Book Description

Reviews (20)

Readable as History, Readable as Literature
Mezlekia's story is about growing up in the second half of the 20th Century in Ethiopia, a period of upheaval that includes the overthrow of Haile Selassie and subsequent socialist governments. It richly describes the ethnic tapestry of the country, weaving in folk tales and folk medicine. The stories told by his mother and others are rich diversions in the story of his life and make this history more literary.

He has a highly developed sense of satire and irony, whether when plotting revenge against a strict teacher or when commenting, "To make sure that there was no mistaking the nationality of those involved in designing and building most of the (Addis Ababa) university, the various gadgets and fixtures within them had the 'American Standard' imprint on them."

Highly readable, whatever your knowledge of Africa might be.

Highly recommended if you want to understand what type of economic structures are appropriate in the developing world. Yet it's real strength is in the human story.

Notes That Matter
This book is full of meaning, often insightful and completely unforgettable it is written with candor and wit despite its serious edges.

Nega Mezlekia has written a memoir about his boyhood growing up in Ethiopia during the fall of Emperor Selassie. He experiences all of the curious playful things that all boys are reared with yet he also discusses the harshness of the environment during the rise of Junta communism in which thousands of young people were ruthlessly slaughtered. He writes on page 183, "Apathy in the face of continual violence is something someone who has never lived through a war cannot understand......People simply gathered about themselves, like rags, what life there was left, deafened and inured to the inevitability of death." Although Mezlekia has many horrible atrocities to write about this is not all he adheres to. At times this memoir is very witty and I laughed out loud several times imagining some of his shenanigans. His adventures with medicine men and native cures is hilarious as well as his attempt to capture the loose cattle in his village with pepper.

I am always impressed with the attitude of Africans who survive the atrocities they have faced in their home countries. Their spirit and survivalist hearts seem to always prevail despite the horrible circumstances they are often forced to endure. Mezlekia managed to escape his country at possibly its worst moments, not without heartache, not without suffering, but with a true gift as a storyteller. I would recommend this memoir to everyone interested in a great true tale but especially to those concerned with the plights of our fellow human beings who suffer so gracefully for their native lands.

!!! Alright !!!
I read "Notes From The Hyena's Belly" because my 7th grade English teacher assigned it to me personally. At first I honestly thought that it was going to be just a stupid autobiography, but it turned out to be excellent!!!

"Notes From The Hyena's Belly" was a book that started from the very second Mezlekia was born, and told his story until he left Ethiopia later in his life. But this is not just a long autobiography that stuck strictly to the facts. It was VERY funny, and generally politically correct... :-D

Combining fact with humor, Mezlekia creates an image of his life in Ethiopia so vivid, you feel that you are there, following him around. From school to church, each part of the book is beautifully orchestrated so that everything makes sense. The book moves at a quick pace, but not so fast that you don't have time to enjoy the occasional joke. :-D Hehehe. A good book. And the moral of THIS story is, if your teacher tells you to read a biography/autobiograohy of choice, take the fun way out and read this one!!!

Finally, an authentic Ethiopian story in english
I mistakengly judged this book to be rubbish based solely on the cover. To my surprise, it turned out to be an exciting and adventurous story about growing up in eastern Ethiopia, in a town called Jigjiga. The author's aptitude for narration is pleasing, as he does not leave the reader to digress.

One of the funniest parts of this book is when he talks about the farmer boy whom he befriended, and his hillarious use of the Amharic language.

unique account
There aren't too many autobiographies of modern Africa out there, and this one in particular stands alone, intermingling historical events with Mezlekia's boyhood and life in Jijiga, a city in the eastern part of the Horn of Africa built on a "dry, sandless desert where even the smallest wind creates devils- whirlwinds of dust that rise high into the heavens and are visible from miles away." Everyone in Jijiga fears the hyenas, which of course explains why there are no homeless people. The townspeople themselves--"Christians, mostly Amharas," and "Muslims, mainly Somalis"-- combined religious rituals with ancient pagan traditions; their culture, which finds its roots in the song of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, is shaped by myth, fantasy, and folklore. One of my favorite parts is when his mother consulted the "medicine man," after one too many youthful mishaps caused her to deduce her son was possessed by an evil spirit.

This is both a good story and a well-told story. Mezlekia offers a convincing prelude to the Red Terror, so that when the communist party officially comes into power, it is easy to understand why people were so intrigued by the idea of this new government and new social structure. It explains how killing can become commonplace, how unreality can become a reality, and how these factors can either make a break a person. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

An Extraordinary Woman . . .
Jehan Sadat is an extraordinary and courageous woman. I was amazed to read about all of the wonderful programs she created for her country, including cooperatives for women, educational facilities, communities for the disabled, and home communities for orphans. She served tirelessly on local political committees and charitable committees, including Egypt's version of the Red Cross. The fight for women's right to divorce and vote in elections was so important to her that she risked her own family relationships but constantly asking her husband (to his annoyance) to support her agenda until he gave in. Sadat accomplished all these things and much more while raising three children, pursuing a graduate degree in Arabic literature, and supporting her husband, president of Egypt. _A Woman of Egypt_ is not just about Sadat, however; the book discusses Egyptian politics, especially Egypt's relationship to Israel and the US. After reading Sadat's book, I've come to understand the complexities between US-Israel and Arab relations. Sadat is even-handed and fair in assessment of the political situations--she does not condemn her enemies just because they are her enemies. I found her to be an admirable woman and her husband to be an incredible man--the first Muslim leader to actively seek peace with Israel. My favorite line from the book is (paraphrased): They say my husband was ahead of his time, but how can a man who lived only for peace be ahead of his time?

A Woman of Egypt
I was living in Saudi Arabia with my husband for several years. Last summer, a German friend of mine gave me this book translated into German. I was completely captivated by the contents of which I knew very little and the interesting way Ms. Sadat wrote about her life. It was definitely a revelation to me how deeply rooted the problems in the Middle East between Egypt and Isreal were already at the time. Whether this my suggestion belongs into this review or not: I wished the book was made more public - I could not find it this past summer anywhere in a bookstore. (Competitive store)only showed the German title. Every American should read the book in order understand the unsurmountable problems between Jews and Arabs in the region to this day.
As to Madame Sadat: What a courageous, dedicated women she was in a Muslim country, combining her deep faith with her progressive ideas.

Very Good Book
I've never wrote a review before but I thought A Woman of Egypt was so interesting that I couldn't resist. This book gives you an inside look at a lady who was constantly in the public eye in Egypt and wanted to see change. I thought it very courageous some of the things she did and tried to do in Egypt as the first lady. I believe Jehan Sadat spoke from her heart. You will find it hard to put this book down, I know I did! I have resided in Cairo for some years now and I can see what Jehan Sada was trying to do from a different light. Well done Mrs. Sadat!

an excellent book
may be it's too late to read this book (out of print or unavailable edition) but I think it is a excellent book written by a courageous woman. In fact, it's not easy to be a woman and specially a president's husband in some arabic countries. However, I just want to remark that the Tunisian president never refugiated in Egypt, as written in the book.

