may be too complicated for very young children to follow

mjdykstra
mother & book lover

I love this story. My children enjoy it. Its great for children at bedtime. It is actually a play....thats how the story is being told.

Must add to your library of African tales!!

Who's in Rabbits House is one of those few book that people of all ages can enjoy. The book is beautiful to look at, the illustrations informative and clever. (Check out the lions.) It reads aloud beautifully, and even the youngest reader can be given a part to become part of the experience. The cultural contect is respectfully presented. The reader becomes one who learn that of the Masai vilagers that strength is less important than intelligence.

We found this by chance at the library and it is now one of our favorite books. During the three weeks we had the book we read it over 20 times and looked through it often. And we've checked it out a few times since then, too. Hmm, maybe we should buy it!

My boys have acted out the story repeatedly and I hear them quietly reciting the story to themselves.

The pictures are fantastic - bright, beautiful, so full of life. The text is superb and has a wonderful moral as well.

You will love this book and so will your kids.

There couldn't be two more different places than New York City and the lands of the Maasai in Tanzania. Tepilit Ole Saitoti's story of his journey in and between these two worlds is fascinating. I am looking forward to the update he is writing now that he is a Maasai Elder. This insight into another land and culture is a gift.

Excellent book, very accurate and really worth the money. It gives the picture of a boy growing up as a real Maasai and the new life in civilized world of Germany and USA - a man between two cultures and the difficult question to decide which way to go along. Makes yourself wondering about the way we Western people are living and gives a chance to see our world with other eyers.

After having visited the Maasai area some months ago a good opportunity to compare facts with my own experience and found it even more interesting. Go for it!

I read this book 12 years ago and was so moved that I wrote a letter to to the author - something I have never done before or since. I was so struck by his ability to navigate between two cultures that seemingly had little in common. His book is a testimonial to the flexibility of the human spirit and the power of education. Last week, out of the blue, I received a telephone call from the author. Apparently, he had saved my address all these years. Saitoti is currently in the US as a visiting scholar. He will be speaking in various institutions and he has just started writing a follow up to The Worlds of a Maasai Warrior (The Worlds of a Maasai Elder). I have just shown him these amazon reviews. He is sitting here beside me and
would like to take this opportunity to say: "Thank you to the reviewers of my book for such beautiful reviews and to amazon.com for posting such a wonderful display of my work."

Very interesting first person account of a Maasai man who becomes western educationed and gives insight to what growing up in a Maasai village was like. Quick read - powerful story. You must read this book if you plan on going to Kenya or Tanzania.

After having just visited Africa, I wanted to get a better feel for what it's really like to be Maasai. This book is very real, and gives interesting insights from the "inside". I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Having recently returned from Africa - my "long-time dream vacation" alas come true, I wanted to savor memories of its beauty and wildlife so I purchased Michael Poliza's book, AFRICA. If I was captivated by the sights I beheld in person during many game drives, I am completely spellbound now after laying eyes on Poliza's incredible, oversized photographs! I am pleased to have this coffee table book so readily available, to take me back to a place that will forever live in my heart. Thank you to Michael Poliza for expressing so beautifully in pictures what I can barely even explain in words! He has touched the core of my soul. His AFRICA photographs are phenomenal and truly inspiring! I know I will one day return to Africa but, until then, this book takes me there (so wonderfully) again and again, every day.

Worth buying and having one of your own. The other reviews say it all. I add that it is one of my favorite books --- there are over 1200 books in my library.

Of all the many great African wildlife photographers, there are a select few whose images stand out from the rest and transcend beyond photography to art - - Nick Brandt's "On This Earth", Anup & Manoj Shah's "The Circle of Life", Robert Haas' "through the eyes of the gods" and now Michael Poliza's "Africa".

As a wildlife photographer myself (I had the opportunity to meet Michael Poliza and observe him at work in the Linynati region of Botswana in 2002), beyond enjoying other photographers' images, I instinctively compare their work to mine. While anyone can take an occasional excellent photo, it is the collective body of work that defines the truly great photographers. Poliza's African wildlife portfolio demonstrates that he is one of those on a different artistic level than the rest of us, including much more widely known and acclaimed photographers like Beverly & Derek Joubert and Mitsuaki Iwago.

If you're going to invest in a single African wildlife coffee table book, you won't regret making it "Africa".

