Book Reviews

Are you looking for some good summer reading? I've been compiling a reading list for myself with titles that are all Africa related. It's a mix of fiction and non. At this point, I've read about half the books on the list myself. I'm a little behind on writing my book reviews, but you can find some of them here.

Africa Rising: How 900 Million African Consumers Offer More Than You Think
by Vijay Mahajan
Published September 6th 2008 by Wharton School Publishing (first published August 29th 2008)
ISBN 0132339420 (ISBN13: 9780132339421)

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope
by William Kamkwamba
Published October 1st 2009 by William Morrow (first published September 16th 2009)
ISBN 0061730327 (ISBN13: 9780061730320)

The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World
by Jacqueline Novogratz
Published March 3rd 2009 by Rodale Books (first published 2009)
ISBN 1594869154 (ISBN13: 9781594869150)

Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
by Nelson Mandela
Published October 1st 1995 by Back Bay Books (first published 1995)
ISBN 0316548189 (ISBN13: 9780316548182)

Across the Footsteps of Africa: The Experiences of an Ecuadorian Doctor in Malawi and Mozambique
by Benjamin Puertas Donoso
Published May 28th 1999 by Africa World Press (first published May 1999)
ISBN 0865436401 (ISBN13: 9780865436404)

Series: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
by Alexander McCall Smith

Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust
by Immaculee Ilibagiza
Published June 1st 2007 by Hay House (first published 2006)
ISBN 1401908977 (ISBN13: 9781401908973)

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood
by Alexandra Fuller
Published March 11th 2003 by Random House Trade Paperbacks (first published 2001)
ISBN 0375758992 (ISBN13: 9780375758997)

The Poisonwood Bible
by Barbara Kingsolver
Published May 31st 2005 by Harper Perennial Modern Classics (first published 1998)
ISBN 0060786507 (ISBN13: 9780060786502)

A Long Way Gone : Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
by Ishmael Beah
Published February 13th 2007 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN 0374105235 (ISBN13: 9780374105235)

What is the What
by Dave Eggers
Published October 25th 2006 by McSweeney's (first published 2006)
ISBN 1932416641 (ISBN13: 9781932416640)

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families: Stories from Rwanda
by Philip Gourevitch
Published September 1st 1999 by Picador
ISBN 0312243359 (ISBN13: 9780312243357)

Half of a Yellow Sun
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Published September 12th 2006 by Knopf (first published 2006)
ISBN 1400044162 (ISBN13: 9781400044160)

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am in Malawi right now and was pleased to stumble upon a copy of “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” at a friend’s house where I was staying in Lilongwe. I hadn't met William Kamkwamba, author of the book, yet, but did know that he had help writing his story. Before reading the book I was a bit concerned that his voice might not come through strongly and that it would be written in the polished English of a native speaker. As I began reading, I quickly started enjoying the sound of William's very Malawian voice coming through clearly. I enjoyed endearing English phrases you hear only in Malawi and the Chichewa words inserted throughout the text.

This is a story of resourcefullnes and ingenuity in the most desperate of circumstances. Malawi is indeed a poor country, but the story that doesn't get told often enough is how rich it is as well. There are many youth like William in Malawi who are bright, talented and creative. Unfortunately, more often than not, they don't have the opporutnity to realize their full potential. I am thrilled that William's story is being shared with the world and that he now finds himself with opportunities that will enable him to fulfill his dreams. My hope is that more of his counterparts will also find ways to see their own hopes become a reality.

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What Is the What by Dave Eggers


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
"No one has been tired as we have been tired..."

I could feel the truth of this statement deep in my core as I finished "What is the What" by David Eggers. I can't tell you how many times I was reduced to tears while reading. Even after knowing several Lost Boys in Tucson and hearing their stories face to face, I still struggled to fathom how the human soul can bear so much hardship. It just doesn't seem possible, and yet, this is historical fiction...more historical than fiction I believe. Events such as those in the book do and did indeed take place. Just when you think Achak Deng, the main character, can suffer no more, another blow comes from a new direction. It is exhausting and heartbreaking. I had to wonder where his strength comes from when the future is so uncertain and hopes and dreams are slow if ever to materialize. And it is that same strength and relentless hope that kept me turning the pages wanting to know and believe that their is a future for Lost Boys like Achak.

"It was a broken world, I knew then, that would allow a boy such as me to bury a boy such as William K."

The literary approach by Eggers is effective but occasionally confusing. Achak Deng tells his story, silently in his own mind, to anyone that comes across his path in a series of flashbacks amid current events. What's effective about this style mixing the past and present is that it demonstrates how strongly the past is carried into the present and contrasts current suffering to that of the past. What I found occasionally confusion, was keeping straight who he was "talking to" at any one time. I would get so wrapped up in the story, forgetting it was a flashback, when he would say "Julian, it was a long time walking..."

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is probably old news to many of you. It was published in 2000 and has been on my To Read list since then. Yet, what I found fascinating about this book is that the ideas seem to transcend time. Gladwell presents a fresh, new way to observe and analyze the world which can be applied to the past, present or future. The read was a little slow at times, definitely an academic writer, but the core elements of how to identify a Tipping Point kept me interested all of the way through. Here are some takeaways that I will keep with me:

Law of the Few:

• Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen; the three types of people that will promote and champion your message starting your word-of-mouth epidemic.
• A social epidemic will be successful based on the level of involvement and influence of people with a "particular and rare set of social gifts".
• These people make the idea contagious and they tend to be optimistic people, we are drawn to them.
• A Maven is someone who has an extreme amount of knowledge on a specific subject/topic born out of some sort of obsession, and they are social people, well respected for their insight on the topic. ("Maven" comes form Yiddish meaning one who accumulates knowledge)

In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I thoroughly enjoy the #1 Ladies Detective Agency series. "In the Company of Cheerful Ladies" was entertaining and McCall Smith always impresses me with the detail of everyday life in Botswana. Having lived in Malawi myslef, I really appreciate these small details like the sounds of the African bush, the delight of pumpkins, and the difference between city folk and village folk. This book was a quick read like most of McCall Smith's books, but is full of insight, amusement and touching accounts about the interactions between his wonderful characters. I do recommend this series of lighthearted books to anyone interested in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially those that want insight in to the brighter side of life in Africa, a refreshing change from the typical doom and gloom we are fed by the media.

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