4 comments about Black Gold of the Sun: Searching for Home in Africa and Beyond (Vintage).

1. What does home mean for immigrants? What does home mean for black people in a white world?
   
   What pushes Black Gold of the Sun beyond the level of travel literature and memoir is his cultural criticisms of the meaning of British blackness, especially British Africanness contrasted with British West Indianness and African-Americanness. The sounds of his childhood were American, and African American. Eshun was the son of Ghanaian diplomats, but most African Americans are the descendents of West African slaves. Still, it is the African Americans who managed to create a critical consciousness of blackness in England.



2. I give this book a 4 star because I felt I gained something by reading it. Though I am an African American, I could really relate to most of his experiences, accept being isolated from my culture.
   
   I smiled to myself when a character called African American tourists "ugly people" or something to that affect. The character laments about our superiority complex when in Ghana and claiming to be more African then the African, yet we behave like ugly Americans when we don't get 1st world service. There is much truth to that.
   
   However, from personal experiences, the service and the attitudes of the Africans can be really awful when they are dealing with other black people. It sometimes appears they resent our presence. Yet when an Oyinbo or Burenyi comes around they grovel and fawn like toothy hyenas and step on your head to service them with a smile. I guess it is that inferiority complex and viewing whites as superior to them. This is just my opinion. Please no hate notes.
   
   I was also amused about the author's experience in visiting an African Christian church. Those are some scary places. I have attended a few just for curiosity. What an incredible scam and the believers are very cult like.
   
   But most importantly, this book speaks to belonging and knowing where you came from. I have had such experiences in Africa. However, I was never one of those seeking to find "home." I have always been pretty confident that I am a woman of African descent, an amalgamation of various ethnic Africans, born and raised in the US. What I discovered most about my travels to the African continent is that I am an American. There is no one more American than the African Americans.
   
   The "Big Man" phenomenon is so accurate. African societies are very caste oriented, and everyone has a desperate need to feel superior and look down their noses at others. Many of them have this over inflated sense of self. Ekow description of the bank manager screaming at him like a child because he came into the bank out of the rain is accurate. The bank manager's response when he realized that the author had a non-Ghanaian accent that he back downs and grovels, realizing that this must be his superior, simply because he is a westerner. I have had this experience too. It is very strange and disturbing.
   
   Ekow spoke of W.E. Dubois's theory of "double consciousness" of being born into a white world. Yes, all people of African descent have this gift of double consciousness. It is survival technique when born in the west. It allows us to maneuver in our intimate world and with those outside of that world. I can't recall the author's name, but she referred to it as switching. We have double faces. We wear the mask as Paul Lawrence Dunbar alluded to. It is a permanent part of our wardrobe. We take it off and put it back on when the need arises.
   
   Ekow went to Ghana to find out where he is from. However, I am not sure of what his conclusion was. He had some serious emotional issues about his identity. In Ghana he also is an outsider with another aspect of the double consciousness. His roots are in the soil of Ghana, yet his heart and mind is in Britain, the west. He is only a generation removed, yet he feels alienated in Britain and Ghana. Imagine people of African descent who are generations removed from Africa. The question is can you ever go back "home" as they say? I say home is where your heart is and the people you love and the society you relate to and feel most comfortable. Can you go and visit and experience the land of the ancestors? Absolutely! Some of us can even pick our western lives and go and live there. Why note? The Europeans and Asians are living there.
   
   I believe that this book is a good read for anyone of African descent, and those who want to know what it is like to go to an African country and realized you are a foreigner. However, I am a foreigner among familar looking faces, faces of people that I know and family members. I don't mind being a foreigner. Because a native can go a little way up the road in his country and be considered a foreigner. I could relate much to many of Ekow's experiences.



3. Ekow Eshun's Black Gold of the Sun is a spellbinding account of his search for himself. Enchanting and enlightening, tender and vibrant are the images he creates as he shares what is discovered during his journeys.
   
   What is so remarkable about this book is how one can almost imagine traveling along with Ekow. British born, of Ghanaian parents, more often than not, this young man was asked where he was really from. Questions, questions always questions. Yet, none are as pressing as the ones he asks himself.
   
   From the time that his plane lands in Ghana, this saga kept me glued to its pages. I felt as if I was traveling with the author from London to Ghana, from Ghana to London. Ekow searches for his past as he searches for himself and finds out more about his heritage than he bargained for. The climax of this search is well worth the read. As he discovers his family, past and present, he finds his own self worth.
   
   A compelling, skilled author, Ekow Eshun's story should be grasped by any and all who seek to listen and learn. He is allowing all who would like to travel with him just for a while and enjoy the wonder of Black Gold of the Sun.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: Allow yourself to be the author's traveling companion.