A book for real animal and Africa lovers!! Excellent photos, combining nature photography and the art of composing colours and/or designs. Phantastic views from the air, but also from the ground. Who ever has been on a game drive in Africe, would have hoped to be able to get at least one of these pictures. Also the size (and the weight) is absolutely gigantic!

After a recent trip to Tanzania & Kenya, I wanted to find some way to keep the images of the animal life I saw in those places fresh in my mind's eye. Michael Poliza's photography captures the colorful, raw elegance that is Africa in purest form. This large book is for anyone of any age who appreciates beautiful photography, and also for animal lovers everywhere who want to witness up-close the delicate balance of animal life at it's most majestic. A stunning addition to any collection.

"Africa Unchained" is a very interesting book. It proposes "the blueprint for Africa's future." To find out how workable the proposal is one has to read the book. However, here is how the author goes about the subject. First, he explains why Africa is poor. Four themes form the answer. One, Africa is poor because of the failure of Western policies. Second, Africa is poor because of the ill-conceived development model African countries pursued upon political independence - its ideology, strategies, mistakes, and a feeble leadership. Third, colonial and neo-colonial policies hampered progress "by imposing an alien system that destroyed Africa's heritage". Finally, Africa is poor because of unfavorable development finances, which made possible a resource curse, widened resource gap, and facilitated aid dependency.

Out of the failure emerged a new set of problems such as an exploitative state, which promoted wrong-headed industrialization policies, along with self-destructive agricultural, inflation, and foreign debt policies.

To avoid further failure and get out of poverty, Africa needs a new approach. The proposal recommends development of indigenous economic systems which are supportive of property rights, and free market and voluntary exchange mechanisms. The book cites Botswana as an example that development is possible in Africa if one follows the "Atinga development model". The Atinga model centers on a new strategy that is taking place at the village level, is inclusive of the informal sector and invests in it. If that happens, an African Renaissance will follow.

This is a credible effort, indeed. My hesitation is that focus on Africa, instead of African countries is unlikely to produce helpful results. In the age of globalization, endogenous systems are likely more productive than indigenous systems. Strongly recommended.

Amavilah, Author
Modeling Determinants of Income in Embedded Economies
ISBN: 1600210465

Excellent, very well written, researched and a must for anyone who is serious about economic development in Africa

This is the most brilliant text on Africa I have read, and I don't say that lightly. With almost 500 pages of small text, it's not exactly a breeze to get through, but it is worth every second spent. The author unapologetically describes the mess that the "Hippo" generation following decolonization made, and how it ruined the continent. His prescriptions, which amount to `Africans must solve their own problems in their own way, growing out of African traditions', is right on. I hope that anyone interested in Africa reads this book.

This book, in a word is: Remarkable! God created "All Men Equal", and suffice to say, African's wherever they are in the Diasporia, are, apart of the Human Family. We all know the history of Colonialism/Slavery; however, Africa, through the Post colonial period has had about a little over 40 years to work toward: Social Stability, Nationhood, Systems of Government-that works, and developing strategies of amalgamation/unity and [Order] Social Order, that would ensure, development in all phases of social acceptance, and a recognition that Africa is ready to join the Nations of the Industrial Revolution. Sadly, Africa, has not reached the rate of development that is required and that other continents under Quasi-Colonialism have achieved. This has always troubled me. This book tells in stark terms, why the Sub-African Continent continues to lag behind the Universal Determinants. This book puts the blame on African Leadership and in details supports it's thesis with inexplicable evidence. Sure, it speaks of the lingering vestiges of Colonialism, but, the emphasis is on the modern leaders who have "shortchanged" Africa's [Greatest Resource]...the People. This book, was the "cornerstone" for my research and understanding of the chronic problems of Africa's Underdevelopment. The Premise in my view is this: If Africa remains in it's current state, the Peoples of African Descent around the Globe with find Freedom and their proper place in the World of Division of Races and Ethnicity, wanting. I recommend this book to all scholars and those who seriously long for the remedy of how to resolve and solve and find the Social Solutions to Africa's problems. Africa remains: The sleeping giant!

He put's his faith on africa's young up and coming "cheetahs", and so do I. I feel empowered by George's bare knuckle rumble in the jungle with the political elite and can't wait to join this fight.
They'll fight dirty, and we'll fight smarter and faster and with a good old man like George to show us the tricks, we shall overcome.

Murphy's book has given honest and straightforward insight into the missionary experience. It doesn't try to sell or market his choice to go. It has nonetheless helped my wife and I process through our decision to serve in Africa. It is written in journal form, so don't expect a sweeping narrative with elaborate character and setting. A helpful description of a young missionary's personal journey.