A fascinating book
When I bought this bough I had no real idea about the life of a woman in the Moslem world; this book gave me an interesting insight. Furthermore, I think it is a fascinating book by a fascinating woman ... Read more

Book Description

Faces of Africa is for everyone who loved African Ceremonies, but longs for more of Beckwith and Fisher's unique eye on Africa and the faces of its beautiful inhabitants.Structured by theme, the book looks at portraits of people who are painted, beaded, draped in beautiful cloth, veiled, and most impressively, ready for marriage. Drawn from every part of the massive African continent, the portraits bridge the distance between very remote tribes to nomads to Islamic Africans.Whether decorated with colored beads or lavish gold, the beauty of Africans shines through in these intimate and rare portraits. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Very Convincing
While the theories of his other books of this genre (namely that Jesus and Moses were Pharoahs) are far-fetched in my opinion, this theory of Joseph and Yuya being the same person appears spot-on. The details fit together almost as perfectly as one could expect considering the language and culture barrier between Hebrew and Egyptian. I am convinced.

My only complaint about this book is that the author makes a few unwarranted assumptions, most notably about the nature of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac, which seem designed to promote the entirety of his theories about the origins of Israel and Judaism.

If read as a stand-alone theory concerning Joseph, this book is very convincing.

Shedding light on the sudden rise of monotheism in Egypt
The Hebrew Pharaohs Of Egypt: The Secret Lineage Of Patriarch Joseph by Ahmed Osman explores the possibility that Biblical Joseph (who was sold into slavery by his kin), was one and the same with Yuya, a vizier of the Eighteenth Dynasty Pharaoh Tuthmosis IV. Shedding light on the sudden rise of monotheism in Egypt as spread by Queen Tiye and her son Akhenaten, The Hebrew Pharaohs Of Egypt is an intriguing, iconoclastic, and highly recommended study which draws upon Biblical and scientific findings to offer a unique interpretation of this specific aspect of the Biblical record.

An intriguing, iconoclastic, and highly recommended study
The Hebrew Pharaohs Of Egypt: The Secret Lineage Of Patriarch Joseph by Ahmed Osman explores the possibility that Biblical Joseph (who was sold into slavery by his kin), was one and the same with Yuya, a vizier of the Eighteenth Dynasty Pharaoh Tuthmosis IV. Shedding light on the sudden rise of monotheism in Egypt as spread by Queen Tiye and her son Akhenaten, The Hebrew Pharaohs Of Egypt is an intriguing, iconoclastic, and highly recommended study which draws upon Biblical and scientific findings to offer a unique interpretation of this specific aspect of the Biblical record.

Interesting alternative history
Drawing on the Bible, the Koran and various ancient Egyptian sources, the author places the events of Exodus in the time of Ramses I. This new interpretation of history may be compared with the work of Velikovsky although their conclusions are not the same; Velikovsky identifies Ramses I with Necho I of the end of the 7th century B.C.

I don't know who is correct, but Osman certainly provides a great read in this book as he identifies the biblical Joseph with Yuya, grand vizier of the 18th dynasty pharaoh Tuthmose IV. From this follows the introduction of monotheism by queen Tiye and her son Akhenaten. This explains the animosity shown towards Akhenaten and his religion by the later pharaoh Horemheb, whom Osman identifies as the oppressor king of the book of Exodus.

This book consists of two parts: A Father To Pharaoh which details the aforementioned history, and Notes And Sources, which contains the evidence and an interesting chapter on the name of Joseph/Yuya. This fascinating work concludes with a bibliography and index.

I also recommend The House Of The Messiah by this author plus the books of Immanuel Velikovsky, like Ages In Chaos, Oedipus And Akhnaten an Ramses II And His Time. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (17)

Excellent chronicle of the demise of civil society in Africa
George B. N. Ayittey's latest book, together with his previous ones ("Indigenous African Institutions" and "Africa Betrayed"), places Ayittey within a small group of African scholars whose commitment to classical liberalism is a breath of fresh air on a continent where most well-known scholars are statists. Ayittey and like-minded African scholars regard advancing the ideas of classical liberalism as the cornerstone for the restoration of civil society in Africa....

What explains the dismal performance of African economies? Ayittey's book provides a detailed account of government policies that adversely affect the functioning of markets. Instead of building on markets that prevailed in the indigenous institutions, African leaders adopted policies that involved heavy intervention in markets.... One result of this form of government intervention is that farmers, whose performance is a key to economic development, face extremely high taxes and other forms of intervention that undermine production incentives. Furthermore, in many countries, property rights are insecure, and leaders often engage in arbitrary expropriation....

If political independence did little to advance the material well-being of the majority of Africans, even less was accomplished with regard to the advancement of individual liberties. There is no doubt that colonial rule was oppressive. Institutions and laws established by the colonialists were clearly designed to serve the interests of colonialists, not Africans. As Ayittey documents, however, political independence in Africa has given rise to some of the most oppressive governments in history. The first wave of civilian leaders adopted oppressive laws and outlawed political competition. Laws were enacted that undermined the freedom of expression, and in virtually all countries, governments enacted laws that empowered rulers to detain opponents without trial. In numerous cases, those opposed to the government were killed or disappeared mysteriously....

Ayittey is critical of some of the commonly proposed solutions to the crisis in Africa. For example, foreign aid and loans, such as those advanced by the international organizations, appear to have no positive impact in the long run. In fact, in most cases such aid has contributed to the crisis. Ayittey proposes reform policies that concentrate on the restoration of civil society, whereby civil and economic liberties would be guaranteed. To achieve such a society, Ayittey proposes building on traditional systems of governance. For example, he proposes the establishment of institutions based on the confederacy principle. Such institutions would be more responsive to the public and would more effectively constrain the actions of leaders. Ayittey makes a persuasive case regarding the importance of economic freedom in dealing with the economic crisis in Africa....

In sum, "Africa in Chaos" is an informative book that advances our understanding of African institutions. The book is clearly written and rich in detail. It should be particularly helpful to the "development experts" who are involved in prescribing policies to Africans but who themselves have limited understanding of African institutions.

Africa needs more than this
I think there is nothing new in the book. If one has been following African politics, this book is just is another record of what goes on in Africa and it does not really help in solving problems that I, as an African am faced with. It is exposing things that Africans are aware of. I think what Africans need now are books that will bring approaches to solving problems that have been identified. There are lots of people who have written about problems confronting the continent of Africa, but very few have written about solutions.

I would appreciate if the author could reverse the book, and propose practical and reasonable solutions to all the problems he identified. The author should try to put himself in the shoes of those people who are fighting for multi party politics in some countries and their livbes are at risk.

The title of this book is too broad, the author put more emphasis on political and economic issues in countries like Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya. Other countries are mentioned in passing. " Africa in Chaos" should look at all countries in Africa, not few countries the author has much knowledge and information about.

