No comments about Kenya And Tanzania: The Insider's Guide (Insiders Guide).

No comments about Out in the Midday Sun: My Kenya.

5 comments about Jambo, Mama.

1. although descriptions of her native carpet factory employees were interesting, much more of the book is devoted to the author's many personal problems: a discordant sibling relationship; well-educated friends in kenya who at first help the author settle in, then mysteriously drop her completely; and especially the author's dalliance with a philanderer even though she knows he is sleeping with other women...east africa is a fascinating part of the world...surely one could have found something else of interest than watching the same American videos over and over while crying about a balloon pilot who was always somewhere else...



2. Allured by the introductory chapters accessible on the net, I was enticed by the backbone of her solo mission to a place with an almost contrary rhythm to the West. She definitely chose a beautiful country, still raw, still real. I'm bias of course - Having grown up in Kenya; it was another opportunity for sweet nostalgia.
   
   While reading the book, I enjoyed the witty incorporation of Kiswahili idioms and expressions. I enjoyed her novel descriptions of Kenya's unfamiliar Northern Frontier and I took pleasure in the recognition of places such as Karen and Kiambu. It brought familiar places back to life.
   
   Nonetheless, although this book has the potential to play sugary games with the hearts of fellow Kenyans, it lacks some of the insight that I had initially expected and desired. I was not disgruntled by this but simply listened to another story between the lines. By this I mean that, whereas the book strove for transparency and appeal, some sections were opaque and lacked the detailed artistic revelations that this intelligent and perceptive woman so apparently preserved in her mind. It felt like there were pieces missing as she was pushed by her peers and fans to write on. Perhaps a more integral account of the relationships that went terribly wrong was needed, or may be more reflections on the how her past plays with her present lifestyle and state of mind. The reader demands the full story.
   
   There seems to be a lot of latent potential that I know can come through in a sequel (which I would read -hint hint). After all, writing is a never-ending journey as we grow and evolve. I'd like to see how the author processes her life and her past and changes accordingly. Overall, It's a very nice book and I hope that Melinda continues to write as she progresses through life. Hopefully we will get a chance to see what this strong and incredible woman has learned with time. Share.



3. I really enjoyed this book from the first page through the last. It took me on an incredible journey of life in Kenya, Africa with all it's mishaps, adventures, safaris, and real life day to day living as a local living in Kenya. I really hated to see it end! This book is a must have for anyone planning a trip to Africa or for anyone that loves exotic destination travel.



4. AFTER TRAVELING IN KENYA ON TWO SEPERATE OCCASIONS, THERE WAS ALWAYS A DREAM IN THE BACK OF MY MIND--"WOULDN'T IT BE WONDERFUL TO LIVE HERE" THIS IS A STORY ABOUT AN AMERICAN WOMAN WHO DID JUST THAT. IT WAS A REALISTIC NARRATIVE ABOUT THE JOYS AND DIFFICULTIES OF TRYING TO LIVE IN A COUNTRY WITH A SEMI-CLOSED ENGLISH SECTION OF SOCIETY AND THE RULES AND REGLATIONS OF A AFRICAN WORK FORCE THAT SHE HIRED FOR HER RUG MANUFACTURING AND ALL THE PROBLEMS SHE HAD WITH BOTH. IN THE END I THINK IT WAS PURE LONLINESS THAT LED HER BACK TO THE U.S. BUT THE JOURNEY WAS INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE. I LOVED IT.



5. I live in Kenya for 6 months out of each year. My experiences there are both wonderful and difficult, and I am always looking for books written by other foreigners who have lived there. I am VERY disappointed with this book. Ms. Atwood moved to Kenya to experience Africa, but chose to do so from a completely self-centered and white settler basis. She lived in the lap of luxury surrounded by servants and never went out of her way to understand (not to mention participate) in the local culture of Kenyans. She gets excited by things reminiscent of what she calls "old Africa", which she then describes as the good old days of the British colonialists. I found her attitude typical of many foreigners living in Kenya, but very disheartening.
   
   If you want to learn about Kenya from the perspective of a wealthy and relatively self-centered white lady, this is the book for you. Otherwise, skip it.

