Reviews (2)

Book good. Some info outdated
Worst place I ever went to was Heaven Lodge in Chimanimana. Abysmal experience - how on earth can you recoment it. fantastically impressed with the bushwalking company. Give them a plug, they deserve it. ChimanimaniBushwalking Co. The only reason to go there

You Just Can't Get Lost With This One...
Swaney's guide to Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Namibia is the best on the bookstore shelf. The level of detail is superb, from major cities to rural villages. She should consider herself more a regional geographer, as herdetail concerning things like history, climate, people, and place are akinto that of one! All this and she manages to fit in the best deals onlodging, food, and travel sites, not to mention important info concerningsafety and hazards associated with travel. I used this book extensivelyduring my travels throughout last year, when I lived in Windhoek. Indeed,you can find no better than this- and the information is as good or betterthan what the locals give! I once had the opportunity to meet her at ahostel in Windhoek, when I was doing some academic research there, andnever had the chance to tell her how much I praise this guide! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign   

Reviews (1)

Don't forget this book in your hand luggage!
A highly practical guide, informative and entertaining to read, sadly out-of-date now because of Zimbabwe's changed situation. But despite the current petrol crisis tour companies are still operating and well managaged, hotels still giving the renowned Zimbabwe welcome despite food shortages -- e.g. sustaining English breakfasts and local wines for dinner. It was an invaluable companion to an archeological trip to the stunning eastern higlands, indispensible in finding the way around Harare, with useful potted histories for most rural locations. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Africa - South - General    3. Guidebooks    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel Guides    7. Zimbabwe    8. Botswana    9. Travel & holiday guides    10. Travel / Africa   

Subjects:  1. Travel / road maps & atlases    2. Zimbabwe   

Editorial Review

They say love is blind, but Sekai Nzenza-Shand's devotion to her homeland of Zimbabwe is perceptive and penetrating. After spending years in Australia, she returns to her family's village and finds a world where polygamy and witchcraft still rule daily life, where drought and AIDS drain the land and people, and where old traditions live long. She records the daily buckets of water and bundles of firewood, grinding groundnuts into peanut-butter paste, and her mother's Read more

Reviews (8)

Interesting
I think the subject matter has potential- an african female expatriate coming back home (Zim) after life in the 'West'. Unfortunately, the writing feels very disjointed and uninspiring. I also got the sort of nagging feeling I get reading national geographic or hearing someone on tv talk about 'Africa'. Her gaze on her own culture just felt somewhat imperialistic/euro-centric. This is not because she criticizes certain aspects of her country (after all, such Nigerian greats like Chinua Achebe, Soyinka, Helon Habila, Ngozi Adichie, etc., do that- self-reflection is needed!), but because her character/her voice in this book feels insincere. For one thing, I was not impressed with her husband. If none of his friends (or himself for that matter) understand her african centeredness, why is she with him in the first place?
Songs to an African Sunset
The complex journey back to Sekai's roots in this autobiography, begins with her taking a trip back to Zimbabwe to visit her family. The book revolves mainly around the events that happen to her and around herin Zimbabwe. I think that the theme of the book is really re-discovering your roots, and finding your true heritage. I found this book to be very easy to relate to, as i am familiar with the land of Zimbabwe and some of the phrases and words used in the book. Many of these elements are the foundation of Sekai's complex story, which captures your attention instantly. Getting back in touch with our roots and true life
Nzenza is one of our women who went to the West, but realized she belong in soil of her people, the beautiful country of Africa. She reccounts how much misery the West has brought t Africa, but is able to rediscover true African life, family traditions, witchcraft, etc. She has come back to her truly natural life and the place where she belong to, the earth that nurtured us for all generations, our true mother. Brothers and Sisters, you can't miss reading her experience if you don't feel like this. Read and feel. And I became very emotional when reading that book. Speak to our African hart, sister Sekai. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Description and travel    3. Essays & Travelogues    4. Journeys    5. Nzenza, Sekai    6. Social life and customs    7. Travel    8. Travel - Foreign    9. Zimbabwe    10. Travel writing   

Editorial Review

The heart of this atlas is a 280-page gazetteer of the countries of the world, with an overview of maps, text, photos, flags, charts, and graphs touching on the history, politics, land, economy, and people of each country. But the extras are good, too, with sections on the universe, the world's longest rivers, highest mountains, most populous countries, and more. These information tables are followed by 16 pages of beautiful maps, offering a view of the world's geography, topography, and political divisions. More than just a collection of maps, Read more

Reviews (3)

Great source book
We have several world atlases - this is nearly always the first one we turn to when we want basic maps, facts (population, size, income,...) and a bit of cultural and political history.I hope they soon come out with an updated version as this one is nearly 10 years old (but we still rely on it heavily).