I would like to point out that Joe Modise is still alive, he has been serving as a Minister of Defense during the first term of the Government of National Unity in South Africa (He was not killed, as the author puts it in his dedication).

Nkrumah, Nyerere, Kaunda failures all
Excellent book by Ayittey showing the yet again the failures of the liberal-left vision, and its cynical collaborators in business and government bureaucracies. Yet again and again Western taxpayers are called upon to prop up these vampire states- money down an endless rathole.
-
The "leaders" of many of these failed states have been feted and celebrated in the liberal West, none more so than Nkrumah, Nyerere, and Kaunda. Buit it is all hypocrisy and delusion. Some claim glowing accomplishments by these leaders, but in fact things like high literacy rates are carry-overs from the colonial administrations. In short, the literacy rate and educational opportunities were ALREADY rising rapidly when the colonialists pulled out, rendering claims of "improvement" in these areas suspect. The same pattern is repeated in economic development. Agriculture and industry were ALREADY expanding when the kleptocrats and dictators took over. Under them this progress not only declined but in many cases simply vanished.

As for Nkrumah's or Nyere's much touted educational "progress" and "free" medical care, it was neither progressive or free. What use is "free" when your "health" clinics are chronically short of medicine, and competent staff? Just how much "improvement" is there when you don't have enough money to staff or maintain your "free" institutions to even minimal standards? What use is "education" amid cruimbling schools and unpaid teachers, or when you are herding forcibly herding people into dirty, poverty mired "ujamma" villages to be harangued by party hacks about "African socialism"? When has "socialism" fed starving people?

Ayittey exposes the bogus claims, and nonsensical fantasies, and cynical self-serving by Western elites and their vampire-like African compradors. A great read, but of course- no one will lesson while even yet more millions of Africans are needlessly sacrificed to fulfill the greed, corruption and self-congratulatory fantasies of Western elites and their African lackeys.

All true, but...
Ayittey has written an excellent book. In fact, I'm just as critical of Africa's despotic and kleptocratic regimes in all the books I have written. But I don't entirely agree with his assessment of Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, and Kenneth Kaunda.

He says his focus is not on the leadership qualities of any of the African leaders but on their policies. It is true that socialism failed to fuel economic growth. But an objective evaluation of what Nkrumah, Nyerere, and Kaunda did, shows that they had some success in a number of areas. Yet, Ayittey has almost nothing good to say about them in his book, "Africa in Chaos." In fact, these are the three leaders of whom he's most critical in his book, devoting several pages to them more than any other African leader.

Under Nkrumah, Ghana had the highest per capita income in sub-Saharan Africa. It was Nkrumah who laid the foundation for modern-day Ghana. He built the infrastructure that has sustained and fuelled Ghana's economic development through the years. It is true that there were also many failures under Nkrumah, and after he was gone; for example institutional decay and crumbling infrastructure. But who built those institutions and the infrastructure?

Nkrumah built schools, hospitals, roads, factories, dams and bridges, railways and harbors. Tens of thousands of people in Ghana who are lawyers, doctors, engineers, nurses, teachers, accountants, agriculturalists, scientists and others wouldn't be what they are today had it not been for the educational opportunities provided by Nkrumah.

Ayittey talks about quality, saying that what mattered during Nkrumah's reign was quantity, not quality. What's the quality of the Ghanaian elite, including Ayittey himself, educated under Nkrumah? Are they not as good as anybody else? What was the quality of education at the University of Ghana, Legon? Did it admit and train students of mediocre mental calibre? Did it have inferior academic programmes? And an inferior faculty? Were more people dying in Ghanaian hospitals than they were being saved? Did the schools, hospitals, factories, roads and other infrastructure Nkrumah built do more harm than good? Would Ghana have been better off without them like Zaire under Mobutu?

In Tanzania, Nyerere also built schools, hospitals, clinics, factories, roads and railways, dams and bridges, hydroelectric power plants and other infrastructure. Although his policy of Ujamaa (meaning familyhood in Kiswahili) was not very successful, it did enable the country to bring the people together and closer to each other in order to provide them with vital social services. The people had easier access to schools, clinics, clean water and other services provided by the government, than they otherwise would have been, because they lived closer to each other; which would have been impossible had they been spread too thin across the country, living miles and and miles apart.

Also under Nyerere, education was free, from primary school all the way to the university level. Medical services were also free, in spite of the fact that Tanzania is one of poorest countries in the world. Still, under Nyerere, it was able to afford all that. Everybody had equal opportunity. Under his leadership, Tanzania also made quantum leaps in education. It had the highest literacy rate in Africa, and one of the highest in the world, higher than India's which has one of the largest numbers of educated people and the third largest number of scientists after the United States and the former Soviet Union.

One of the biggest achievements under Nyerere was in the area of adult education. Tanzania, on a scale unprecedented anywhere else in the world, launched a massive adult education campaign to teach millions of people how to read and write. Within only a few years, almost the entire adult population of Tanzania - rural peasants, urban workers and others - became literate. Almost everybody in Tanzania, besides children not yet in school, was able to read and write. And the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania became one of the most renowned academic institutions in the world, in less than ten years, with an outstanding faculty including some of the best and internationally acclaimed scholars from many countries.

Provision of vital services even to some of the most remote parts of the country - far removed from urban and social centres - was not uncommon although the services were, I must admit, curtailed through the years because of economic problems. Yet, all that was achieved under Nyerere who sincerely believed, and made sure, that everybody had equal access to the nation's resources. I know all this because I am a Tanzanian myself, born and brought up in Tanzania, and was one of the beneficiaries of Nyerere's egalitarian policies.

Tanzania has come a long way, and still has a long way to go. But give credit where credit is due, in spite of failures in a number of areas, and which must be acknowledged by all of us. I even admit that in my books. But also look at where we were before: At independence in 1961, Tanganyika (before uniting with Zanzibar in 1964 to form Tanzania) had only 120 university graduates, including two lawyers who had to draft and negotiate more than 150 international treaties for the young nation and handle other legal matters for the country. With 120 university graduates, Tanganyika was, of course, better off than the former Belgian Congo which had only 16 at independence in 1960, and Nyasaland (now Malawi) with only 34 at independence in 1964. Still, that was nowhere close to what Tanganyika would have been had the British tried to develop the colony; which was never their intention. None of the 120 university graduates got their degrees in Tanganyika. There was no university in the country. The British never built one, and never intended to build one. Tanganyika built one after independence, and it became internationally renowned as an excellent academic institution in less than a decade.

The 120 university graduates Tanganyika had at independence was nothing in terms of manpower for a country; not even for a province or region. As Julius Nyerere said not long before he died:

"We took over a country with 85 percent of its adults illiterate. The British ruled us for 43 years. When they left, there were two trained engineers and 12 doctors. When I stepped down there was 91 percent literacy and nearly every child was at school. We trained thousands of engineers, doctors, and teachers."

Nyerere stepped down in 1985. And all that was achieved within 24 years since independence. No mean achievement.

