What do you think?
Rate this book
Flying Cats and Flip Flops: Surviving a Notorious African Prison
Terry has a plan. Enough is enough.
Leaving a note for his domineering kleptomanic wife, he swaps his humdrum council existence for a new life in Africa. He craves excitement and adventure and finds both in equal measure. Determined to know the real side of Kenya, Terry gets involved in many bizarre and dangerous situations, and it isn't long before a new career beckons hiim, as a drug smuggler.
He's a natural. Razor sharp instinct will a ballsy attitude - until he's caught with three kilos at Nairobi Airport. Sentenced- He is the only white sixty year old in a prison with one of the worst human rights record in the world. He battles to survive the brutality and overcrowded conditions of a jail controlled by a corrupt regime - unaware his biggest challenge is waiting for him in England.
Flying Cats and Flip Flops is a story of one mans obsession to live his dream - but at a cost.
Leaving a note for his domineering kleptomanic wife, he swaps his humdrum council existence for a new life in Africa. He craves excitement and adventure and finds both in equal measure. Determined to know the real side of Kenya, Terry gets involved in many bizarre and dangerous situations, and it isn't long before a new career beckons hiim, as a drug smuggler.
He's a natural. Razor sharp instinct will a ballsy attitude - until he's caught with three kilos at Nairobi Airport. Sentenced- He is the only white sixty year old in a prison with one of the worst human rights record in the world. He battles to survive the brutality and overcrowded conditions of a jail controlled by a corrupt regime - unaware his biggest challenge is waiting for him in England.
Flying Cats and Flip Flops is a story of one mans obsession to live his dream - but at a cost.
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 22, 2013
14 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 10, 2015
I’d like to thank the author Paul Johnson for giving me the opportunity to review Flying Cats and Flip Flops, which is one of the best books I’ve read this year!
Genre: Non-fiction, Cultural, Memoir, Travel, Africa, Crime
Summary: This is the story of Terry Johnson. A middle-aged man with who takes a vacation to Kenya, only to realize this was more than just a vacation – it was a love affair with a different kind of life, a different kind of freedom – one that he longs to experience again, for a longer time. The vacation makes him realize he could either lead a monotonous life tending to his garden, while trying to stay out of his bossy wife’s way OR he could go on an amazing adventure. He chooses the latter (of course!). But (there’s always a ‘but’) what battles will he face while on this adventure, leaving behind the safety of his home and his land?
The characters: Terry Johnson: A risk-taker, traveler, adventurer, philanthropist, and sometimes (in his own words, and what got him into trouble more than once:) a nose-poker! Ann: Terry’s wife. Bossy and fierce. Short in frame, but sharp with words. This one can make you cringe in shame without using a single expletive, or allowing you to use one! Madam: A street-smart Kenyan girl who wins the reader’s heart with her sense of humor and sharp wit. There are some other characters whom we meet as well along the course of the book.
The technique/layout/language/writing style: Whenever I read a book, I judge it based on the detail – if it’s there where it’s needed, and if it’s been edited out where it’s not. The author's writing technique is what won my heart! The author’s ability to describe a scene vividly is marvelous. I could imagine the scenes so clearly. I cannot praise his writing style enough.
We also see the non-touristy, non-rose-colored glasses version of Kenya. The way it’s written (not the story, but the style) can be compared to Suketu Mehta’s Maximum City (where he explores the not-so-pretty side of Mumbai – the corruption, the crimes etc.)
The language used is pretty straightforward. The sentences do not look overly colourful or “decorative” by usage of words straight out of a thesaurus.
I recommend this one as a must-read for those who enjoy non-fiction. With the brilliant style in which its written, and the kind of suspense you feel, this one will make you turn pages and be with Terry throughout his journey (with your heart in your throat at certain times!)
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
https://rainandabook.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/flying-cats-and-flip-flops-by-paul-johnson/
Genre: Non-fiction, Cultural, Memoir, Travel, Africa, Crime
Summary: This is the story of Terry Johnson. A middle-aged man with who takes a vacation to Kenya, only to realize this was more than just a vacation – it was a love affair with a different kind of life, a different kind of freedom – one that he longs to experience again, for a longer time. The vacation makes him realize he could either lead a monotonous life tending to his garden, while trying to stay out of his bossy wife’s way OR he could go on an amazing adventure. He chooses the latter (of course!). But (there’s always a ‘but’) what battles will he face while on this adventure, leaving behind the safety of his home and his land?
