No comments about The Rough Guide to Kenya (Rough Guides).

1 comments about The Africa Letters.

1. This is a wonderfully written account of Bror Blixen's experiences as big-game hunter and safari leader in East Africa during the 1920s and '30s. Blixen was a larger-than-life settler and safari leader who many believe was Ernest Hemingway's model for the masculine heroes in his books. In letters to friends, Blixen gives us his perceptions of the breathtaking beauty of Africa at that time, and a glimpse into that world before overhunting and progress changed forever the fate of the wild animals.

No comments about African Wildlife Safaris: Kenya Uganda Tanzania Ethiopia Somalia Malawi Zambia Rwanda Burundi (Spectrum Guides).

No comments about The Beauty of the Maasai Mara.

2 comments about The Ostrich Wakes: Struggles for Change in Highland Kenya.

1. Anthropologist, academician and lecturer Jean Davison is the founder of the `International Development and Education Association', a non-profit group dedicated to linking small communities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America through developing seed funding for self-help projects with sponsoring groups in the United States and Canada. "The Ostrich Wakes: Struggles For Change In Highland Kenya" is the story of the women of Kenya who some twenty-five years ago lived under cultural, political, religious, and economic circumstances that subjected them to the devastation of female circumcision, lethal communicable diseases, forced marriages, physical and sexual abuse on a daily basis, and a lack of educational opportunities, but today are becoming educated and active in urban small businesses, seeing substantial improvements in health, and governmental laws providing them protections that include being able to reject genital cutting, refusal of marriage proposals, prosecution for rape (a practice so wide spread in Kenya that Kenyan leaders declared it as their nation's most pervasive human rights issue). A compelling, informative, and highly recommended history of social struggle and progress in Kenya, "The Ostrich Wakes" is enhanced with the inclusion of numerous notes and a glossary.



2. Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (5/07)
   
   Dr. Jean Davison, an anthropologist, returns to visit the foothills of Mt. Kenya. Davison returns to Kenya to discover how the Gikuyu farmers view the changes of the last decade in their country. Her return to a land where she had lived, worked and studied twenty years earlier came at the very time the political party in power since Kenya received independence, had been replaced. Excitement was everywhere. Expectations were high.
   
   The remote rural areas of Kenya have become linked to the global coffee and tea markets, as well as the internet, TV, and cell phones. Any change will benefit some and disadvantage others in this age of globalization. The title of the book "The Ostrich Wakes" speaks of the many changes in Highland Kenya: the coming of electricity, improved transportation, and the availability of education. This is a wakeup call at a time of crisis. Davison was particularly concerned about the impact of these changes in relation to "Women's Concerns" in education, economic opportunity, property rights, overpopulation, family planning skills, and "AIDS."
   
   Dr. Davison contacted village elders and youth alike to learn how they had been impacted through these transitions. She visited old friends to interview them about the long awaited changes in the government, the uncertainties of the economy, of the trends in agricultural, and the educational opportunities available to the children and youth of Kenya.
   
   As she retraced her steps of earlier visits she was particularly interested in how traditions, customs, rituals, and coming of age rites had changed since her last visit. Among others she interviewed four generations of one family to get a comparison of how time and education have impacted how they learn, what they had learned by observing their mothers, and what they had learned in the more formal school setting. Many of those interviewed were open and frank, and shared freely in their stories of coming of age, marriage and childbirth. Others were more private, especially when questions concerned the older rituals and rites associated with girls coming of age.
   
   I appreciated the unique approach Dr. Davison used to present the results of her research. She writes using a story form narrative in her interviews. Her presentation of background material on the government, history, and geography of Kenya is woven into the stories in a unique and entertaining way.
   
   The subject matter of "The Ostrich Wakes" is enlightening and useful, an important addition to the studies available on the threat, prevention, and treatment of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in third world communities. It is the story of an awakening of a people from the lethargy and sense of despair. This is a book of travel, of warm stories from peoples of another culture, as well as the results of an anthropology research study.

No comments about Kenya Journal.

No comments about Nine Faces of Kenya.

5 comments about No Picnic on Mount Kenya: A Daring Excape, A Perilous Climb.

1. I'm a big fan of WWII prisoner of war tales, both real (The Long Walk, Ghost Soldiers, et al) and fictional (King Rat, Bridge on the River Kwai, et al), so I was intrigued by this account by an Italian of how he and two companions escaped their POW camp, climbed Mt. Kenya, and then snuck back into camp several weeks later. Unfortunately, while their adventure was undoubtedly remarkable, it never really comes alive in Benuzzi's book. I suspect much of the problem for me is that I know nothing about mountaineering and don't particularly find it interesting. The other difficulty I had was with the flatness of the prose, whether this is due to a weak translation or to Benuzzi's writing in a foreign language I don't know, but in any event, I found it rather tepid. So while I think the whole idea of his adventure is wonderful and in rather brilliant dark humor, I didn't find the telling equally so.