Africa is Chaos
It has been said that there is nothing new in this book. Africa indeed has problems. That is exactly the point of this book and Keith Richburg's "Out of America." Africa has problems and it is not up to AID agencies (USAID could not fix anything even if they wanted to) or foreigners to fix those problems. It is up to "Africans" to fix their problems.

ALL nations have problems. The difference between most nations and the African continent is that Africa just gets worse, and worse and worse. I've lived there. I've lived it. I will never return.

As a black American that lived in Africa over a period of twenty years, I find the state just gets worse and worse and most African people continue to blame their problems on colonialism, they defect to Europe or the US or just take what their dictators dish out. A Kenyan friend of mine who was MD of the Kenyan Human Rights League, tired of being jailed and tear gased while the people he was demonstrating and fighting for looked on and pointed, said: "Kenya and Africa will never change until the average Kenyan or African is prepared to die for his freedom."

No, there is nothing new in "Chaos" or the other books on this subject. Again, that's the point. Contructively Africa: fix your problems. That's what these books are all about: YOU need to fix YOUR problems.

This is a great book. I will keep it and others like it for my children to read. ... Read more

Book Description

Operation Solomon was one of the most remarkable rescue efforts in modern history, in which more than 14,000 Ethiopian Jews were airlifted to Israel in little more than a day. Now, in this riveting volume, Stephen Spector offers the definitive account of this incredible story, based on over 200 interviews and exclusive access to confidential documents.Written with the pace and immediacy of a novel, here is the dramatic story of the rescue of the dark-skinned Jews of Ethiopia. Spector recounts how 20,000 Jews were willingly lured from their ancestral villages to Addis Ababa, expecting to be taken quickly from there to the Holy Land. Instead, they became pawns in a struggle between the Israeli government and Ethiopia's repressive dictator, who tried to coerce Israel to sell him weapons he needed in a losing war against rebel armies. In the resulting stalemate, the Jewish community was forced to live for nearly a year in squalid hovels, vulnerable to the dangers of the city, including crime and HIV. Worse yet, the imminent collapse of Addis Ababa, with the rebels closing in on the capital, raised the threat of bloody street fighting or even a genocidal attack on the Jews, a small minority in a nation that is primarily Christian and Moslem. Spector describes the tense negotiations among Israelis, Ethiopians, and Americans, which became increasingly urgent as time ran low and the danger mounted.And he highlights the secret deals and sudden setbacks that nearly aborted the mission at the eleventh hour, even as Israeli jets sat on the runway in Ethiopia, waiting to take the Jews to the land for which they had yearned for generations. Recounting the full story for the first time, Operation Solomon is a stirring account of a heroic rescue achieved in the face of daunting odds. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

History -- Written as an exciting mystery
Stephen Spector has written a riveting, meticulously researched, suspenseful history of Operation Solomon.The previously untold stories of this event involve a missing $35 million, hostages and heroism. This book appeals to a broad readership, with Bible prophecy fulfillment, return to the Promised Land, perilous journeys, political machinations, personal sacrifice and much more.An uplifting story of triumph over adversity. ... Read more

Book Description

In this comprehensive and original study, a distinguished specialist and scholar of African affairs traces the history of colonization in Africa. Proposing a new conception of the state, Crawford Young considers a wide range of African countries and compares them to other areas of the once-colonized world, and he argues that the current crisis in African development can be traced directly to European colonial rule. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Fayum, a flourishing metropolitan community in ancient Egypt, consisted of Greeks, Egyptians, Syrians, Libyans, and others. Like many of their contemporaries throughout the Nile Valley, these people embalmed their dead and then painted commemorative portraits of them, usually on wood or linen, to be placed over the mummies. Looking into the well-preserved, startlingly lifelike faces collected in this beautiful volume, one can trace the earliest roots of portraiture as it began in these Greco-Roman Fayum, or mummy, portraits, and continued through the Renaissance to the present. Despite their ancient history, the stylized portraits appear strikingly modern and painterly, with echoes of Modigliani and Matisse. Having experimented with them herself, Euphrosyne Doxiadis describes in detail the painting techniques and materials. Also included are fascinating notes on the clothing, jewelry, and hairstyles of the period. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A wonderful art book on the first great portrait painters.
This is a beautiful book for anyone interested in Hellenistic Greek or Roman painting or portraits from any time. These are the first portraits in which the subjects look directly at us as we regard them. They are a haunting glimpse into the lives of people dead for 2000 years. This book is full of big color illustrations. Doxiadis does a fine job of tracing the history of the discovery, theories about, and conservation of these images. ... Read more

Book Description

In this closely integrated collection of essays on colonialism in world history, Frederick Cooper raises crucial questions about concepts relevant to a wide range of issues in the social sciences and humanities, including identity, globalization, and modernity. Rather than portray the past two centuries as the inevitable movement from empire to nation-state, Cooper places nationalism within a much wider range of imperial and diasporic imaginations, of rulers and ruled alike, well into the twentieth century. He addresses both the insights and the blind spots of colonial studies in an effort to get beyond the tendency in the field to focus on a generic colonialism located sometime between 1492 and the 1960s and somewhere in the "West." Broad-ranging, cogently argued, and with a historical focus that moves from Africa to South Asia to Europe, these essays, most published here for the first time, propose a fuller engagement in the give-and-take of history, not least in the ways in which concepts usually attributed to Western universalism--including citizenship and equality--were defined and reconfigured by political mobilizations in colonial contexts. ... Read more

Book Description

This book provides a fresh, exciting, and reader-friendly study of the Ancient Egyptian history, which has suffered and continues to suffer from ingrained prejudices.The book, therefore, brings to light:

A. Historical events that have been ignored by many Egyptologists because of the risk of contradicting popular religions.

Scholars have been unsuccessfully looking for historical evidence to support the biblical accounts of events and their major characters.

This book provides the evidence that these scholars continue to search in the wrong country and the wrong eras.

The facts presented in this book are simple, straightforward and stunning, showing that the major characters in the Bible were actually Egyptian Pharaohs, and not the enemies of Egypt.

B. The advanced level of the Ancient Egyptian civilization, such as:
- The high status of women, which has not been equalled throughout history, even in present times.
- The Egyptian spiritual roots of George Washington, Napoleon and Mozart.All these famous people were masons, whose rites, knowledge, and traditions originated in Ancient Egypt.
- The Ancient Egyptian calendar - the most accurate ever--past and present.
- Their medical knowledge about determining the sex of the unborn child.
- Their knowledge and use of the different types of antibiotics.
- Their superior medicine.A single prescription included as many as 35 different ingredients.
- Their advanced knowledge in science, technology, metals and industry. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

a readable book
The author ventures to provide a brief historical summary of Ancient Egypt. This is accomplished through five short easy-to-read chapters (one entirely devoted to Ancient Egypt and the Bible), drawing upon both modern and ancient sources. Simple religious terms and beliefs are elaborated. Aspects of Ancient Egyptian life explored include the pharaohs, their technology, art, literature, and society. The ideas invoked here are outside the mainstream of Egyptology conventionality.

