Rating: 
Summary: His heart is in the right place
Review: It's short. It's a pleasant read. It's honest, both about Kenya itself and the author's general ignorance of Africa. A good effort, and the profits go to support a supposedly good cause (that's another subject) . . . overall, "Bill Bryson's African Diary" doesn't add up to much, but it's better than nothing, which is what he could have done when CARE asked him to take a trip and produce a manuscript. "A" for effort. Bill Bryson fans may want to read it. If you want to learn about Africa or the aid biz, better to look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: His heart is in the right place
Review: It's short. It's a pleasant read. It's honest, both about Kenya itself and the author's general ignorance of Africa. A good effort, and the profits go to support a supposedly good cause (that's another subject) . . . overall, "Bill Bryson's African Diary" doesn't add up to much, but it's better than nothing, which is what he could have done when CARE asked him to take a trip and produce a manuscript. "A" for effort. Bill Bryson fans may want to read it. If you want to learn about Africa or the aid biz, better to look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: OK it is short but the cause is great!
Review: OK it is rather short but the cause is great and Bryson really does convey his care for the people of Africa. So buy this book, buy one for each of your friends and make sure that they do the same. You will have a light but fun read and meanwhile you will have helped a lot of people who urgently need it. Christopher Catherwood (author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE, Zondervan, 2003)
Rating: 
Summary: A message delivered with gentle humor
Review: The book may be short, but its purpose is to provide funding for CARE International (who could teach the U.S. Government a thing or two about helping to "nation-build"--I propose we give CARE several billion dollars and tell them to restore Iraq and Afghanistan--we would save tons of tax dollars and American lives and the job would be done correctly!!). Anyway, Bill Bryson teaches us a lot with his humor. It is educational without being preachy--but the message is a strong one. I only wish the trip had been longer so the book could be longer! (How about an extensive tour through Africa, Mr. Bryson? I'm sure CARE would provide you with a snakebite kit!). Meanwhile, I'm adding CARE to my list of charity donations--I can't give a lot but at least I know it will be well spent.
Rating: 
Summary: Pass on this, just give your money directly to CARE...
Review: This "slender volume" takes less than a half hour to read and does not even scratch the surface of life in Kenya. Traveling with CARE, Bryson briefly describes impressions with lack of detail or understanding, with only slight descriptions of what life is like in the country. For anyone that has been to Africa: Pass on this book and just donate your money to CARE directly. Perhaps this book is well suited for someone who has not read anything on traveling/development/culture/people of Africa, or for someone who looks to get a "freebie" with their donation to a charitable cause. If you are looking to read non-fiction about Africa or have visited Africa and want to expand your knowledge and understanding for the continent, there are much better options available (Africa Solo, Shadow of the Sun, Facing the Congo, We Regret to Inform You...). A very disappointing read, but glad the money went to CARE.
Rating:
Summary: African Diary
Review: This fifty page book is intended to be a diary of what Bill Bryson saw and felt during his journey to Kenya. Yes, it's propaganda for the CARE organization but Mr. Bryson takes what is a nasty situation in that part of the world and does it justice.
Rating:
Summary: Well, what did you expect?
Review: This SHORT book reads more like an in-flight magazine article or even a letter from a colorful relative than an honest-to-goodness travel book. But what can you expect when an American humorist with no third-world experience writes about a week-long junket in Kenya. Buy it if you want to support CARE, not if you want to learn about Africa. On the positive side, Bryson is funny, as always, and shows more knowledge and insight when writing about Africa than do many writers with better credentials. I gave it 4 stars because most books about Africa are so bad.
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