Own it, love it.
Everything that the previous reviewer said is absolutely true.This is a wonderful resource with rich photographs and helpful information.I recommend it to anyone interested in nations of the world.

Adams
This is a wonderfully concise reference book.The book offers "at a glance" facts which give a quick overview as well as text synopsis of the people, economy & land and history & politics.Each contry isrepresented with at least one map, most also offer scenic pictures,andpopulation & ethnic group pie charts.To be complete, the book beginswith facts, pictures and graphs about the solar system, the earth,continents, volcanoes, lakes, population, etc.Of course, there are alsodetailed maps of the world and each continent.Read more

Subjects:  1. Atlases    2. Atlases - General    3. Atlases - World    4. Reference    5. Sale Adult - Reference    6. Maps, charts & atlases    7. Travel writing   

Reviews (6)

Verbose and superficial: a waste of money
...I bought this book to make plans for a trip to Zambia but the chapter about this country is only 40 pages long, both verbose and superficial.Don't get fooled by the "Adventuring" in the title, unless your idea of adventure is to hop by plane from lodge to lodge at $200 or $300 a night.More importantly, except for the park entrance fees, this book doesn't list any price at all (I got them from two other, excellent, travel guides).Comments on cheaper accomodations are few and disenchanted.The maps are equally few and over-simplified (the roads don't even appear!...)Finally, I looked at the chapters about the other countries and it certainly didn't change my opinion about this book.Note also that the date of the last edition (October 97) makes it relatively outdated.

Outstanding and thorough book about South Africa
This book is an outstanding resource to be read prior to traveling to South Africa.It covers many different aspects of what the experience will entail.These include the history, etiquette, positives and negatives ofeach type of travel, various diseases and safety precautions one shouldtake.In addition, he thoroughly delivers every aspect of each southafrican country...ie. countryside, animals, weather, and history.Thisbook in interesting, exciting, and educational!

Outstanding and thorough book about South Africa
This book is an outstanding resource to be read prior to traveling to South Africa.It covers many different aspects of what the experience will entail.These include the history, etiquette, positives and negatives ofeach type of travel, various diseases and safety precautions one shouldtake.In addition, he thoroughly delivers every aspect of each southafrican country...ie. countryside, animals, weather, and history.Thisbook in interesting, exciting, and educational! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Africa, Southern    3. Guidebooks    4. Safaris    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Wildlife watching    8. Active outdoor pursuits    9. Southern Africa    10. Sports & Recreation / General    11. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Botswana    5. Travel & holiday guides    6. Zimbabwe   

Reviews (11)

fine book
i wanted to recommend this book to a friend who is about to travel to tanzania, so i came to check the author murphy's name and the spelling of "ukimwi" again.i'll second the reviewer who was surprised at the negative reviews.i read murphy's book while i was a tourist on safari in tanzania (which i also recommend if you can afford it).murphy's book was an interesting balance to my touristic experience.i wouldn't say it give me an ultimate insight into the "real" africa, but it was an important read for me then and now. it prepared me to have some conversations with tanzanians that i wouldn't otherwise have had.it allowed me, among other things, to know what i was seeing when i passed a small building in dar es salaam that read "ukimwi."it helped put in perspective what it means for a nation to be able to spend $2 per capita total on health care costs (at least when i was there).it made me able to make some of my own observations -- say that the gross national product of burundi was approximately the same as the market capitalization of most u.s. microcap stocks -- and form my own conclusions.so i didn't find murphy overly judgmental.i seem to remember her giving opinions, but mostly i felt as though i was given a complex picture.i'd highly recommend it.other recs re: africa very generally: basil davidson's *the black man's burden,* any novel or film by sembene ousmane, naipaul's *a bend in the river,* the french film *lemumba,* and of course plenty of other excellent african novelists and playwrights.o, and the epic *sundiata.*

A loner's important journey into Africa
Since 1964 Irish writer Murphy has been traveling the world by foot and bicycle and writing about her experiences. An outspoken loner, drawn to the more remote parts of the globe, her beautiful but rugged experiences fascinate and educate the armchair traveler - without inspiring similar ambitions. Well worth reading
This is an unusually well-written and consistently interesting travel narrative. The author does come across as a tough old crow at times. (I can't imagine why she feels entitled to sneer at hikers who use the Lonely Planet guide.) But who else would have braved such an arduous journey in the first place? I can understand that her opinions about women's issues and the AIDS epidemic might be irritatingly opposed to yours. But isn't one of the points of traveling to meet people who aren't like ourselves? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Essays & Travelogues    3. Travel    4. Travel - General    5. Travel / General   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel - Foreign    3. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Southern Africa    5. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel & holiday guides    5. Zimbabwe   