No comments about Kenya: The Bradt Travel Guide.

5 comments about Shootback.

1. Having myself written academically on Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA), the organization out of which this initiative originated, I am thrilled that Shootback: Photos by Kids from the Nairobi Slums has appeared on the North American website of amazon.com. This is an absorbing and thought-provoking book that challenges the way we (North Americans) view the world. A lot of hard work has gone into this labor of love by Lana Wong and her brave band of photographers, and it shows.

   MYSA, by anyone's standards, is a remarkable organization, and this is a remarkable book. Seldom is the dictum: "A picture is worth a thousand words" more appropriate. Shootback provides a candid window into hard places and hard times, but never loses hope, because it is framed through the eyes and described in the words of young people. The book is far more than the sum total of its photographs. Rarely do slum dwellers -- even less the children of the slum -- get to tell us the story of their lives and communities. Shootback therefore provides an insider's view of a slum community with all its energy and resilience. I heartily recommend a wonderful book. Prepare to be both troubled and inspired!




2. Shootback is an awesome book. I spent the last 5 months in Kenya going to school and it is the only way that one can truely understand the horrors of the slums of a third world country. These kids who live there are being given an oppertunity that they never would have gotten otherwise. They get the chance to share with the world and reach people who might be able to make a difference for them. This is no ordinary touristy book about the incredible country of Kenya, this shows the way that many of it's people live. Shootback shares the inside of the slums like nothing else. A normal tourist couldn't go there, let alone bring a camera there. I want to say thanks to the author and creator of the Shootback ministry. You help people see the real side of Kenya.



3. This book is a great collection of pictures from Mathare, but it is no replacement for going there. I just returned from spending the last five weeks in Mathare and neighboring Eastleigh, where some of the worst poverty in the world exists. The book portrays graphic images and does a wonderful job of trying to capture the stark reality of the plight of these kids.

   As someone who has sat with the street children in their bases, the book does as good of a job as you can get with pictures alone, but it is simply no substitute for being there.




4. Lana Wong has done a great job of putting together a remarkable collection of some of the best adolescent photography the world has seen. Not only are the photos an accurate portrayal of the desperate lives thesechildren and thier families lead, but they are full of expression. The MYSA Shootback project has helped these children find talemts they never expected they had, or never had the opportuniy to nurture. Lana Wong has done a beautiful thing for so many people, if you are interested in africa and photography, this book is a must.



5. Lana Wong has done a great job of putting together a remarkable collection of some of the best adolescent photography the world has seen. Not only are the photos an accurate portrayal of the desperate lives thesechildren and thier families lead, but they are full of expression. The MYSA Shootback project has helped these children find talemts they never expected they had, or never had the opportuniy to nurture. Lana Wong has done a beautiful thing for so many people, if you are interested in africa and photography, this book is a must.

5 comments about West With the Night.

1. Much more than a memoir, Beryl Markham's work is a means of transport, not dissimilar to her beloved plane. It took me back to the Africa I lived in as a young bride, to its stark beauty, its dignified and desparate people, the language of its silences. Her tale of matter-of-fact mercies, and of cruelty equally unremarkable, is the stuff of life, as full of hope as of despair, for its millions of people. Her sensitivity instructs us in things as disparate as a young zebra's personal quirks, or the way the setting sun reflects off a downed plane creating an illusory lake in the dry Serenghettti. We learn of the hunger of a dying man for news from the city, and of the joy of friendship restored, but mostly, we learn of the heart and mind of a brave, independent woman for whom Africa is, eternally, home.



2. As a child growing up with her father in Africa, Beryl Markham faced down lions and wild boar. As an adult she trained race horses before learning to fly airplanes and becoming a bush pilot. Eventually she became the first pilot, female or male, to fly west with the night and cross the Atlantic ocean solo from Europe to North America. Markham brings the African bush to life with stories of boar hunts and elephant hunts. Of horse races and airplane flights over desert terrain. She lived a courageous life in a time when girls were only supposed to wear dresses and play with dolls and flying airplanes was a man's job. Highly inspirational to read!
   