Historical Deception
If you are like me then you need to be proven and shown something, not just told it. I've always felt that a lot of aspects of history that are taught don't quite make sense and a book like this confirms that. This book actually provides proof and examples of the claims made. Anybody wanting to learn the TRUTH about ancient egypt and the bible should definitely own this book. If you are a person that enjoys the bliss of ignorance and would like to be told lies with no backing then I could think of many other books for you.

Disappointing
This book is highly speculative and misleading. The author omits important information to make his thesis work. I was looking for a work of solid scholarship...this is not it.

Great for Beginners
I found this book great for beginners. It provides a NON-Euro centric view of Egypt/Kemet. Too many books on Kemet written my those with religious agendas. Moustafa does a good job of informing the reader about Kemet in a quick, easy to read format. I do wish he had more information on Pre-Dynastic Kemet, but that info is hard to come by. His research on origins of David, Solomon, Moses, Jesus and the hoax called Exodus actually jives with much of my research on these mythical characters. Overall, the book shows Kemet in a different light than the most of us have been told by the Biblical stories. If one is more advanced in their research on Kemet - this book is not for you. Hotep!

Truth in Labeling
Refreshing to see a book properly labeled, though it also should have included "sophomoric", "illogical", "unfounded" and "neurotic, Anti-West fantasy". All the editorial reviews can only have been written by the author himself or at his direction, since they do nothing but quote from the book, or press materials released with the book.
No rational person, with any hint of logical insight coupled with the slightest level of historical knowledge would ever be so reckless as to suggest that the pre-Ahab characters of the Old Testament were Egyptian, much less pharaohs. Indeed, the author's first task in such an assertion must now-a-days actually be to provide ANY physical evidence that those ancient Hebrews were something other than the literary tools of (Omrite) Judean political agenda!
If you want real Egyptian history instead of fabrication, get "Ancient Egypt" (David Silverman, ed.) and for facts about biblical connectivity get "Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times" by Donald Redford. ... Read more

Book Description

In “the most honest book to emerge from Africa in a long time” (USA Today), a black american correspondent for the Washington Post reports on the horrors he witnessed in Somalia, Rwanda, South Africa, and other troubled African nations-and reflects on his own identity. Map; updated with a new afterword.
... Read more

Reviews (105)

Heart wrenching
"Out of America' is a tough read.

Mr. Richburg's book has brought wails of protest from all over, in Africa certainly but from many other countries and nations as well and not the least America.

Mr. Richburg is a reporter; his book is a report of what he saw while on assignment in Africa. What he saw was appalling, the author does not sugar coat it and it rings with an awful truth. The truth is that today in Africa, black Africans are slaughtering other black Africans at a rate that is incalculable. An ongoing slaughter that is largely unreported in the mainstream media. What makes the book so controversial is Mr. Richburg's refusal to blame the past for Africa's murderous appetites of today. What makes the book so controversial is Mr. Richburg's courage in laying bloody Africa at the feet of today's African leaders. He makes no excuses for black leaders that treat their people like charnel.

It is this "no excuses" approach that infuriates Mr. Richburg's detractors. It is much easier to blame King Leopold, slavery, the colonialism of the British, or the Belgians than it is to look at the simple truth. What happened yesterday does not give license for the atrocities of today.

"Out of America" is an accurate portrayal of Africa
Several years ago, my father who was employed by a Hong Kong based textile manufacturer was stationed in the West African nation of Nigeria. My father had the opportunity on business travel to visit Ivory Coast as well as Kenya. While my father never witnessed the bloodbath described by Keith Richburg in Rwanda and Somalia, he became increasingly disillusioned by the future prospects for that continent. Massive corruption exists at all levels of the government. Bribes are a part of daily life in Nigeria. But foreign firms are equally to blame for looting the continent. All major industries in Nigeria are managed by foreigners (ie. Oil-Holland, Petrochemical-Japan, Textiles-Hong Kong, Autos-Germans, Motorcycles-Japan, Airline-Portugal, etc.). At the United Nigerian Textile Limited (UNTL) subsidary, kickbacks for foreign exchange into the Swiss Bank accounts of Nigerian government officials amounted to the hundreds of millions of dollars. What was even more amazing was the fact that the Nigerians educated in Europe would actually participate in assisting foreign multinationals in looting their nation. So while tens of millions live in poverty, an elite group of Nigerian government bureaucrats would enrich themselves with expensive cars, high priced prostitutes from Lebanon, and huge estates in Europe. A friend at the U.S. State Dept in Kaduna Nigeria described Africa this way: "Africa is called the dark continent. It's better that Africa stay in the dark"

Interesting Story, Shallow Analysis
Keith writes an interesting story. As a Kenyan in particular and African I was more than interested to hear an African-American's - sorry - a black-American's, perspective of Africa and Kenya in particular.

Most of his narratives and experiences appear to be authentic and plausible though not particularly representative. It is perfectly possible to spend a lifetime in say Kenya without ever encountering some of the experiences he claims to have seen on a routine basis. On the other hand his experiences may necessarily be different given that as a journalist he has to look for stories that will make headlines. In any case his few explanations are shallow and patently subjective. Keith Richburg clearly dislikes Africa. That however is not a good enough argument to support his conclusions.

It is difficult to agree with his explanation and maintain any semblance of objectivity. He casually exonerates nay praises the historical crimes of slavery and the holocaust for the simple reason that "good" things came of them. Why he chooses to see Africa's current problems in a different light betrays the pessimism and inferioirity complex he has apparently nurtured for a good part of his life about Africans and by extension - at the risk of offending him - his own kind. In any case I disagree that one can excuse a crime against humanity in the name of posterity. The violence that has happened in Africa and elsewhere can never be justified along those lines.

I totally agree with him from my own experiences that the African-American culture and experience is vastly different from most of the African cultures. Even then, I dont see that as a problem with Pan-African ties. Most informed people are not as deluded about the similarity in cultures as Keith was before setting foot in Africa. This is perfectly understandable given that his only experience of being black was in America, Europe and Asia. How was he to know?

Having spent the greater part of my life in Nairobi, Kenya I found Keith's naration while plausible a bit exaggerated. No quarrel with that as this may just be in the line of journalism. However he decontextualizes atrocious violence and crime in Nairobi to support his underlying and misleading message that the African is a doomed species. It does not take much imagination to portray comparable violence in the inner cities in the same light. There is a lot that is indeed wrong with Africa. Runaway corruption, large-scale violence and a general breakdown of the rule of law in unacceptably vast swaths of the continent. We can choose to ignore how this state of affairs came to be and simply blame the African's "love of wallowing in misery". I beg to differ. Keith's offering gives an interesting insight into the demons in his mind that he has had a life-long fight with.

A brutally honest book, and a must-read!
This book was a real eye-opener for me. It makes me realize that you can divide people into two different groups: those who have spent time in Africa, and those who have not. And when I say Africa, I do not mean Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt, those Arabic-speaking countries of North Africa. I mean black Africa, or sub-Saharan Africa. As an African the author met on a train explained, "I mean REAL Africa."