4. Ekow Eshun's book offers so many insights to children of immigrants that seem almost universal wisdom. More than once I stopped to read and re-read the words on the page, stunned that Eshun was able to articulate something I, as a Mexican-American, felt all of my life. His experiences in Ghana are intriguing and eye-opening, and he has a way of explaining the things we all feel but just have never been able to say.
   
   Here is an example of one of my favorite quotes, to illustrate my point. It is from a scene where Ekow is a teenager, and his family is having a party. The adults are having a ball, while the younger cousins just kind of look on. Eshun observes:
   "Our parents had their rituals and dance steps. They knew where they were from. By contrast all that connected us was distance from Ghana. Born in Britain, it seemed to us that we were the adults. We bore the pressure of growing up in a strange country while our parents played on the grass like children."
   
   Brilliant! It's so simply stated, yet so powerful. We recommend this to anyone, but children of immigrants/migrants NEED to read this book!
   
   (Review by Amina Garcia)

No comments about Guinea (Guinee).

5 comments about The Last Expedition: Stanley's Mad Journey Through the Congo.

1. I have nothing more to add to the splendid reviews given this outstandingly informative work; however, I would recommend a fictionalized account of the same expedition written by Peter Forbath entitled " The Last Hero". It is no longer in print but can be purchased online from used book sellers.
   
   I cannot emphasis strongly enough the impact Forbath's book had on my curiosity about 19th century exploration, particularly that of Stanley's 3 African enterprises. Whether you consider him a hero or villain, one cannot readily dismiss the tremendous contribution Henry Morton Stanley made to our understanding of and to the mapping of the " Dark Continent ". We will never see the likes of him again.
   
   Both " The Last Expedition " and " The Last Hero " raise the standard of adventure, excitement, and intrigue to an altogether different level.



2. Stanley's Mad Journey: The Last Expedition
   
   Even by the standards of nineteenth- century Imperialism, Henry Morton Stanley was excessive. His career, detailed in "The Last Expedition: Stanley's Mad Journey through the Congo," encompasses the worst of colonialism: racism, elitism, and opportunism, among others.
   
   It is ironic that Stanley's life would be forever linked with that of Livingstone, who he found and addressed with the immortal words: "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"
   (Like: What other White Man would be in the middle of Darkest Africa?)
   Stanley encouraged the popular perception of the Great White Hunter through his colorful, and self-serving, journalism for the tabloids of the day. He had no qualms in serving as Front Man for King Leopold of Belgium, who wanted to get on the African bandwagon with his own colony.
   
   A European adventurer with the unlikely name of Mehemet Emin, who had adopted Arabic attire and manners, much like T.E. Lawrence, needed reinforcements, and it was agreed upon that Stanley would lead a rescue mission. Stanley developed a plan which, while it looked good on paper, was incredibly inefficient and downright foolhardy. His officers were the wrong men for the job: his equipment was inadequate; and his timing was wrong.
   
   But the biggest problem was Stanley himself: arrogant, grandiose, disdainful of the Natives, and willful -he didn't have the right character traits for a leader. Illness, accident and murder claimed the lives of many of his men, yet he remained aloof and regal. It was a wonder than anyone survived the operation.
   Like another reviewer, I read this book shortly after reading "The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey." It provided an interesting contrast in styles of leadership and character: Roosevelt saw his expedition as a test of his own mettle; Stanley (like some other American presidents, although not TR), was thinking how his Legacy would hold up. Not well.
   
   The Last Expedition is well-researched, entertaining, and well written. (****)



3. Liebowitz and Pearson have done a masterful job of skimming through the memoirs of all the members of the "Emin Pasha Relief Expedition" and bringing to us the most 'unadulterated' narrative of what might have actually happened. Stanley who spent time in a poor/workhouse in Wales as an unwanted 'bastard', never recovered from this disasterous childhood. It is a shame that he couldn't put it behind him, because it colored and ruined the real things that he accomplished.
   
   He never stopped 'reinventing' himself or being the snake oil/confidence man he had to become to make his way in the world from an early age. He had to constantly 'CYA' and make sure (to himself) that he was always in the right (at least in print), and that all kudos and accolades would come to him along. His search for Livingston and Emin Pasha, lead to the first exploration of Central Africa by a European; but these accomplishments were never enough for Stanley who "failed" to return with either man (who it is questionable ever needed 'saving').
   