   There's so much to talk about in mother-daughter book clubs or any book club. How was Markham's life different from so many of the girls in her time? How would her life have been different if her mother was also in Africa raising her?
   
   This book is beautifully written; I've read it three times and each reading I glean more and more from it. I highly recommend it for anyone in high school or older.



3. Absolutely captivating personal account of times and places long gone. As a fan of "Heat of the Sun," this book was a treasure.



4. I agree with Hemingway that this is a piece of high literature that reads like fiction and spreads itself before the reader like a well-produced film. It drove me to learn more about the author and her life.



5. I read this book because someone suggested my family might have been related to Beryl Markham, which is not the case, but...
   What a woman - this is a true account of one of the first bush pilots in Africa, Beryl Markham, who was the first pilot to fly westward across the Atlantic from England. Although there is some dispute whether she actually wrote this autobiographical account (some say that her paramour, who edited the book, actually wrote it - she never confirmed or denied it), the stories are true and fascinating, encouraging the reader to learn more about her. The writing style is wonderful and interesting - no wonder Hemingway loved it. You wouldn't know this book was first published so many years ago.

3 comments about The Circle of life: Wildlife on the African Savannah.

1. Anup and Manoj Shah have distinguished themselves in the populous field of wildlife photography by producing expressive and beautiful portraits of wild animals that document the individuals' lives while achieving impressive aesthetic grace. Many of the brothers' photographs are simply unforgettable works of art that I never tire of looking at. "The Circle of Life" is a massive book that contains 235 photographs of wildlife on the African Savannah. About 40 species of mammal are represented, as well as some birds and reptiles. In the most comprehensive photographic essay of wildlife that I have ever seen, the Shah brothers document the lives of the many animals who live and die in this vast African ecosystem that spans much of Kenya and Tanzania. The authors have organized this photographic odyssey by dividing the book into 20 chapters, each showcasing one aspect of life on the Savannah. The early chapters show us the basic elements that create and sustain life. Some example chapters are: "Driven by Wet and Dry", "Light and Energy", and "Shaped by Fire and Elephants". The book then moves on to the subjects of birth and growing up on the Savannah. "Natural Selection", "Adaptation and Diversity", "Peaceful Coexistence", and "Mother and Offspring", for example. Then we see the lives of adult animals. Some examples are: "Herds and Social Groups", "Grazers and Browsers", and "The Hunters". And finally these animals die, returning to the earth, and the "circle of life" begins again: "Scavengers and Decomposers", "Land and Life". Each chapter begins with an essay written by Anup Shah that explains what that particular facet of life on the Savannah entails and how it fits into the greater life cycle.

   The photographs in "The Circle of Life" are mostly one-to-a-page, but there are also 2-page spreads and pages containing two photographs. The reproduction quality is good. All photographs have detailed captions. An index in the back of the book allows the reader to locate text and photographs by species or topic. The index is most helpful considering the size of this volume. If you're familiar with the work of Anup and Manoj Shah through "Nature's Best" magazine, most, but not all, of their "Nature's Best" photographs are included in this book. "The Circle of Life" is a record of wildlife on the African Savannah that is impressive in its size, scope, and beauty. Only photographers who spend an extraordinary amount of time in this environment could have captured so much of the lives of so many species. It's a pleasure to see the results of Anup and Manoj Shah's experience and persistence in one volume. "The Circle of Life" is a fantastic coffee table book for nature photography fans, as well as a great visual resource for anyone studying this ecosystem.




2. These are simply amazing wildlife photos, all from East Africa, where the Shah brothers live. This large-format book is beautifully printed, and these photos are about as good as wildlife photography gets. Lots of everyone's favorite (mine anyway), baby animal photos! Now, almost anyone (even me) can take a cute photo of baby cheetahs in their furpunk soft-Mohawk glory. But the Shahs can photograph a baby *hippo* and make it look cuddly (p. 146)....
   
   The Shahs have the unfair advantage of living in Kenya, so their photos represent literally years of fieldwork in their own backyard (big backyard!). Which wouldn't matter except that they may well be the finest photographers of East African wildlife so far. Astonishing work, absolutely not to be missed. I know, I'm stuck in superlative mode here, but these guys are really, really good, and Harry Abrams has done them up proud.
   
   You've almost certainly seen some of the Shah's photographs, likely in National Geographic -- though if you're as oblivious as me, you may not have noticed their names. I've uploaded a couple of images to jog your memory. Most highly recommended for anyone who's interested in African wildlife. And yes, you should save up for a trip to East Africa someday....
   
   Happy viewing--
   Peter D. Tillman



3. A fantastic collection of African wildlife photographs.
   Well worth having for the coffee table!

1 comments about Insight Guide Kenya (Insight Guides Kenya).

1. The book has everything you need to know. This book had every hotel, lodge or tented camp we stayed at and the information was accurate. It also list places to eat, shop, and sites to see in each area. The book gives you a history of the country, profiles on the different tribes, details about each park and reserve, maps and travel tips that were very good. Really liked the information on the wildlife since this was the main reason for our trip. My 10 old daughter also enjoyed reading this book.

5 comments about North of South: An African Journey (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics).

1. North of South describes Shiva Naipaul's journey through Eastern Africa as it emerged from colonialism several decades ago. Optimism and energy prevailed alongside a blind faith in imported philosophies which pundits failed to translate meaningfully to the impoverished, illiterate masses around them.
   
   Naipaul is a witty, bold writer with a gift for sharp imagery and an uncanny radar for subtle undercurrents in human interaction - the hypocrisy of the black elite, the jittery desperation of the settlers, the paranoid clannishness of the Asians. He also vividly portrays the deepening poverty and decaying infrastructure that underscored the failure of well-intentioned socialism in Tanzania.
   
   While some racists may use it to justify their beliefs, the book is more a compassionate, humorous look at pre-industrial populations trying to forge national identities from scratch.
   
   While today's poor countries may not have to follow the painstaking, centuries-long process that western countries did, this is still a reminder that there is no shortcut to institutional development.
   
   For Africans, this nostalgic book shows how far we have come, but is also a challenge to craft a fresh vision for the long distance still left to travel.



2. This is a wonderfully written book; Naipaul's proses flows effortlessly across the page, the connexion between thought and word is seemless. The comparatively small body of work Naipaul produced before his tragic early death has been neglected in favour of that of his less talented, but longer lived, brother (a Nobel Prizewinner). However in this one work, Naipaul's prosody surpasses anything produced either by his brother, or by other twentieth century travel writers like Thoreau. That said, some of the other reviews here are ludicrously jaundiced and do a disservice to the book itself. This is no crude work of 'anti-pc' nonsense (an American political term that the archly European Naipaul would have shuddered at). The prose is not illiberal (in the American sense of the term) but rather aristocratic, in the best tradition of Evelyn Waugh (the writer Naipaul most resembles). Like Waugh, Naipaul's caustic observations rip into the heart of human weakness and frailty, exposing the hypocrisy and cant from all sides. The pretensions of ghastly businessmen disgust him as much as the crudity of the black 'socialists'. Those who seek to defend either Marxism or any form of business enterprise system face Naipaul's perfectly expressed derision. I personally found Naipaul's lack of human feeling at the extent of Africa's poverty a little shocking but it is a rapturous pleasure to be so shocked.



3. Shiva Naipaul's _North of South: An African Journey_ is the most cynical book I've ever read. It is a travelogue of the author's visit to three postcolonial African countries in the 1970s: Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. Naipaul is a Hindu, born in Trinidad, and he pays attention to the role (and plight) of South Asians (Hindus, Pakistanis, Sikhs, Parsees, etc) in East Africa. He also focuses on the black-white relations in Africa as well. Naipaul gives Africa and everyone involved in its affairs (whites, blacks and Asians) no credit whatsoever. Declining European colonial powers gave their African colonies political independence in the 1960s and a variety of demagogues like and Julius Nyerre in Tanzania who took power spouting third world varieties of socialism and Marxism. Despite claims of social and economic progress, Africa remains as backward as ever. Naipaul freely writes of his disgust with the countries and its deceived leadership from the first page of the book until the last. This book, like another reviewer noted below, certainly is not going to make it into a black studies program anytime soon. It is a relief from portraits of Africa that classify it as a tropical paradise, a land of innocents exploited by evil Europeans, or conversely an AIDS infested human disaster. Naipaul's cynicism shows Africa the way it really is-struggling, corrupt, deceived, but at the same time Afroca is chugging along optimistically in some areas, with idealism and occasional realism, and attempting to do as well as it can to develop itself. No dry textbook prose here; the book is short, easy to read, engaging and very well written.



