Reading list
I'm tired of reading depressing things about Africa...or only depressing things, rather. I want to know about Rwanda, famine, AIDS, corruption, and there are stories of hope mixed up in that, but there's also more to it. This year I want to make the effort to read more "good stuff."
So here's the short list.
- finish A Distant Grief (which is an amazing story about a Ugandan church during Idi Amin's dictorship, but for some reason over Christmas I got distracted from it and haven't picked it up again yet)
- a book about Nelson Mandela/South Africa (like this one Marvin Olasky mentions, Beyond the Miracle: Inside the New South Africa )
- finish Ceremony, because Nigel Barley isn't depressing even when bad things happen in the book
- find 1-2 books about what's going on now - the "success" stories, I guess, especially from an African view
- books about the Church in Africa, books by African Christians (this includes finishing The Man with the Key Has Gone!.)
- also, a good geography book. Because where is Guinea Bissou? (Or am I making that up?)
- and the last two books in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.
Do you guys have any good Africa book suggestion?
So here's the short list.
- finish A Distant Grief (which is an amazing story about a Ugandan church during Idi Amin's dictorship, but for some reason over Christmas I got distracted from it and haven't picked it up again yet)
- a book about Nelson Mandela/South Africa (like this one Marvin Olasky mentions, Beyond the Miracle: Inside the New South Africa )
- finish Ceremony, because Nigel Barley isn't depressing even when bad things happen in the book
- find 1-2 books about what's going on now - the "success" stories, I guess, especially from an African view
- books about the Church in Africa, books by African Christians (this includes finishing The Man with the Key Has Gone!.)
- also, a good geography book. Because where is Guinea Bissou? (Or am I making that up?)
- and the last two books in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.
Do you guys have any good Africa book suggestion?
posted by Amanda at
5:09 PM
7 Comments:
Good list, Amanda!
I haven't read all of those...though they sound interesting. But you forgot "Going Solo" by Roald Dahl. It's set in Africa, and it is far from depressing. ;)
By
Rachel Schaner, at 1:33 PM
Amanda, for one of my africa classes this semester, I had to learn where all the African countries are and how to spell them properly. Yes, there is a Guinea Bissau and it's on the western horn of Africa. :)
Books: I haven't read them yet, but they are novels (based on truth)that I'll be reading in classes...they look good:
Devil on the Cross, Ngugi
The Joys of Motherhood, Buchi Emecheta
Anthills of the Savannah, Chinua Achebe
Nervous Conditions, Tsitsi Dangarembga
Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, Alexandra Fuller (I have read this and it is from a white African's perspective)
I have a bunch more if you are interested...
By
ashleigh, at 7:58 PM
National Geographic Geospy. This is what I used to learn all of the African countries (and Europe and Asia, and South America, and North America...! But I need to review)
I noticed one of my Dad's books the other day, called The Zanzibar Chest. I don't know if it is at all uplifting or not; I'll ask him.
By
Melodee, at 1:38 PM
Berta, I'm sorry I deleted your comment somehow. Here it is again:
I wrote down the names of all four of those books. Our library doesn't have them -- but perhaps can get them for me on Inter Library Loan. They are very good at that. Thank you for the ideas!
By
Amanda, at 4:28 PM
Rachel, thanks for mentioning Going Solo! That would be a nice re-read. I read it in '04 at the Wrights and the chapter about the lightening-fast killer black mamba had me terrified until Martha reassured me that they weren't really like that. :)
Ashleigh, thanks for the suggestions. That sounds like a fascinating Africa class. I'd appreciate your other recommendations, too. The library should have at least some of these...
Melodee, I've seen Zanzibar Chest before at your house, and thought it sounded cool at least. Thanks for the Geospy link, too!
Berta, I hope you enjoy the books. I might have to try InterLibrary loan too!
By
Amanda, at 4:34 PM
I just picked up two at the library: A Distant Grief and Ceremony. A Distant Grief looks so sad because it was what happened in Uganda under Amin? I have been through that when it was in the newspapers. Ceremony says it is the funniest book to come out of Africa since -- some others I had not heard of.
Now -- do you think your photos and accompanying words could ever be a book? Or a photo essay? I would buy a copy of that to hold in my hands. It would not be depressing, would it?
By
Anonymous, at 4:30 PM
A Distant Grief is sad, but it's also an amazing story about God's grace through very hard times. I think you'll be glad you read when you're done!
I think Ceremony is pretty funny, but I'm not that far into it, and now that I think of it, An Innocent Anthropologist (Nigel's first book) is maybe more fun. But hopefully you'll enjoy this one too.
I'm not sure about a photo-essay type of book, but if it ever happens, I promise you'll all get complimentary copies of it. :)
By
Amanda, at 5:01 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home