   He was much like a street kid who goes around "tagging" buildings to show the world that he exists. Wherever he could he 'claimed' to have been the 'first' to see all types of geographical phenomenon, and where he could put his name on it (or some English Royal), Stanley Pool, Stanleyville, Stanley Falls, Mt.Stanley, etc. For example, he claimed to be the first to see the Ruwenzori/Mountains of the Moon (the largest which was called Mt.Stanley), when two of his officers saw it and told him of their discovery, not to mention that Emin Pasha had written to a friend in Germany about them two years before Stanley went looking for him. It reminds one that Sir Hilary didn't climb Mt.Everest by himself, not did Perry or Amundsen reach either of the Poles by themselves.
   
   Besides being a self-booster and braggart, he was a viscious slave driver (literally), who flogged his people when it suited him, and treated his African porters more like slaves than workers. While he brought along his own food and entourage (which he never shared), his officers and porters were left to fend for themselves and many died of starvation and disease (because of malnourishment). The majority of people who went with him died, as they did on his other three expeditions, and of the people that he ended 'rescuing', more than sixty percent died; and were taken back to Egypt where most of them didn't want to go in the first place.
   
   He then spent the rest of his life complaining about everyone and everything (except for one officer, who he said reminded him of himself as a young man), trying to discredit anyone who might have a claim to any of "his" glory. A tale of a man driven by more devils than any one man should have to handle.



4. These explorer stories are amazing in the ordeals they endured. Given how soft humankind is nowadays, I doubt any of us transported back to these times would have survived. How they did it is beyond me.



5. Subtitled "Stanley's Mad Journey through the Congo", this book appealed to the historian in me. It also appealed to my armchair-traveler sense of adventure and exploration. There was much to learn here too because, prior to reading this book, all I knew about Henry Morton Stanley is that he is often remembered for searching for the explorer, David Livingstone in Africa and, upon finding him uttering the words "Mr. Livingstone I presume". This was in 1870. Years later, in 1886, Stanley went back to Africa with a huge expedition, the stated purpose of the mission to rescue Emin Pasha, the governor of the southern Sudan. This book is about that mission, the unstated nature of which was territorial expansion and a hoard of ivory. It makes fascinating reading.
   
   Filled with details taken directly from some of the diaries of the men on the expedition, this is a story of one bumbling misadventure after another. Stanley started out with more than 700 men; barely 200 returned. There was illness, warfare, wrong judgments and mistakes. And through it all, Stanley was absolutely convinced that he was right in all things and had no trouble putting the blame on others. Perhaps it was this very pigheadedness that helped them survive at all. After all, Stanley had something to prove because he was an illegitimate child who was brought up in an orphanage. Later, he went to America and briefly fought for the confederacy in the Civil War but he deserted, became a journalist and eventually went back to England.
   
   There are a lot of characters in this book and I must say I sometimes got confused about all the players. There were officers who tried their best to follow orders in horrible situations. There were hundreds of African natives who acted as porters and who often deserted. Then there were the sponsor with big money and nations looking for glory.
   
   There was never enough food. Disease was everywhere. They had to deal with a notorious slave trader. They also had to deal with the conflicting ambitions of several nations, most notably the Belgians. They had to leave most of their provisions and belongings along the trail. There were wars with hostile natives. They were attacked by poisoned arrows to which they responded by using their guns and burning villages. There was the heat and the bugs and the wrong decisions and illnesses which added an extra two years to their trip. And then, when they finally found Emin Pasha, he didn't really want to be rescued. But he finally joined them along with about 600 Egyptians fleeing the Sudan with their families, slaves and household goods. Mostly, I felt sorry for the poor porters.
   
   This book was a slow read but I kept coming back to it, mostly because it was an escape from my day-to-day life and added some perspective to my knowledge of history. It doesn't read like a novel though. It's full of facts and figures and conflicting points of view. I enjoyed it. However, I stop short of recommending it to everyone. It is for history buffs only.

1 comments about From The Cape To Cairo: The First Traverse Of Africa From South To North.

1. A very well bound book,and, considering the age of the original,well printed.I was disappointed with the quality of the pictures--which I am sure could have been better copied-being vey dark, and in some cases completely indistinguishable.
   However, for the price, it was a reasonable buy.Did not appreciate having to pay our greedy customs for a new book !!
   Perhaps I can find an original copy,which will not require import duty?
   Hopefully!!

No comments about Travellers Mauritius (Travellers - Thomas Cook).

No comments about Berlitz South Africa Pocket Guide: Berlitz (Berlitz Pocket Guides).

3 comments about From Botswana to the Bering Sea: My Thirty Years With National Geographic.

1. If you like reading National Geographic, then you'll like reading Thomas Canby's book about his 30 years with the yellow border magazine. He recounts some of his favorite assignments, including glimpses behind the scenes, and the occasional personal note. My favorite is the rat assignment. After a day of chasing rats, he settles down for a few beers. After getting a good buzz, the fried rats are served and he and his friends dig in with gusto. Later, in writing the actual article, Canby details the rat feast but somehow fails to mention the beer.