I work with Ryan at RVA, and I like him enough that I was afraid I wouldn't like the book. There was no reason to fear; this is a terrific book. He is wise and honest, and it comes through. Anyone with a heart for missions will love this book, although you might suggest to Ryan that he devote a LARGE section to ME in the sequel that is sure to come.

Set in Kenya during the Murphy family's first years as teachers of missionary children, Ryan Murphy tells the real story of a faith-driven life abroad. Away from the comforts of home, friends and family, he recounts not only the daily challenges and frustrations, but also the heart-warming victories inherent in doing the Lord's work afar. Murphy's tales of daily life evoke humor, compassion and wonder and take the reader on a unique voyage to a rich and colorful land where adventure and uncertainty lurk around every corner. This is a real page-turner, sincerely told in everyday language. It is a delightful read for anyone interested in a unique memoir and a must for anyone contemplating the missionary life.

This easy read give a fresh look at what God can do with two open heart. Honest, open and enjoyable this book will be an highlight of your day as you fell like you actually been to Rift Valley Ac. This book talks about real life and dose not forget what's really important.

My husband and I have been volunteering an American missionary school last two months. It has been an interesting adjustment to the culture. We have gone through all sorts of emotions, but the most disturbing emotions have been ones of discouragement and questioning God's hand in bringing us here. Living here has been tough. Praise God that Ryan Murphy's book "ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND" was given to us to read. Not only is it a delightful and entertaining book, but God used the book to show us that our feelings were not unusual. We could relate to Heather and Ryan's first year missionary life and laughed as we realized how similar our experiences were. I am encouraged to know that my emotions are to be expected and that they are not signs that I shouldn't be here, but rather part of the process of entering missionary life. I have been able to see through the Murphys' experiences that we too will survive and grow to love this place.



This book helps one take a deep breath and realize that these feelings are okay. To realize that the struggle will not last forever but that it is part of God's plan is liberating. Praise God for this encouragement! I think anyone who is considering a cross cultural experience should read this book. It is an easy read and will help those coming to the field to understand the "fitting into the new culture" process. I think it is a must read.

Fascinating, the book shows Barack Obama as president! Can't believe that it had been written in 2004...

If Barack Obama becomes president, then he will be taught a lesson by the penguin in this book...and he will find himself in this book as the US president who tried his best but couldn't succeed because of the rich, famous and influential people who see their shareholder value at stake. This book apparently is more up to date than anything I read in the past 20 years.

The president of the US desrcibed in this novel could very well have been Al Gore who tried his best to listen to the penguin's demands but in the end has to realise that a credible fight for a better world ultimnately requires a different society and alternate economic system. This book as fictional as it may appear is more real than most non-fictional reports we read or listen to in the mainstream media.

This fairy tale like so many others is directed to an adult audience as it lays bare in a playful and humerous way the concept our society is functioning. I highly recommend this marvellously drawn story to anyone who wishes to think beyond....

Being one of the scientists who know the author from the time he spent with us here in Antarctica, I can only thank him for his good work and the accuracy of the book which he says is a novel...well, to us and the millions of penguins it is damned real. The glaciers are crying icebergs into the ocean and once the ice is gone, some idiots will come and look for oil here as well, we can imagine. It needs some penguins to have the guts to tell the human beings that they fxxxed up the whole planet!

Highly recommended. Reading this book I learned a lot about the history of Congo and the suffering of its people. Once you started reading you can't really put it down. But be warned: The stories about gunboys, militia and so on are really cruel and reading about their atrocities makes you want to throw the book against the wall or shout at somebody.

I read this book in May and still find myself haunted by it. Episodes like the Kinshasa Fight Club or the surreal appearance of Jessica Lange at a triage camp will stay with me for a long long time.

Mealer tenderly renders the humanity of a situation most of us would prefer to think of as inhuman.

You owe it to yourself to take a look.

I had to put the book down several times because I felt sick. Bryan's writing was so real that I felt every terrifying and treacherous moment along the way. Just when a dangerous jouney ended, another began. I am so overwhelmed with what Bryan experienced in the Congo. I know him personally as well as his family, and I can't imagine what they all went through at their own levels.
I applaud Bryan Mealer for the excellent portrayal of a dire situation. I admire his wife, Ann Marie, and family for living through all of the reports, emails and contacts from Bryan throughout his entire journey.
BRAVO, Bryan, for the intensity, honesty, and real depiction of the situation in the Congo that we should all be aware of and concerned about.

