Great African Reads discussion

Welcome to our second big read! This year we selected our book by poll and the winner is Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles. It is considerably shorter than last year's Big Read, so I am kind of hopeful that we might have time to have some spin-off reads inspired by this book.

I'm still working out a schedule; hope to have it posted here today.

Great! I should have the book by early next week.

I just got a copy and have been looking at the ToC and trying to come up with a sensible schedule. I hope to have something tomorrow.

Already own it - yay! Must confess tho, I still have a little over 200 pages left in the 2014 big read. :)

I have more than a little than 200pages! ;)

Yay! My library has it and I should be able to get hold of a copy by next week.

My uni library has a copy so I just may be able to join in. Looks to be an interesting read.

I'm in!

This is great! i'm so happy to see enthusiasm and participation :D

i apologize--i haven't had a chance to work out a schedule just yet. if anyone has ideas, let's hear them. :D

or instead of a schedule (this book is not nearly as long as last year's selection), i could open a thread for each chapter and we just discuss as we go (at different speeds). what do you think? most of us weren't able to keep to a schedule last year. in fact, i still need to finish the book!

Marieke wrote: "This is great! i'm so happy to see enthusiasm and participation :D

i apologize--i haven't had a chance to work out a schedule just yet. if anyone has ideas, let's hear them. :D

or instead of a sc..."

I think setting up the chapters sounds like a great idea. I looked over the toc and it seems that except for the first couple of chapters and the last chapter - you can skip around and read the chapters as you want as the chapter subjects are topical and often associated with a specific country.

And yes this years book looks a lot less "dense" and not necessarily as linear. :)

Sorry for the delay...setting up chapter threads now!

Yayyy! A notice just popped up on my computer telling me that the library has my requested copy of this book! I should pick it up in a day or two and then start reading.

Yay, Catherine! I'm just now heading to the library to pick up my copy of Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles.

I've started this one. Is anyone else reading it?

The first chapters on the author's experiences teaching in Uganda in the 1970s are excellent, as is the third chapter on New States, Old Societies. The next chapters on Somalia and Zimbabwe are uneven.

It seems to me there is too much focus on American and British politics. When he just discusses the African experiences the book is really good, but inserting comments about Margaret Thatcher, etc. makes it read like a Times Op Ed and breaks the narrative thread.

I just gotten a couple of chapters in. Work has kept me very busy so I haven't had the energy to get into it. The chapters I have read are very good and engaging. i'll hold off on any judgment until I have another chapter or two read.

I have not started yet because of work projects. But I will be reading.

Marieke has sent up discussion threads by chapters so we can leave our comments as we read each chapter.

Thanks for the reminder about the threads, Beverly. I'll start posting some of my thoughts there. Catherine, don't worry--it's a really interesting book and I'm getting a lot out of it. It's just a little uneven and could have benefited from a firmer editorial hand.

I haven't started yet...in finding that the kindle is much easier to manage with a new baby but this book I have in paperback. Regular books take me four times as long to read! Hopefully I'll get started soon but do keep sharing thoughts, especially in the chapter threads! :)

It's still on my to-read list, but still a good number of months left in the year. :) Perhaps I'll be requesting it from the library next!

I still haven't started either. I had kind of wanted to finish last year's book first but I haven't done that, either! :(

Main input overall so far: this book is massive, but it's a real page-turner! I often find I move so slowly through non-fic (even the ones I really like), but this is paced like fiction. But with real stories and often horrific connotations of colonialism (I've found myself ranting mentally about colonialism for a few times throughout).

That is great to know...I still haven't started but am feeling inspired to finally crack it open! :)

Pulled the book off the shelve - my plan is to read a little every day so can finish by end of year. :)