The History Book Club discussion

Africa is an interesting continent with a rich history. We do want to discover more about this continent and its vibrant history so we are setting up a folder to discuss the history of this phenomenal part of the world in depth.

We can discuss any of the places, countries, people who developed Africa and/or who helped its people, great chiefs and leaders, crops, the native populations, and/or events good and bad which took place on this continent.

There is a plethora of history out there. Please feel free to discuss here some of the threads that I can set up to get this folder developed.



Source of map: Map of Africa -- © 1800-Countries.com

Zanzibar? British and German East Africa would loom large....

Oh my god, my old friend. Welcome.

I have set up threads for your suggestions. Thx.

Good to see you again Harvey :)

Thank you for the add Aussie Rick. I had to look at the map to see where Namibia was. I might set up a thread on that location and ask you to place the above also in that thread.

Will do :)

Here is a very good one volume account of the European involvment in Africa; "The Scramble For Africa" by Thomas Pakenham.

by Thomas Pakenham
Publishers blurb:
In 1880 the continent of Africa was largely unexplored by Europeans. Less than thirty years later, only Liberia and Ethiopia remained unconquered by them. The rest - 10 million square miles with 110 million bewildered new subjects - had been carved up by five European powers (and one extraordinary individual) in the name of Commerce, Christianity, 'Civilization' and Conquest. The Scramble for Africa is the first full-scale study of that extraordinary episode in history.

Reviews:
"Magnificent, vigorous, comprehensive, compulsive reading." - DAILY TELEGRAPH

"Memorable history on a grand scale . . . brilliant . . . thrilling, fast moving, imaginative, coherent." - INDEPENDENT

"A phenomenal achievement . . . clear, authoritative and compelling." - DAILY TELEGRAPH

"Grim as well as gripping reading . . . Pakenham writes racily and humorously . . . a magnificent, swash buckling, blood-bolstered epic." - OBSERVER

That looks very good Aussie Rick.

Michael A. Gomez

Synopsis

This book examines the global unfolding of the African Diaspora, the migrations and dispersals of people of Africa, from antiquity to the modern period. Their exploits, challenges, and struggles over a wide expanse of time are discussed in ways that link as well as differentiate past and present circumstances.

I would second the "Scramble for Africa." Another interesting Africa book that I read this summer, about an African American missionary to Congo.
Black Livingstone: A True Tale of Adventure in the Nineteenth-Century Congo Pagan Kennedy

Andrea wrote: "I would second the "Scramble for Africa." Another interesting Africa book that I read this summer, about an African American missionary to Congo.
[book:Black Livingstone: A True Tale of Adventure ..."

Hi Andrea, that looks like a very interesting read, thanks for the information!

Great add Andrea.

I've just ordered an old second hand copy of; "The campaign of Adowa and the rise of Menelik" by G. F. H Berkeley. This is the only full length study in English on this famous battle that I am aware of so it should make very interesting reading

(no cover) The campaign of Adowa and the rise of Menelik, by G. F.-H Berkeley
Description:
The battle of Adowa was a crucial turning point in the history of African colonialism. By the time it was fought, in March 1896, the ancient Empire of Abyssinia (today's Ethiopia) in the horn of Africa was the last African state to have retained its independence and escaped the ‘scramble for Africa' that had seen the rest of the continent fall under the rule of rival European powers. As a latecomer to the colonial feast, Italy viewed Abyssinia, under its Emperor Menelik II, with greedy eyes. The Italians attacked Abyssinia but struggled in a hostile terrain. Urged on by Rome, however, the Italian Governor, General Baratieri, resolved on a full-frontal attack against the Ethiopian army, led by the Emperor himself. He ordered three separate columns totalling almost 20,000 men to advance on three mountain peaks. The Ethiopians, outnumbering the Italians by some five to one, were warned of the advance, ambushed the confused Italians and completely routed them. Adowa was the worst defeat ever inflicted on a European army by an African army. The Italians took a belated revenge in 1935 when Mussolini invaded and briefly conquered the country. This book is the only available account in English of an important and much-neglected campaign.



For those interested in further details on this battle see the link below:

Battle of Adowa

Read this last year. I learned quite a bit about the civil war in Burundi, what life was like for people there, what they lived through. Riveting.
by Tracy Kidder
Tracy Kidder, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and author of the bestsellers The Soul of a New Machine, House, and the enduring classic Mountains Beyond Mountains, has been described by the Baltimore Sun as the “master of the non-fiction narrative.” In this new book, Kidder gives us the superb story of a hero for our time. Strength in What Remains is a wonderfully written, inspiring account of one man’s remarkable American journey and of the ordinary people who helped him–a brilliant testament to the power of will and of second chances.

Deo arrives in America from Burundi in search of a new life. Having survived a civil war and genocide, plagued by horrific dreams, he lands at JFK airport with two hundred dollars, no English, and no contacts. He ekes out a precarious existence delivering groceries, living in Central Park, and learning English by reading dictionaries in bookstores. Then Deo begins to meet the strangers who will change his life, pointing him eventually in the direction of Columbia University, medical school, and a life devoted to healing. Kidder breaks new ground in telling this unforgettable story as he travels with Deo back over a turbulent life in search of meaning and forgiveness.

An extraordinary writer, Tracy Kidder once again shows us what it means to be fully human by telling a story about the heroism inherent in ordinary people, a story about a life based on hope.

I am particularly interested in the Congo at the moment and in african history in general - books I can recommend/suggest on this topic include:

King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror & Heroism in Colonial Africa
The King Incorporated: Leopold the Second and the CongoBongo, Bongo, Bongo, I Don't Wanna Leave the Congo: A Memoir(terrible title but interesting account of one womans first hand perspective)
The Washing of the Spears: A History of the Rise of the Zulu Nation Under Shaka and Its Fall in the Zulu War of 1879

... and i also agree that The Scramble for Africa is an excellent volume!

Shovelmonkey1, I know you just joined us so will help you out here with the proper book and author citations we use in The History Book Club. FOr anything you cite you must include the book cover, author photo (where available) and author link using the add book/author feature above the comment box. Your recommendations should look like this:
Adam Hochschild
Neal Ascherson

Veronica Cecil
Donald R. Morris

I cannot find the Stanley or Jim Teal so perhaps you have the wrong author?

One of the reasons we use the goodreads software like this is so that people can click on the book you mention and learn more about it. As you can see, without we don't know what you are referring to.

Thanks much.

and this one as well . . .
Thomas Pakenham

You are on the right track. In the add book/author feature when you search and find the book, look at the bottom of the box and you will see radio buttons that allow you to select the photo or the link. Select the photo when it is available for the book (it almost always is), and then immediately go back into the tool and select the author tabs and repeat the process. Check the instructions on the mechanics of the board if you need more help or send me a PM directly. You'll get it, you are almost there. It's easy once you learn it.

Thank you Alisa for taking care of this and helping out newbie Shovelmonkey1.

Hi Shovelmonkey1, "Washing of the Spears" is one of my favourite books and although first published in 1969 (I think) its still one of the best books on the subject. I have a copy of "Zulu" by Saul David to read yet, he is quite a gifted author as well.

by Donald R. Morris

by Saul David

I've just read a few reviews of this book which offers a history of the current conflict in the Congo; "Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa" by Jason Stearns.

by Jason Stearns
Description:
At the heart of Africa is Congo, a country the size of Western Europe, bordering nine other nations, that since 1996 has been wracked by a brutal and unstaunchable war in which millions have died. And yet, despite its epic proportions, it has received little sustained media attention.

In this deeply reported book, Jason Stearns vividly tells the story of this misunderstood conflict through the experiences of those who engineered and perpetrated it. He depicts village pastors who survived massacres, the child soldier assassin of President Kabila, a female Hutu activist who relives the hunting and methodical extermination of fellow refugees, and key architects of the war that became as great a disaster as--and was a direct consequence of--the genocide in neighboring Rwanda. Through their stories, he tries to understand why such mass violence made sense, and why stability has been so elusive.

Through their voices, and an astonishing wealth of knowledge and research, Stearns chronicles the political, social, and moral decay of the Congolese State.

Reviews:
“Impressively controlled account of the devastating Congo war…The book’s greatest strength is the eyewitness dialogue; Stearns discusses his encounters with everyone from major military figures to residents of remote villages (he was occasionally suspected of being a CIA spy)…An important examination of a social disaster that seems both politically complex and cruelly senseless.” - Kirkus

“Covering the devastating effects of these deadly contests on the Congolese infrastructure, Congolese institutions, and people’s lives, Stearns informatively reports on affairs for students of African politics.” - Booklist

“The best account [of the conflict in the Congo] so far; more serious than several recent macho-war-correspondent travelogues and more lucid and accessible than its nearest competitor…The task facing anyone who tires to tell this whole story is formidable, but Stearns by and large rises to it. He has lived in the country, and has done a raft of interviews with people who witnessed what happened before he got there…his picture is clear, made painfully real by a series of close-up portraits.” - New York Times Book Review

“He is a cracking writer, with a wry sense of understatement…Mr. Stearns has spoken to everyone—villagers, child soldiers, Mobutu's commanders, Kabila's ministers, Rwandan intelligence officers. In these conversations he found gold, bringing clarity—and humanity—to a place that usually seems inexplicable and barbaric. ‘Dancing in the Glory of Monsters’ is riveting and certain to become essential reading for anyone looking to understand Central Africa.” - Wall Street Journal

“Stearns is more concerned with the perceptions, motivations, an actions of an eclectic mix of actors in the conflict—from a Tutsi warlord who engaged in massive human rights violations to a Hutu activist turned refugee living in the camps and forests of eastern Congo. He tells their stories with a judicious mix of empathy and distance, linking them to a broader narrative of a two-decade-long conflict that has involved a dozen countries and claimed six million victims.” - Foreign Affairs

I've got a copy of this, but haven't gotten to reading it yet. I'll post when I have. I also picked upThe Fear: Robert Mugabe and the Martyrdom of Zimbabwe by Peter Godwin. I read his other book about Zimbabwe and enjoyed it, so am looking forward to getting to this one soon.

Hi Andrea, I'll look forward to hearing your views on the book, its sounds very interesting so I just ordered a copy.


by Jason Stearns

by Tim Jeal (no photo)

This biography of Henry Stanley covers in-depth his adventures in Africa and his relationship with King Leopold of the Belgians. It is an interesting and chilling tale of the attitudes of the white rulers toward the indigenous populations and of the atrocities that occurred, especially in the Congo.

Stanley was an ambitious man who longed for recognition. His explorations were amazing, yet he is generally known for just four words, "Dr. Livingston, I presume", which he may or may not have said. A fascinating biography.

Good post Jill, I have two of his books (including this one) that I am yet to read but I have just ordered his latest release that may also interest you:

by Tim Jeal

He seems to have written a good deal about Africa so I will be looking for others by him.

Tim Jeal

Andrea, so glad to see you back and posting. Don't forget to add the author's photo if available.

Great posts all.


by Peter Godwin

King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror & Heroism in Colonial AfricaAdam HochschildThis book is fantastic. It is about the exploration and exploitation of the Congo. I am afraid I am pretty ignorant when it comes to the history of Africa. The book encompasses both the economic and social history/horror of the colonization of the Congo. Very enlightening book.

Hi Kathy,

It is a great book, don't forget to try and link the author as well in your posts:

by Adam Hochschild

Hi all (and Bentley) - am a New Yorker who fell in love with Africa a few years ago. Have only been (physically) to Kenya so far - but am off to Mali in December... anyone have any book suggestions for Mali/Timbuktu/Dogon People...?

Hi Paula - wrong introduction thread (smile) - here is the one - so that folks will see it: (please repost there)

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/9...