The characters: Terry Johnson: A risk-taker, traveler, adventurer, philanthropist, and sometimes (in his own words, and what got him into trouble more than once:) a nose-poker! Ann: Terry’s wife. Bossy and fierce. Short in frame, but sharp with words. This one can make you cringe in shame without using a single expletive, or allowing you to use one! Madam: A street-smart Kenyan girl who wins the reader’s heart with her sense of humor and sharp wit. There are some other characters whom we meet as well along the course of the book.
The technique/layout/language/writing style: Whenever I read a book, I judge it based on the detail – if it’s there where it’s needed, and if it’s been edited out where it’s not. The author's writing technique is what won my heart! The author’s ability to describe a scene vividly is marvelous. I could imagine the scenes so clearly. I cannot praise his writing style enough.
We also see the non-touristy, non-rose-colored glasses version of Kenya. The way it’s written (not the story, but the style) can be compared to Suketu Mehta’s Maximum City (where he explores the not-so-pretty side of Mumbai – the corruption, the crimes etc.)
The language used is pretty straightforward. The sentences do not look overly colourful or “decorative” by usage of words straight out of a thesaurus.
I recommend this one as a must-read for those who enjoy non-fiction. With the brilliant style in which its written, and the kind of suspense you feel, this one will make you turn pages and be with Terry throughout his journey (with your heart in your throat at certain times!)
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
https://rainandabook.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/flying-cats-and-flip-flops-by-paul-johnson/
December 2, 2023
My cousin wrote this book about my uncle. I only met him once, as he was the black sheep of the family! I only met the author once too, at a one- off family gathering for his future wife. I enjoyed this book. It filled in many of the gaps I’d heard a a young girl growing up.
March 25, 2018
Read this for my book club. Utter trash (and not in the good 'guilty pleasure' way).
May 1, 2020
The name of this book grabbed my attention. A very good read. Not my usual kind of read but really enjoyed it
March 3, 2017
I loved this book , I found the memoirs very honest and humane. The adventures of terry in Kenya kept me glued.
December 31, 2014
An extremely well written memoir
Flying Cats and Flip Flops starts with a bang as Paul Johnson's own story forms a fascinating backdrop to the memoirs of his father Terry.
Years are passing Terry by all too quickly. A lucky windfall changes all that. He grabs the chance and is soon embarking on his new life in Kenya.
The story is beautifully captured and the reader is soon drawn into Terry's adventures, Detail of Kenya and its people are realistic and endearing.
The dream wanes though and soon, almost unbelievably, Terry gets involved in drug smuggling. Almost inevitably he ends up getting caught and spends a harrowing time in a Kenyan prison.
An extremely well written memoir that that I would highly recommend. Just read it with an open mind and enjoy .....
Flying Cats and Flip Flops starts with a bang as Paul Johnson's own story forms a fascinating backdrop to the memoirs of his father Terry.
Years are passing Terry by all too quickly. A lucky windfall changes all that. He grabs the chance and is soon embarking on his new life in Kenya.
The story is beautifully captured and the reader is soon drawn into Terry's adventures, Detail of Kenya and its people are realistic and endearing.
The dream wanes though and soon, almost unbelievably, Terry gets involved in drug smuggling. Almost inevitably he ends up getting caught and spends a harrowing time in a Kenyan prison.
An extremely well written memoir that that I would highly recommend. Just read it with an open mind and enjoy .....
April 24, 2013
Have you ever read a book where you turn the page without a clue what's going to happen next but just know it’s going to be a shocker? Well, 'Flying Cats and Flip Flops' is one of those, a true page turner. Paul Johnson is a talented and writer, with a gift for opening your eyes to a very different world to the one you know. I can say that with some confidence (unless you happen to have spent a year in a Kenyan prison.) I grew up in Nairobi and can confirm a lot of the cultural details from this amazing story. What makes it all the more amazing is that the story is true.
October 14, 2015
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I thought it showed the author in a human light. He didn't sugar coat his wrong doing. But I thought that it lacked detail and substance. I think the author could have explain situations more, instead of skimming by. Case in point, the "death" of the mother of "his child" and "his" child. As well as his time in jail. I did not feel like I was there with him. I could not always picture it.
3 out of 5 stars. 3 is good. I rarely give 5 stars and 4 are left for those that I "really liked". So pleased don't take offense for this. :)
3 out of 5 stars. 3 is good. I rarely give 5 stars and 4 are left for those that I "really liked". So pleased don't take offense for this. :)
May 5, 2014
Quite an interesting quick read. Not the best written but good. Quite sad in parts.
August 25, 2014
A sign of a good book is you can't out it down and I read this book in 2 days! Loved it and looking forward to more from this author
September 2, 2021
I read this for my book club and did not enjoy it. Absolutely awful.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews