Wednesday, December 3, 2014

BOOKS TO READ FOR A TRIP TO AFRICA

Dr. Seuss, in his inimitably profound way, wrote, "The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."  

He is SO right!

Our trip to Africa was the first time I made a conscious effort to really tie in my reading to our traveling. I had always read a few books about our various destinations, but I had certainly never read EIGHTEEN books for a single trip. My reading doubled my travel experience--at least. I will never travel the same way again!

I include all these books under my "Literary Tourism" tab at the top of the site, but for the sake of easier Google searching, I include them here as a post. Each title is linked to the post in which it is referenced or discussed.  I have at least five more books on my "To Read" list, but a new trip is in the works. I may just have to take another trip to Africa to get back to my list!


KENYA:

Flame Trees of Thika by Elspeth Huxley

No Picnic on Mount Kenya by Felice Benuzzi

Born Free by Joy Adamson

Love, Life, and Elephants by Dame Daphne Sheldrick

Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow

Weep Not, Child by Ngugi wa Thiong'o

Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen

West with the Night by Beryl Markham

I Married Adventure by Osa Johnson


TANZANIA:

Green Hills of Africa by Ernest Hemingway

Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasai on the African Savanna by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton


Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn

Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley & Livingstone by Martin Dugard


GHANA:

Kofi Annan: A Man of Peace in a World of War by Stanley Meisler

Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth

Lose Your Mother by Saidiya Hartman

Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas

3 comments:

  1. I benefited from your reading and read a number of the books myself. Your reading adds greatly to my enjoyment of the trip, as well as the reading I do on my own.

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  2. Robert C Ruark (died 1965) wrote several novels placed in Kenya and South Africa. "Uhuru" and "Something of Value" come to mind. I think he also wrote about his own safari experiences.

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    1. I have an old copy of a book by him called "Honey Badger" that I haven't read yet. Glad to hear he gets a recommendation! I'll have to get around to him!

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