What a great trip - I hope you have a terrific time. You are in my neck of the woods and for a New Yorker - Africa is vastly different. Stay safe and have a great time.

Here is a non fiction book:

by Kira Salak (no photo)

Another interesting book:

by Kris Holloway (no photo available)

I will post a few more when I get a chance.

Hi Paula, here are a few books covering Timbuktu that may interest you:


by Marq de Villiers

by Frank T. Kryza

by Michael Asher

by Anthony Sattin

This book was just released last week and looks interesting

My First Coup d'Etat: And Other True Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa

byJohn Dramani Mahama(no photo)

Synopsis
My First Coup d’Etat chronicles the coming-of-age of John Dramani Mahama in Ghana during the dismal post-independence "lost decades" of A frica. He was seven years old when rumors of a coup reached his boarding school in Accra. His father, a minister of state, was suddenly missing, then imprisoned for more than a year.

My First Coup d’Etat offers a look at the country that has long been considered Africa’s success story. This is a one-of-a-kind book: Mahama’s is a rare literary voice from a political leader, and his personal stories work on many levels—as fables, as history, as cultural and political analyses, and, of course, as the memoir of a young man who, unbeknownst to him or anyone else, would grow up to be vice president of his nation.

Though nonfiction, these are stories that rise above their specific settings and transport the reader—much like the fiction of Isaac Bashevis Singer and Nadine Gordimer—into a world all their own, one which straddles a time lost and explores the universal human emotions of love, fear, faith, despair, loss, longing, and hope despite all else.

Thank you Nicole and Aussie Rick.

This book was recently released and looks like a very interesting read.

A Labyrinth of Kingdoms: 10,000 Miles Through Islamic Africa

by Steve Kemper

Synopsis
In 1849 Heinrich Barth joined a small British expedition into unexplored regions of Islamic North and Central Africa. One by one his companions died, but he carried on alone, eventually reaching the fabled city of gold, Timbuktu. His five-and-a-half-year, 10,000-mile adventure ranks among the greatest journeys in the annals of exploration, and his discoveries are considered indispensable by modern scholars of Africa.

Yet because of shifting politics, European preconceptions about Africa, and his own thorny personality, Barth has been almost forgotten. The general public has never heard of him, his epic journey, or his still-pertinent observations about Africa and Islam; and his monumental five-volume Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa is rare even in libraries. Though he made his journey for the British government, he has never had a biography in English. Barth and his achievements have fallen through a crack in history.

Thank you Nicole for the add.

Thanks for some excellent book ideas.

I am happy to see that
and Explorers Of The Nile: The Triumph And Tragedy Of A Great Victorian Adventure(no photo) by Tim Jeal were mentioned. They are wonderful books accompanied with many illustrations of the early European explorations.

Another more contemporary travel book is

by Tim Butcher. This is a very engaging, but at the same time, disturbing story of this man’s journey on the Congo River.

Mr. Butcher gives us many moving impressions of life in this part of the world – and it is for the most part not very pretty. He meets a wide array of characters, most of who have been deeply affected by the violence and poverty in the Congo. There are many enduring images from this book.

There is a disconnect between life in the Congo and the rest of the developing world. Life has regressed – the railroad adjoining the river has been taken over by the jungle and is no longer serviceable.

Mr. Butcher was most vulnerable during his trip – but all he found were those willing to help and guide him and share their food.

MikeyB, thanks for your notes and contributions to this thread. However, please edit your post to remove the link to your personal reviews. Even though they are on goodreads, we consider them self-promotion which we do not allow for any of our members. Thanks again.

A History of Modern Africa: 1800 to the Present
by Richard Reid

Synopsis
"A History of Modern Africa" recounts the full breadth of historical events that have shaped the last two centuries of the African continent.
Stresses the diversity of Africa's rich variety of people, societies, cultures and religious beliefs
Provides a thought-provoking and illuminating journey through the slave trade and colonization to the rise of Islam, struggles for independence, and beyond
Puts the colonial era into proper perspective in relation to events that occurred before it and since
Wide-ranging in scope, it provides a framework for understanding such events as the genocidal horrors of Rwanda and the recent troubles in Zimbabwe and Kenya.

The riches of South Africa and the Transvaal pitted the Boers against the British with little regard to the indigenous population.....and what resulted was the dreaded policy of apartheid.

Diamonds, Gold, and War: The Making of South Africa

by Martin Meredith

Synopsis
Southern Africa was once regarded as a worthless jumble of British colonies, Boer republics, and African chiefdoms, a troublesome region of little interest to the outside world. But then prospectors chanced upon the world’s richest deposits of diamonds and gold, setting off a titanic struggle between the British and the Boers for control of the land. The result was the costliest, bloodiest, and most humiliating war that Britain had waged in nearly a century, and the devastation of the Boer republics. The New Yorker calls this magisterial account of those years "an astute" history.… Meredith expertly shows how the exigencies of the diamond (and then gold) rush laid the foundation for apartheid.

I'm excited about this thread and folder! I took an introductory African History class as an undergrad, but it barely scratched the surface! I look forward to perusing the threads and adding to my to-be-read list!

We are glad to have you with us Lise and we hope to enlarge the folder in the coming months, etc.

I enjoy reading both fiction and non-fiction about Africa. After seeing "Searching for Sugar Man" I went on a South African reading jag. I was deeply caught up in Rian Malan's "My Traitor's Heart": http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61...

Malan went on to make some objectionable claims, but this early book about his experience growing up in a society torn by Apartheid is riveting.

I am also a huge fan of William Boyd's African novels: "A Good Man in Africa" and "An Ice Cream War". Boyd's conscientious eye towards historical veracity probably qualify the titles for consideration here.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77...
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77...

Nice attempt at the citations, Earl but rather than linking to the book alone, we ask that you cite the book cover photo(if available), author's photo (if available) and author's link. This is how the books you mentioned should look:.

by Rian Malan

and by William Boyd

Thank you Earl for your thoughtful posts and for Jill helping you out with the citations.

We do not link that way because it does not allow the goodreads software to populate our entire site and cross reference authors and books.

Please make sure to learn how to do the citations our way using the bookcover, author's photo when available and the author's link.

We have a thread where you can practice and some detailed directions on a thread called the Mechanics of the Board in the Help Desk folder.

Here is the link and with just a little practice you will get the hang of it in no time:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

The British got their faces slapped by the Boers who used guerrilla tactics against the British Square. This book covers the first Boer War.


The Transvaal Rebellion

by John Laband

Synopsis
According to Rudyard Kipling, The Boer Wars taught the British "no end of a lesson." This book tells the untold story of the Boer Wars - the disastrous British campaign of the First Boer War and how its outcome influenced the nature of the second Boer War and thus the future of the whole of South Africa.

Numerous battles and sieges are all covered in glorious technicolour detail

Earl,
You mentioned one of my favorite authors, William Boyd. I have read the very funny farce GOOD MAN IN AFRICA, and now you have motivated me to read AN ICE-CREAM WAR. My favorite book by Boyd is ANY HUMAN HEART, but it is not about Africa.

by William Boyd

Africa: A Biography of the Continent

by John Reader

Synopsis

In 1978, paleontologists in East Africa discovered the earliest evidence of our divergence from the apes: three pre-human footprints, striding away from a volcano, were preserved in the petrified surface of a mudpan over three million years ago. Out of Africa, the world's most ancient and stable landmass, Homo sapiens dispersed across the globe. And yet the continent that gave birth to human history has long been woefully misunderstood and mistreated by the rest of the world.

In a book as splendid in its wealth of information as it is breathtaking in scope, British writer and photojournalist John Reader brings to light Africa's geology and evolution, the majestic array of its landforms and environments, the rich diversity of its peoples and their ways of life, the devastating legacies of slavery and colonialism as well as recent political troubles and triumphs. Written in simple, elegant prose and illustrated with Reader's own photographs, Africa: A Biography of the Continent is an unforgettable book that will delight the general reader and expert alike.