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amyflora's review against another edition
4.0
Alexandra, affectionately known as Bobo, tells the memories of her childhood growing up white and poor in Rhodesia, Malawi, and Zambia.
Her life undoubtedly contains very heartbreaking personal tragedy, but the backdrop of her story is a series of civil wars and significant turmoil.
She is very direct about her parents’ tumultuous relationship with feeling both entitled to African land and their disdain for the Africans that surround them. Her own inherited overt and casual racism is described with a clear honesty.
Rhodesia has never been a point of particular interest for me, especially white Rhodesians. But I was gifted this book by my parents and found it to be an interesting tour of the changes happening in the region at that time.
Her life undoubtedly contains very heartbreaking personal tragedy, but the backdrop of her story is a series of civil wars and significant turmoil.
She is very direct about her parents’ tumultuous relationship with feeling both entitled to African land and their disdain for the Africans that surround them. Her own inherited overt and casual racism is described with a clear honesty.
Rhodesia has never been a point of particular interest for me, especially white Rhodesians. But I was gifted this book by my parents and found it to be an interesting tour of the changes happening in the region at that time.
halaurll's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
5.0
Fuller grew up a white person in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Zambia in the last years of the British empire and first years of independence. Born to farmers, her experiences are unique and unsettling. She writes with vivid clarity.
manadabomb's review against another edition
4.0
This has been on my TBR list for a bit and I was a little surprised that it felt difficult to get through. I wasn't sure why, I just knew I wasn't picking it up as often to get it finished.
The writing is great, I had no issues with that. I felt every piece of Africa with the author through her words. There were really no slow parts, no bad characters, or whatnot. I think my main problem was....this felt like a rough life and a rough childhood and THAT made it hard to read.
Alexandra Fuller's family moved to Africa when she was just a wee baby. She had an older sister, Vanessa, a mom and a dad. They went on a work permit and were tending farms for a living. Often poor, often hungry, they seemed to always have the bad luck to land in the middle of war-torn, landmine-encrusted areas. Nicola, the mom, gave birth to 5 children but only 2 lived. The life they chose was a harsh one.
Fuller doesn't shy away from the brutalities, the day to day normalcy to them (carrying an Uzi wherever you go) seem horrible to others. The racial bias and descriptions on how whites (like the Fullers) are treated vs their black neighbors is pretty terrible as well. And Fuller recognizes that.
All in all, a very good book that is worth the read. I realize that I really don't know much about Africa, it's history or it's culture. Thankfully, Fuller recommends books at the end to help bridge that gap of knowledge.
The writing is great, I had no issues with that. I felt every piece of Africa with the author through her words. There were really no slow parts, no bad characters, or whatnot. I think my main problem was....this felt like a rough life and a rough childhood and THAT made it hard to read.
Alexandra Fuller's family moved to Africa when she was just a wee baby. She had an older sister, Vanessa, a mom and a dad. They went on a work permit and were tending farms for a living. Often poor, often hungry, they seemed to always have the bad luck to land in the middle of war-torn, landmine-encrusted areas. Nicola, the mom, gave birth to 5 children but only 2 lived. The life they chose was a harsh one.
Fuller doesn't shy away from the brutalities, the day to day normalcy to them (carrying an Uzi wherever you go) seem horrible to others. The racial bias and descriptions on how whites (like the Fullers) are treated vs their black neighbors is pretty terrible as well. And Fuller recognizes that.
All in all, a very good book that is worth the read. I realize that I really don't know much about Africa, it's history or it's culture. Thankfully, Fuller recommends books at the end to help bridge that gap of knowledge.
melanietrumbo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
gracefullypunk's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it. Fuller really paints a picture of this region of Africa, but she never gets overly sentimental or sappy. It's obvious she loves it, yet with some of the tales she tells, the reader is left with the impression that you really had to be there to understand such love (no, that's not a bad thing). She weaves in and out of time, so you get characters' personalities before you quite understand why they're the way they are -- yet she doesn't go overboard with making connections and spelling out any sort of psycho-analysis. She also is blunt with details about racism, yet never makes excuses or apologies. All in all, you are simply left with a vivid portrait of what a childhood in this region was like, without anyone spelling out the history or trying to deny/apologize for one family's part in it.
jr2234's review against another edition
4.0
Really well done. A raw and unfiltered look into a childhood in Africa. Full of joy, heartbreak, wonder, and uncertainty. Name an intense emotion and the author probably experienced it at some point during her childhood. I docked a star because the writing was a bit disjointed, but overall I’d strongly recommend. A great read for fans of The Glass Castle or Educated.
laurabadara's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Overall a neat look into a childhood in Africa. I do wish there was a bit more context occasionally, I found myself a little bit lost sometimes. But overall it was a nice, quick read- I laughed, I cried, I realized exactly how little of an outdoorsy person I am and how truly high maintenance I am.