2. This book is a welcome change from all the peak bagging, egoistical, mountain-conquering books out there. The author talks so poetically about the beauty of the mountain , that its hard to remain unaffected. Their mission is extremely pure and simple - to climb Mt. Kenya, although some people might say that it was an irresponsible thing to do in the middle of war .... The truth is that its a fantastic description of their whole adventure, with graphic descriptions of the jungle and how they made it with POW rations and home-made climbing gear. A true mountaineering classic !



3. I really enjoyed this book. It sounds almost whimsical that POWs would go to all this trouble and face considerable personal danger to escape, climb a mountain, and then go right back to the prison camp, but the way Benuzzi describes it, it makes a certain sense. The painstaking process of preparing for the trip - which included all the risks and difficulties of a "typical" prison break plus the demands of an Alpine climb - is told in a matter-of-fact, rather dry fashion. (On nominating the third man for the party: "He had never climbed a mountain in his life. The only reason why we decided to try him was because he was universally thought to be mad as a hatter, and mad people were what we needed.") Benuzzi's descriptions of the scenes on the way up the mountain are glorious, and of the return to camp are funny and quite touching. A very enjoyable pocket-adventure story that deserves to be better known.



4. I enjoy escape stories & the first half of this book was a typical WW2 escape story. The story has humour throughout & their task - to climb Mount Kenya - was quite an undertaking. What I liked best was the author's personality / humour & seeing things from an Italian and African perspective. His descriptions of the types of people in the prison camp are awesome. Day to day camp life is well described also.
   
   I think it took great guts to attempt what they did but to me the scariest parts were sleeping in the jungle with little or no shelter & no weapons. Who know's what type of beasts they may come across? I felt the second half of the book which describes more of the climb itself was more boring. When I got into this part I was mostly looking forward to finishing the book & getting onto something else. It is unique & I don't think in all the escape books I have read anyone has ever had their main intention be to escape back into their camp. That took a little bit of the interest away for me.
   
   It is a good story & I think the author would be a very interesting person to meet but the book was just middle of the road as far as true adventure stories I have read.



5. Felice Benuzzi wound up in a Second World War POW camp close to the foot of Mount Kenya, a mountain that is higher than the highest alp in Europe. Prison camps are boring; soon Benuzzi, who went on to become an ambassador in post-war Italy's diplomatic service, was dreaming of scaling the mountain he saw beyond the barbed wire of his confines.
   
   Eventually he did break out, and with the help of two fellow prisoners and rudimentary mountain climbing equipment they had made in the prison camp, he and a fellow prisoner ascended one of Mount Kenya's peaks, where they planted an Italian flag. A great story of adventure and humanity that loses a little of its lyricism in its translation into English. Great reading for all ages.

No comments about Our African Winter (Duckworth Discoverers) (Duckworth Discoverers).

4 comments about SAFARI: My Trip to Africa.

1. An absolutely charming book, "Safari" is the journal of Reginald Oliver Smythe, a vintage Teddy bear who was taken along on a trip to Africa by his owner (and travel companion), Susan. I've read lots of books on Africa, but none like this one--told entirely from the toy bear's perspective. It is filled with interesting facts and suffused with "Reggie's" endearing personality. Written in the form of a travel journal, the book is as lushly illustrated as an artist's sketchbook. Reginal Oliver Smythe's "Safari" is perfect for reading to my young nieces and nephew. A great gift!



2. I was apprehensive that a book ostensibly written by a teddy bear would get sneers from my teen aged son, however, despite a few pages of cuteness at the start, the book was so well done in art work and content, and mirrored our own safari experiences so well, that Nick loved it. He even, abeit a bit sheepishly, liked the teddy bear humor. If this book succeeds so well with a cynical teen, it should work for everyone. Read this book before you go to East Africa, then re-read it (and get a little misty-eyed) after you return.



3. I have been on a safari with each of my daughters and am going on another with my son, his wife and 3 young grands this summer. Mailed them Reggie's book which was so beguiling I had to get another copy for my daughters to share with me. Needless to say I love the East African experience and this book gives some useful information in a fun, easily accessible and creative way.



4. This delightful book tells the story of the bear Reggie, who travels to Africa for a safari with his owner. His handwritten account records everything he sees in a journal/scrapbook format that is accompanied by beautiful illustrations. A wonderful book for any age. Also check out the follow up, Journey Up the Nile.