Bryan Mealer has penned a brutal memoir of his three years as a reporter in the Congo, three years when teenage gunboys roamed the countryside and city streets, when UN peacekeeping forces faced mystical leaders operating from jungle mountaintops, when rebel militias and government forces alike pillaged their own nation. It was a horrible time in the history of a country that has seen little else for the last hundred years.

While Mealer writes about the bloody atrocities he witnessed, the real story he tells is about himself. He's drawn back to the Congo three times, apparently addicted to the extreme discomfort and random violence he endures. His travels cover nearly the entire country from the capital of Kinshasa to the mineral-rich southern provinces to the guerilla-infested eastern region where an alphabet-soup of militias, foreign armies, and UN forces fight a never-ending war of terror, rape, and mutilation. He rides a newly-reconstructed rail line and even follows Conrad's trail up the Congo River via barge. At one point, he and his adventure-junkie buddies take off through the jungle on bicycles.

While Mealer tells us the names and stories of many Congolese he meets along the way, he never really gives much insight into them as anything other than victims. He says as much when he reflects on his bicycle journey:

"...once in the jungle, my own basic needs and level of comfort had stood in the way of learning anything. I didn't even know my riders' last names or anything about their families. I'd simply been too exhausted and hungry to care. It wasn't my proudest moment, and even now, those last days on the trail leave a sting of regret."

Still, All Things Must Fight To Live puts the reader close to the action and accurately reflects the aftermath of war and colonialism in one of the world's greatest humanitarian catastrophes.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo

I recommend this book for many reasons--Mealer's lyrical, colorful prose, insight into some of the most magnificent and heartbreaking events and places in the DRC, and finally, for a first hand account of how, why, and when news reaches us out of Africa. I'll recommend this book to my colleagues who study Congo, but also to family members who would like a window into this fiercely captivating and complicated place.

This book is the fascinating, inspiring and enlightening true story of a young man who was a political refugee from Kenya. He came to the US, graduated from college,and went on to law school here. He married a US citizen and they had a child. Seems like it would be a sure thing he could stay.....but not so fast! This is the story of his amazing struggle and shows how our system works. (Actually, not so well sometimes.) Anyway, I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good read!
C. Bates, Eugene, Oregon

I couldn't set this book down. He literally goes through every possibility, facing years of uncertainty, and still keeps trying - and graduates college and law school in the meantime. I cannot imagine going through what he went through in Kenya, then coming to the US as a safe haven, and facing such a drawn-out, uphill battle simply to stay.

His story is not always easy to read but it is very engaging, even if, like me, you are not a lawyer or law student. David Kenney Ngaruri and his friends and colleagues in this book are very inspirational.

This is an eloquent and heartbreaking tale of one immigrant's journey throught the U.S. Immigration system. It reads like a John Grisham novel although the story is sadly true. The author, a 7-foot tall Kenyan, was a political prisioner in Kenya for his role as a labor organizer. He faced imprisonment and torture and was ultimately able to escape Kenya via the promise of a basketball scholarship in the United States. In his quest for political asylum in the U.S. he encouters heartless judges,corrupt officials, State Department bureaucrats, a beautiful "witch", kidnapping rebels, interpid law students and a dedicated and brilliant law profressor (his co-author). I couldn't put it down and felt a mixture of outrage at the U.S. immigration system while in awe of the power of the human spirit to overcome the most dauting of odds.

This is an amazing book that makes plain the unbelievable complexity of immigration law. Anyone with an interest in immigration policy should read this book.

For those of you looking for a good summer read to take to the beach, or just a great book to snuggle up with on a rainy day, I highly recommend opening up the pages of Asylum Denied. It is both informative and inspiring as it tells the story of David Kenney Ngaruri, the political asylee who struggled to stay in America. Although the book is currently being passed around law schools, as the new go-to-guide for asylum law, I am sure it will not be long before it makes the bestseller stands at nation-wide bookstores or grabs a spot on Oprah's booklist. Asylum Denied, written by two authors, the above-mentioned David Kenney Ngaruri and Philip Schrag, the professor of law at Georgetown University, serves both as a law manual and as a heart-warming story of adventure, perseverance, and love. Unlike most law-related books, it reads very smoothly and catches your attention from the first page. Even if this is not the usual type of book you read, I urge you to give it a try. If the face on the cover of the book is not enough to convince you to read it, then I hope this review will.