   Canby is an unabashed lover of National Geographic, making a number of references to the positive aspects of working for the magazine and the envy with which other writers view a National Geographic assignment. So, don't expect any revelations about the inner workings of the Society beyond those already published. Criticisms of management and the editorial staff are mild, and generally take the form of disagreement. The book does provide interesting insight into how story content was sometimes influenced by "mossbacks" on the Board of Trustees. There is also a brief but blistering appraisal of former editor John Oliver LaGorce, but this only reiterates and reinforces previous reports.

   All in all, National Geographic fans will find this book a good middle-of-the-road look at how things work within the magazine. Canby does a pinch of bashing, a bushel of praising, and a ton of good old story writing-all in the National Geographic style.




2. This is not a review but an urgent request to find the most recent book published by Thomas Y. Canby, Sandy Spring Legacy. This is the legacy of a Quaker Village and tells the story of one of the oldest towns in the Maryland Piedmont, settled by the Quakers and others in the early 1700's. I am interested in finding this book as I once lived in this little Quaker Village forty years ago. Thank you for any leads you may have.



3. Tom Canby had the great good fortune of working for the National Geographic during that wonderful time when all the big glossy magazines and high-circulation newspapers were willing to spend money to bring information to their readers. This willingness to to be serious about news coverage gave this deft and sensitive writer the chance to roam the world and take the time necessary to cover his beat (science) in depth and with a thoroughness almost unheard of today, when even great institutions like National Geographic are nickel-and-diming to cut costs. From Botswana to the Bering Sea is the personal memoir of a gentle man and a gentleman. Canby would probably be the first to admit (as he, in fact, alludes in his book) that he is not the stereotype of the hardbitten tabloid news reporter. Instead he is an essayist of uncommon grace. This is a wonderful book.

No comments about Best of Cape Town (Globetrotter Best of Series).

1 comments about Africa: A Photographic Safari.

1. The book is just magnificent! I've seen the pictures at a gallery and they are just great!
   
   BSmith; Humble, Tx.

5 comments about The Healing Land: The Bushmen and the Kalahari Desert.

1. After getting used to mystical experiences over the past 12 years in Botswana's Tsodilo Hills and in Bushmanland, in north-eastern Namibia, I can attest that this author has been there and seen a world that's magical beyond most Westerners' imaginings. Anyone who wants to know the real Southern Africa - that is, the incredibly harsh yet enigmatic environment that thrived prior to both the Bantu and Colonial influences - will find this book a most satisfying introduction.



2. Rupert Isaacson took an amazing journey when he went to the Kalahari to re-discover the colonial roots of his anscestors and found what he didn't expect--that his family had unwittingly contributed to the demise of a great and important people--the Bushmen. Upon meeting this hidden and displaced culture, he began a crusade to to right his inherited Karma. This book is the beginning of his journey of discovery of a remarkable people and their fight to survive in a world, that like many others, would choose to eliminate their indiginous peoples for money and power. He now, as I understand it, runs an organization called "The Indiginous Peoples Fund", helping the Bushman to reclaim their land rights and their culture. This book was the beginning of that journey. I hope h e writes a follow up book as he fight grows more successful. The book is written with great heart and love and remarkable insight into a culture so misunderstood. I have never been to South Africa and because of the book's in depth description, I felt as if I now can taste some of what it must be like. Truly a journey worth taking.



3. A PIERCING INSIGHT INTO ALL DISPOSED AND/OR INDIGINEOUS PEOPLES. A MUST READ FOR ANYONE WHO WISHES TO UNDERSTAND THE LOSS AND PAIN AND RAGE BEING EXPRESSED ON THE PLANET TODAY.
   
   THE READER IS INVITED TO WITNESS AS IN UNEXPECTED MOMENTS RUPERT HIMSELF TOUCHES WHAT GLEAMS AT THE HEART OF THIS CULTURE - AND WITHOUT DIATRIBE OR RANCOR REVEALS WHAT HAS BURIED IT ALIVE. NOTES OF HOPE REST IN THE PROPHECIES AND ARE ECHOED IN THE PROFOUND RESPECT THAT ABIDES IN ALL HE DESCRIBES.



4. What bunch of [junk],(...) ive been to kalahari and it truly is not like he says,Read a map before you read this,a total waste of my time.



5. If you want information about the culture, politics, history, and future of the Bushmen, do not bother with this book. If you want a frequently dull personal memoir, try it. Mr.Isaacson is not Robert Kaplan, nor Paul Theroux. That is, he is neither knowledgable nor capable of bringing vivid perspective to new places. In a single word, he is sophmoric.