The people who have actually spent time in Africa -- not passing through on a tourist expedition -- will tend to have radically different ideas about the continent than those who have done their travelling while seated in their armchairs.

Africa is a brutal, dangerous, and horrifying place, where the mentality is still largely tribal and the most important type of violence is direct inter-tribal violence of the most shocking sort. The genocidal slaying between the Tutsis and the Hutus in Rwanda is perhaps the most horrific, but there have been similar horrors in Somalia -- and all over the continent!

The author is a black American who realized, while he was in Africa, that he could not consider himself an "African-American." He was simply an American, born and raised in the USA. I believe Richard Wright and James Baldwin have had similar experiences while living in Europe: they realized that they were not at home, so to speak. And then they realized where "home" was.

One of the author's main conclusions is that he's very lucky to be an American, not an African. But the problem strikes me as a little more radical than that: leaving Black Africa for (say) Tunisia will already markedly improve your quality of life. The author seems to have no problems living in Asia or in Europe. The problem is that Black Africa seems to have its own unique set of problems, and so far nobody seems to have a clue about how to solve these problems. Until that happens, the outlook seems to be extremely bleak.

Highly recommended!

One of the most honest books, regardless of stance!
Out of America is a black man's journey back to Africa as a newspaper reporter. Within the book, a myiad of political and social issues are delved into and the answers - not THE answers, to be sure, but answers as good as any other - are disturbing.

While Mr. Richburgh makes clear towards the beginning of the book that he never felt his 'blackness' was his defining characteristic, his journey in the book sours him on Africa and wipes many preconceptions out of the window. Before anyone can help Africa, he concludes, Africans need to help Africa. The descriptions of tribalism, dictatorship, factionization, and senseless murder seemingly as a way of life, are disturbing and graphic. Richburgh pulls no puches. The irony is that in the process of reading a book where the author ultimately concludes that Africa may be less 'salvagable' than we thought, it is obvious that he is not callous about this judgment, that he remains all-the-while sympathetic, and that this conclusion is one of the hardest ones the author has ever had to make (he tells us THAT much).

Many who've read Out of America denounce Richburg as an out-and-out "uncle Tom". He is a black man who realizes that he is an "american" before he's an "african-american" (as if I'm 'european-american' instead of just plain 'white'). The irony is that those who are shocked that Richburg, a black man, would DARE criticize Africa seems to prove RIchburgs ancillary point. Black leaders, intellectuals, and arm-chair diplomats have pussyfooted around Africa, ignoring abuses of 'human rights', ignoring the deadly tribalism and murder, so as to keep the image of "Africa - the glorious motherland" alive. We may, of course, criticize Europe ("the hegemonic western world") but dare we ever criticize atrocities in Zaire?! How dare we! So it is ironic that the authors point - that we must be realistic instead of untopion when dealing with Africa - is played into perfectly by those so willing to call Richburg an 'uncle tom" or a 'sellout'.

So as not to rant anymore, this book is somewhere between a personal biography, a corageous political statement, and an insider glimpse at the sheer hell international journalists go through to get the story and the shot. Don't miss it. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

One of the many books on the subject
I bought this book after reading Freud's "Moses and Monotheism", where it is attached to the pharaoh Akkenaton the origin of a monotheist cult and religion to the god Athon( or Athun), later to be dismissed and abandomned by his son Tutankamom who pulled back to polytheism. The importance of the debate is big, nothing less than the influence this type of cult had on the formation of the Jewish religion (Jews were held captives in Egypt at Akenaton's time) and later on Christianism and Catholicism.

"The Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt - The One and the Many" was written in German in the 1970's and translated into English in the 80's. Dates are of the utmost importance here due to the archeological material available to the researcher, which has in his hands much more pertinent information than a writer 50 years ago. Both writer and translator are eminent figures of modern Egyptology who has in German and in France many of its most important researchers. The task they face is gigantic, nothing less than trying to interpret the meaning of abstract religious concepts, the concept of God being the foremost.

Religion is one of the most important aspects of a Culture, if not the most important aspect, and has to be interpreted by its own sticks and standards and not by the stick and measures of any other Culture, and this is the essential point which shows the true hardship of managing this subject and then avoiding the acceptance of standars of Western theology. Thus, many questions appear which ask for the most excruciating analisys from the part of the author : what was the meaning of God for the Ancient Egyptian? Is the word God equivalent to the (consonantal) word for god in the language of old Egypt, ntr? Was Egypt first polytheist and later monotheist or the other way around? What is the rule syncretism played in the religion? Was there a people's religion parallel to a cultured religiosity? How the representation of God evolved in time from fetishism (the representation of gods trough not animated things, an staff for instance) to representation of gods trough animals (hawks, ibises, crocodiles etc) and, in the later stages, trough human forms or anthropomorphism and even in a triad of mixed forms (staff, hawk and human)?

"The Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt" is a challenging book but it is not an introductory book targeted for the lay reader, who must be familiar with a difficult vocabulary; wadi, ostraca, papyri, nome, ennead are some of the words in English that crop up in the text and are not conveniently explained by Erik Honnung neither easily found in a good English lexicon. Also a good old Egyptian glossary is missing, thus making the understanding of the texts a real nightmare to the common reader. Finally, also is lacking a good map of ancient North Africa to better locate the cities and geographical accidents cited in the book. As a good add-on, there is a good cronological map of the dynasties of Egypt and a much interesting glossary of the names of the many gods quoted in the book with some paralel with their Greek counterparts.

To sum it up, the book is a pretty good one but could not be taken as an easy read for any one not familiar with things of old Egypt.

Essential for the Study of Egyptian Religion
This book is at the top of many lists for those wishing to study ancinet Egyptian religion in-depth. Upon reading it, I can see why! This book explores what exactly the ancient Egyptians thought god(s) were, how the gods reacted to humans, and how humans reacted to the gods. Given the unique and often confusing nature of the concept "ntr" or god, this book is very useful indeed.

It is extermely detailed, (though admittedly dry,) and leaves the reader with a good idea of what the Egyptian Gods were like and how they developed throughout the millenia. The beginning also nicely addresses the erroneous notion that the Egyptians were really monotheists from the start, and that only the ignorant common people held polythistic beliefs; a Victorian bias that taints the studies of many ancient cultures. Horning clearly has a great deal of respect for the ancient Egyptian religion, and as a Kemetic pagan, I really appreciate that this book exists in English.

Fascinating Read
"Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt" is an English translation of a German publication from 1970. While its definately in the 'academic' category with some pages weighing in longer on footnotes than on text, its an interesting read throught. The section on Akhenaton in the chapter entitled "Classification and Articulation of the Pantheon" is my favorite.
Highly recommeded.

