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A review by mlindsey441
Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa by Peter Godwin
4.0
I had no idea what I was reading when I picked up this book. I think I expected a coming of age story, filled with lots of memories of the author's early years in Zimbabwe. And I certainly got that. His memories of early life with his nanny and the other servants, as well as his times in school reveal a sensitive child, who struggles at times to understand the brutality of the world around him. At the same time, he has a comfort and detachment with death that comes from having a mother whose work involves, at times, digging up graves. He lived a fascinating childhood and this book is filled wit interesting, well-told stories.
What I didn't expect, was to read of his time in the war that broke out when he was in his late teens. There are hints of fighting all around the edges of his childhood, but once the narrative turns to his calling up in the military, we get an up close look at his experiences with war. This wasn't the Zimbabwe that I wanted to read about, but it was probably the Zimbabwe that I needed to read about. Some of the stories from this time period, as well as those that come after he is a journalist are hard to read. There are some brutal atrocities in here -- and as with much of war, I find the fighting to be cruel and without purpose. In many cases it is hard to know who is on what side -- at one point late in the book he meets up with a soldier who was on the other side in one of this skirmishes. Godwin prepares a speech to say how he didn't want to fight and he was young, but the other man shushes him by saying, "We were both soldiers." And that was that -- as though war is a thing that men go out to do and when it is over, they come home and tell stories of their exploits.
I'm learning this year that when you read the world, you need to be prepared to read of great joy and great suffering. This book has both in abundance.
What I didn't expect, was to read of his time in the war that broke out when he was in his late teens. There are hints of fighting all around the edges of his childhood, but once the narrative turns to his calling up in the military, we get an up close look at his experiences with war. This wasn't the Zimbabwe that I wanted to read about, but it was probably the Zimbabwe that I needed to read about. Some of the stories from this time period, as well as those that come after he is a journalist are hard to read. There are some brutal atrocities in here -- and as with much of war, I find the fighting to be cruel and without purpose. In many cases it is hard to know who is on what side -- at one point late in the book he meets up with a soldier who was on the other side in one of this skirmishes. Godwin prepares a speech to say how he didn't want to fight and he was young, but the other man shushes him by saying, "We were both soldiers." And that was that -- as though war is a thing that men go out to do and when it is over, they come home and tell stories of their exploits.
I'm learning this year that when you read the world, you need to be prepared to read of great joy and great suffering. This book has both in abundance.