The Year of the Leopard Song by Eric Campbell

by Eric Campbell

Alan embarks on a treacherous journey up the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, following the Song of the Leopard, which is also pulling his suddenly aloof friend, Kimathi, to the upper peaks and to a meeting that will forever change both of their lives. "An engrossing story."--Booklist.

Genres: Fiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Erik Campbell lives in Papua, Indonesia, working as a technical writer for an American mining company. His poems and essays have appeared in numerous prestigious literary magazines, including The Iowa Review, Tin House, The Massachusetts Review, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Nimrod, New Delta Review, and Rattle. He has been nominated for a 2005 Pushcart Prize in poetry.

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book left me deeply, deeply dissatified and sick. Is the life of one white boy worth the lives of a full African tribe?

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another awfully racist story where supposedly an entire village of people trying to get retribution for slavery are killed so that the white family who enslaved them can live.

[Rachel Reget · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, easy read. I enjoyed it.

[Kathryn Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a thrilling and chilling tale. It takes place in Kenya, in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. Tribal legend clashes starkly with 20th century beliefs. It shows how the coming of the white man to Africa has changed the face of Africa, by bringing Western beliefs to the continent which clash with the traditional beliefs. The ending is sad and portrays how so much has changed over the years in African culture.

I would have given this book 5 stars, but the epilogue was extremely short and somewhat emotionless compared to the rest of the book which was written with rich details, emotions and picturous descriptions.

This is an eerie tale of old tribal magic and new beliefs and technology.
It is a good book to read, not only for us who live on this beautiful continent but for those wishing to understand what Africa has lost and gained over the years.

[Jacob Solomon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book for children, exploring the differences between the British views of colonized Africa and the indigenous people. A magical journey up Mount Kilimanjaro which is drenched in very serious coming of age overtones. Ultimately the book is quite a simple read and uses lots of colourful imagery. However the content displays a much more serious note of subject matter: enlightenment. This book would be perfect for an able year 5 or less able year 6 class, I think it opens up a lot of opportunity for class discussion and would be best read aloud and explored as a group.

[eric leavitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite Campbell book! Really fun and magical.