Interesting Book
I thought the chapters on the characteristics and manifestations of the gods were fascinating, and I also enjoyed the chapter about the names of the gods. Many people love this book, but I found the chapter on the use of the word ntr to be somewhat dry. The information in this chapter was very informative, but the subject matter just did not hold my interest; perhaps this shows more where my interest lay, rather than the skill of the author. However those interested in this aspect of Egyptian religion, will probably get a lot out of this book.

an excellent book
In this book, the author introduces the basic concepts of the gods. He first defines the terminology for the word 'god' and then explains the names of the Ancient Egyptian gods as well as their characteristics. He provides an excellent historical overview of the gods. A useful glossary of gods is included, along with a great bibliography for further reading. It is a recommended necessary reading for those studying Ancient Egyptian religion. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Isis, Isis--Ra! Ra! Ra!
This book could be subtitled: "Anything You Ever Wanted to Know about Isis, But Didn't Know Where to Find it..." There's a LOT of information here, from clothing and divination to mythology and history. The information is presented in an interesting and quite readable manner and there are tons of illustrations. If you have believed that Isis was solely an Egyptian Goddess, Goddess of Love and the Great Mother, this book will set you straight, showing you Isis as Goddess of Healing and Magick, Sun and Moon Goddess, Goddess of the Stars and Earth and much more. She is associated with Gods and Goddesses of Scandinavian, Roman, Celtic, Greek and Asian pantheons. I highly recommend this book for the student, worshipper and researcher of Isis.

Isis Demystified
In my search for more and more indepth subject matter, I have come across a lot of badly written books. This is not one of them Regula put together a very consise text containg the History, & Mystery of Isis, in an easy to understand format. This book has info on Temple sites, ritual dress, ritual offerings, dance, making ritual items, and a plethora of other things im too lazy to mention.And its loaded with pictures and illustrations. There are small nuggets of info on Goddess who were seen in the 'Company' of Isis , namely Bast & Het-Hor, as well as some meaning to the rituals themselves. All in all, not a book for a person looking for an advanced system of magic, but not a load of fluffy ...as you may expect from DJ Conway or $ilver Raving-Maniac. Beginer to Intermediate lever reading.

Wonderful for Isis, Terrible for all others
In looking for books on Egypt, I had thought this would help. If I was an Isis worshiper, this would have been an invaluable resource in my libary. I recommend this book for all who wish to devote only to Isis.

However, to anyone else looking for information on any other God/dess or Egypt itself, this book is sorely lacking. Osiris, Horus, Re and other male gods were hardly mentioned except in cursory references to Isis. Hathor, Nebt-het, Sekmet/Bast and other Goddesses were demeaned only as aspects of Isis rather than the true Goddesses they are. In this and the History of Egypt, this book is lacking.

Wow, what Great Source Book on all things Isis
I am a Priestess Devoted to Isis and I have to say tht Ms Regula has outdone herself! If you like all things Isis and if you are interested in learning her Mysteries, Festivals, Magick, and New forms of Divination, this is the Book you need for your Library..She really gives some very true statements regarding initation and What it means to be a Priestess of Our Most Holy Queen Isis!

Isis Bless

Nefer Em Pet Sat Ast, Meryt Imhotep

Nice Mix
This is one of my favorate books about the worship of Isis. The Aurthor is very close to her subject. She mixes history, current thougths, and her own ideas very well. The book is set up as hours of the day, and include sections on divination, meditations, healing, etc. It also makes a great reference book. ... Read more

Book Description

A world-class engineer explains for the first time how the Great Pyramid was actually built.

Going beyond even the expertise of archaeologists and historians, world-class engineer Craig Smith takes an in-depth look at the Great Pyramid of Giza as a massive engineering and construction project. How would the ancient Egyptians have developed their building plans, devised work schedules, managed laborers, solved specific design and engineering problems, or even improvised on the job?The answers are here, along with dazzling, one-of-a-kind color photographs and beautiful hand-drawn illustrations of tools, materials, and building techniques the ancient masters used. In a walking tour of the construction of the Great Pyramid, Smith explains how the Egyptians looked carefully at earlier pyramids before planning this masterpiece; never again would they replicate its grandeur and perfection. In his foreword to the book, Egypt's undersecretary of state for the Giza Monuments explains the importance of understanding the Great Pyramid as a straightforward construction project. In his afterword, well-known Egyptian archaeologist Mark Lehner places Smith's work in the context of recent archaeological thinking about this magnificent and endlessly fascinating site. 32 color photographs, 50 b/w illustrations. ... Read more

Book Description

Although abundantly endowed with oil, diamonds, and other naturalresources, the African nation of Angola has suffered decades of militaryconflict, economic decline, and human misery. Tony HodgesÍs incisive case studyshows that it is AngolaÍs very wealth that has brought the country to itscurrent wretched condition. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Tony Hodges comes clean
Tony Hodges has finally seen the light regarding Angola. A known MPLA sympathiser, his book shows that there is no right or wrong in Angola. Both the MPLA and UNITA are fighting a 30 year civil war for power. Angola's natural resources provide the monetary resources to continue the war.

Hodges does an excellent job in describing Angola's vast natural resources, the allocation of those resources, and the fraud and corruption associated with the resources. His charts and tables are of particular value to an Angolan scholar.

He also details how UNITA thrives by continuing to hold some diamond mining areas and how they export the stones for funds to oil their military machine.

However, Hodges best contribution is his explanation of how the MPLA government spends billions on defense while the Angolan people starve. Much of the money spent lines the pockets of MPLA generals, and politicians.

My question would be if the MPLA regime is so corrupt would a UNITA victory be more disastrous? ... Read more

Book Description

With the utterance of a single line—“Doctor Livingstone, I presume?”—a remote meeting in the heart of Africa was transformed into one of the most famous encounters in exploration history. But the true story behind Dr. David Livingstone and journalist Henry Morton Stanley is one that has escaped telling. Into Africa is an extraordinarily researched account of a thrilling adventure—defined by alarming foolishness, intense courage, and raw human achievement.
In the mid-1860s, exploration had reached a plateau. The seas and continents had been mapped, the globe circumnavigated. Yet one vexing puzzle remained unsolved: what was the source of the mighty Nile river? Aiming to settle the mystery once and for all, Great Britain called upon its legendary explorer, Dr. David Livingstone, who had spent years in Africa as a missionary. In March 1866, Livingstone steered a massive expedition into the heart of Africa. In his path lay nearly impenetrable, uncharted terrain, hostile cannibals, and deadly predators. Within weeks, the explorer had vanished without a trace. Years passed with no word.
While debate raged in England over whether Livingstone could be found—or rescued—from a place as daunting as Africa, James Gordon Bennett, Jr., the brash American newspaper tycoon, hatched a plan to capitalize on the world’s fascination with the missing legend. He would send a young journalist, Henry Morton Stanley, into Africa to search for Livingstone. A drifter with great ambition, but little success to show for it, Stanley undertook his assignment with gusto, filing reports that would one day captivate readers and dominate the front page of the New York Herald.
Tracing the amazing journeys of Livingstone and Stanley in alternating chapters, author Martin Dugard captures with breathtaking immediacy the perils and challenges these men faced. Woven into the narrative, Dugard tells an equally compelling story of the remarkable transformation that occurred over the course of nine years, as Stanley rose in power and prominence and Livingstone found himself alone and in mortal danger. The first book to draw on modern research and to explore the combination of adventure, politics, and larger-than-life personalities involved, Into Africa is a riveting read.