4. ~North of South: An African Journey~ is succinct and controversial travelogue by an Indian expatriate to the African continent. The author Naipaul presents a cynical, if not lampoonish travelogue of his odyssey through Africa in the 1970s: in particular, he visits Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. His book reflects upon the socialist ideologies advocated by the various regimes, and how in spite of their lofty ideological ideals, they only partake of corruption and misery. Central Africa is a region synonymous with bloodshed, corruption, plight, and poverty. Naipaul comments frequently about loose morals, laziness, and rank corruption. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Naipaul also illustrates how deeply ambivalent native Africans are to Asian immigrants, mostly from India. The issue of race is quite an odd one. The legacy of colonials left Africans ambivalent against foreigners, but strangely dependent on them. As Naipaul notes the few mildly affluent Africans would rather have their children educated by Westerners than by their own people.
   
   A July 04, 2005 interview with a Kenyan economist in the German newspaper Spiegel offered some hard-hitting truth that the world needs to hear about Africa. Socialism in Africa, reinforced by naive western powers and the United Nations, is at the root of Africa's problems. It held true in the 1970s. And it holds true in the twenty-first century. Intervention inculcates weakness, saps market vitality, and props up despots and dictators. In 2005, the Kenyan economics expert James Shikwati says that foreign aid to Africa does more harm than good, declaring, "For God's sake, please just stop." He elaborated, "Such intentions have been damaging our continent for the past 40 years. If the industrial nations really want to help the Africans, they should finally terminate this awful aid. The countries that have collected the most development aid are also the ones that are in the worst shape. Despite the billions that have poured in to Africa, the continent remains poor." Spiegel then queried, "Do you have an explanation for this paradox?" Shikwati retorted, "Huge bureaucracies are financed (with the aid money), corruption and complacency are promoted, Africans are taught to be beggars and not to be independent. In addition, development aid weakens the local markets everywhere and dampens the spirit of entrepreneurship that we so desperately need. As absurd as it may sound: Development aid is one of the reasons for Africa's problems. If the West were to cancel these payments, normal Africans wouldn't even notice. Only the functionaries would be hard hit. Which is why they maintain that the world would stop turning without this development aid." Spiegel then queried, "Even in a country like Kenya, people are starving to death each year. Someone has got to help them." Shikwati declared, "But it has to be the Kenyans themselves who help these people. When there's a drought in a region of Kenya, our corrupt politicians reflexively cry out for more help... It's only natural that they willingly accept the plea for more help... before long, several thousands tons of corn are shipped to Africa ...and at some point, this corn ends up in the harbor of Mombasa. A portion of the corn often goes directly into the hands of unscrupulous politicians who then pass it on to their own tribe to boost their next election campaign. Another portion of the shipment ends up on the black market where the corn is dumped at extremely low prices. Local farmers may as well put down their hoes right away; no one can compete with the UN's World Food Program. And because the farmers go under in the face of this pressure, Kenya would have no reserves to draw on if there actually were a famine next year. It's a simple but fatal cycle."



5. As an East African Asian, I was really looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it quite as much.
   The author is very cynical and sharply critical of almost EVERYTHING. It doesn't seem that he likes ANYTHING about East Africa.
   Also, he often provides more details than are necessary on mundane things, like unexpected meetings with strange people.
   
   Overall I would say that the author has done injustice to East Africa, and particularly the Asians of East Africa.

No comments about Africa's Top Wildlife Countries: Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia & Zimbabwe (Africa's Top Wildlife Countries).