Subjects:  1. Big game hunting    2. Fiction    3. General    4. Hunting    5. Rhodesia    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Zimbabwe   

Reviews (3)

Beautiful book about Zimbabwe
I have never been in Africa and have never read any of the books about the continent except for Nadine Gordiner's fiction.While I loved the begginning of the book, the later parts become a bit sloppy and at time impatient in terms of writing style.The observations, however, about the country of Zimbabwe over the decades, and in the time after declaration of independence are amazing.One is able to follow up on lives of writer's old friends, new people she meets on her trips, amazing animals, plants and food.I have learned a lot about country , it's people and customs, racism, reverse racism, sexism, deseases and corruption a new country is struggling with.Highly recommended read for anyone interested in learning more about this amazing country and African continent.

notitle
Woof!What a read!442 pages in 6 days.Ask me anything about Zimbabwe.The home of Lessing's childhood from 5 til 30, when she moved to England.Easy reading, at times not too organized, nor, I think, rewritten too much.Could have been better.But what she is so good at is the small detail - about the dogs, or food, or dress.The small things that make up life. I think she tries hard not to be judgmental, to give both sides of the picture after 1980, when Zimbabwe became an independent nation.But it would seem like many countries in Africa today, riddled with corruption and stupidity and lack of foresight.Or the world in general, for that matter.Nowadays, why single out Africa?Sounds like it once was (is?) a beautiful country with a mild climate because it is so high.Very interesting book.

An Unsure Joy
This was the only non-travel guide about Africa in my local library branch when I got back from 8 months in East Africa, so I picked it up. Certainly a very interesting picture of the slow death of British colonialism, despite Zimbabwean independence in 1980. And the successive trips provide a living view of changing attitudes and opinions, both of European expatriates and Nationals. Her inner dialogue of changes, good and bad (both very grey categories), is very informative as well.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1919-    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Description    6. Description and travel    7. General    8. Historical - General    9. Journeys    10. Lessing, Doris May,    11. Literary    12. Zimbabwe    13. Biography & Autobiography / General    14. Travel writing   

Reviews (1)

Absolute must have for visitors to Southern Africa
The book was our bible during our summer '99 holiday to Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Without it we wouldn't have made it in the timeframe we had for sure. Be sure to buy the most recent version, 'cause these regions are developingfaster than you can imagine. Due to the guide we discovered loads morecountry beauties than we would have. You'll absolutely get your money'sworth. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign   

Subjects:  1. 1919-    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Fiction    4. General    5. Historical - General    6. Lessing, Doris - Prose & Criticism    7. Lessing, Doris May,    8. Race relations    9. Travel    10. Women    11. Zimbabwe    12. Biography & Autobiography / General    13. Essays, journals, letters & other prose works    14. Journeys    15. Lessing, Doris May    16. Southern Africa    17. Zimbabawe   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel - Foreign   

Reviews (2)

Zimbabwe
This is an exceptionally well written tour guide book for Zimbabwe. I really enjoyed the photographs and the maps of the regions of Zimbabwe. The maps are very detailed depending on which area you plan to visit. It talks about the people, the climate, the language, and the way of life. Iespecially enjoyed the historical background of the country. It brings youup to date with what is happening now in the country. It tells thespecifics for traveling by air, rail, and car.Each section is divided up bya specific part of the country. Listed are accomodations, tours andexcursions, where to eat, health hazards and annual events and usefultelephone numbers.I highly recommend this as a take along for your trip toZimbabwe. Enjoy the book before you travel.

Zimbabwe
This is an exceptionally well written tour guide book for Zimbabwe. I really enjoyed the photographs and the maps of the regions of Zimbabwe. The maps are very detailed depending on which area you plan to visit. It talks about the people, the climate, the language, and the way of life. Iespecially enjoyed the historical background of the country. It brings youup to date with what is happening now in the country. It tells thespecifics for traveling by air, rail, and car.Each section is divided up bya specific part of the country. Listed are accomodations, tours andexcursions, where to eat, health hazards and annual events and usefultelephone numbers.I highly recommend this as a take along for your trip toZimbabwe. Enjoy the book before you travel. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel - Foreign   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Personal Memoirs    5. Travel writing    6. Zimbabwe   

Subjects:  1. Famine    2. Food relief    3. General    4. Politics/International Relations    5. Poverty    6. Refugees    7. Refugees,    8. Services For Refugees    9. Social Services & Welfare    10. Travel - General    11. Zimbabwe    12. Zimbabwean   

Subjects:  1. Guidebooks    2. Zimbabwe