Reviews (14)

Courage in Africa
If the only thing you ever knew about Stanley and Livingstone was the famous phrase "Dr. Livingstone, I presume", but would really like to know the underlying story and enjoy a truly remarkable adventure, this is a great book to read. Livingstone had spend his career in Africa and was probably one of the most famous white explorers of his time, having walked across Africa in the first half of the 19th century. He returned when he was older to find the source of the Nile. He became ill and lost, and many presumed he was dead. The most amazing, exciting and improbable part of the story is Stanley, a complete unknown, who showed resourcefulness and courage as a correspondent on assignnment by the New York Herald. He was sent to find Livingstone and "scoop the story." You will be amazed and on the edge of your couch when you learn how he did it by overcoming disease, insects, tribal warfare, and impassable jungle.

The Problem With Presumption
Here's what I knew (or thought I knew) before I read this book: David Livingstone was a missionary who, after many years of trying, converted almost no Africans to Christianity. He got sidetracked into trying his luck at exploration....and didn't have much luck. He mainly wandered around, not accomplishing much. Henry Morton Stanley went looking for Livingstone as a newspaper "publicity stunt." He had a lot of money behind him and found Livingstone without too much trouble. Later on in life he went back to Africa and debased himself by working for the notorious King Leopold of Belgium, helping to set up the infamous slave-labor colony in the Congo. He was, even before he went to the Congo, a cruel racist. Although maybe I shouldn't admit to my ignorance, that's pretty much what I "knew." Some of the above turned out to be true, some of it didn't, as I discovered after reading this book. It is true Livingstone didn't have much luck with conversions, even though he spent a good portion of the last 30 years of his life in Africa. He was, however, a better explorer than I realized. He was the first white man to walk across Africa, doing so from east to west. From 1841-1851 he explored the deserts, rivers and lakes of Southern Africa. From 1858-1863 he explored the Zambezi river and the area to the north of the river. It is true that he didn't accomplish 2 of the main goals he had set for himself. He hoped, by his explorations, to open up the African interior to economic development which would eliminate the slave trade. This didn't happen during his lifetime. He even compromised his principles and accepted food and hospitality from Arab slave traders as his second goal became his primary goal, and even an obsession- to find the source of the Nile. He was about 600 miles too far to the south, and never found what he was looking for. Indeed, after being found by Stanley, Livingstone remained in Africa and died in pursuit of his obsession. Despite these failures, Livingstone did map quite a bit of Africa and measured the height of, and gave the English name to, Victoria Falls. Stanley, while undoubtedly a racist- he beat his porters for little or no reason- did not have an easy time finding Livingstone. As Mr. Dugard makes clear, Stanley relentlessly made his way through jungles, swamps and savannah, having to deal with crocodiles, lions, hyenas, and tsetse flies along the way. He survived bouts of malaria and dysentery, encounters with cannibals, an attempted rebellion by his men, and porters running off with essential supplies. He also wound up in the middle of a war between Arab slave traders and various African tribes. He was genuinely fond of Livingstone and didn't just stick around to say, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" He spent five months with Livingstone, bringing essential supplies so that Livingstone could go on with his explorations. Stanley later, in 1874, returned to Africa and circumnavigated both Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika and followed the Congo River all the way to the Atlantic. These were remarkable achievements. Do they absolve Stanley of the sin of helping to establish Leopold's nightmarish Belgian Congo? No they don't....but they were still remarkable achievements. This book works very well as an adventure story, but it is more than that. The author didn't just look at the books that Stanley and Livingstone wrote for public view. He also looked at the journals of the two men. Thus, we are privy to their most inner thoughts and disappointments. Livingstone was guilty about not having spent more time at home in England with his wife and children. (His wife was so lonely she came to Africa to join him in 1861. She died from malaria in 1862.) He also, however, despite his reputation as a "pure of heart" missionary, was very sexually active with African women. He himself estimated that he had enjoyed the favors of 300 natives. Stanley was the result of a liaison between his prostitute mother and one of her customers. He was dumped in a workhouse by uncaring relatives and was sexually abused by his fellow inmates. His journals, unsurprisingly, show a man wracked by insecurity and depression, warding off thoughts of suicide by keeping himself constantly busy. Mr. Dugard speculates that part of the appeal for Stanley in finding Livingstone (and his affection for Livingstone once they met) was his desperate need for a father figure. (Livingstone was about 30 years older than Stanley.) Considering Stanley's upbringing, this speculation does not seem far-fetched. One problem this otherwise fine book does have is that is suffers from a lack of maps. The only map in the book is printed on the inside cover. It is ok but not really detailed, and it is awkward to get to. As most of the chapters get into a lot of detail regarding where Stanley and Livingstone are at any particular moment, it would have been much better to have more maps scattered throughout the book. In any event, after reading this excellent combination of adventure tale/ dual biography, I feel a little less ignorant than before. Not a bad thing!

Everyone Knows the Line
Everyone knows the famous line - "Dr. Livingstone I presume". This is the story leading up to the famous meeting and after.

Mr. Dugard does a wonderful job relating the biographies of the main characters - Stanley and Livingstone - as well as tangential men who were integral to this saga. He also places the characters well into the historical context of the times. He captures well not only the facts but he captures the characters including their foibles and weaknesses.

The best part of this book was getting to know the men involved - thankfully they were all prolific writers themselves. I found some of the recounting of both Livingstone's and Stanley's travels a bit tedious, which is why this is a four star rather than a five. Also the mapping might have been better.

All in all, a very good biography of two interesting men of the nineteenth century.

Welcome to the Jungle
The search for the source of the Nile was one of the last great mysteries left for geographic explorers and Dr. David Livingstone was one of the men most committed to solving the age old question. When he was lost in the heart of Africa, Henry Stanley, a reporter and world-traveling rogue, decided he would earn his fame and fortune finding the lost explorer. Their lives never connected until their famous meeting in Africa, but Dugard does an excellent job presenting their lives up to that fateful moment by alternating chapters and giving the sense that they were destined to meet. This is a very well written and extensively researched book and will be a great read for people who already know a lot about Stanley and Livingstone or readers like me coming to the book knowing next to nothing. It will also please readers who typically have little interest in non-fiction, because it is such a fast-paced drama. I would highly recommend this book to all readers.

A Superb Non-Fiction Adventure Story
Pieced together like a fine quilt, alternating chapters between
the key characters, setting forth a great chronology of events between the two explorers, Livingston and Stanley, their true life adventure jumps right out of these pages making it one of the best adventure stories written, and its all true besides. I picked this book up to read while recovering from knee surgery and hated to see it end. There is no doubt this was well researched. The writing style is superb. Buy it, you'll love it and it will become a permanent part of your library. ... Read more