A review by plaidpladd
The Last Train to Zona Verde: My Ultimate African Safari by Paul Theroux

adventurous dark sad slow-paced

2.0

 This book is like being on an uncomfortable trip with your weird, sketchy uncle. I don't know if I'm being too generous giving this two stars; I did actually learn a lot, but it was a struggle. The book lacks focus--apparently the author's intended goal was to make it to Timbuktu, but he only tells you this in the last chapter when it's clear he will fail to make it. For being in Africa, he sure interviews a lot of white people. I would say maybe even mainly white people? It's bordering on Rhodesia nostalgia which is gross. SPEAKING of gross, if the author notices a Black woman or girl he is GOING to tell you what her breasts are like. I'm not sure why the white women don't get the same treatment--maybe he thought they were more likely to read his book? Honestly should probably have stopped at the second or third "heavily-bosomed" woman he sees on a bus, but I was determined to cross Angola off my Around the World project.