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Summary: A Remarkable Childhood in a Remarkable Time and Place
Review: I was drawn to this book because I am a White person who lived in Africa under Black Rule.Alexandra Fuller got to experience White Rule, the transition to Black Rule, and Black Rule. But she was a child. And she remembers how those changes looked to her, how they affected her and her family, and how they molded her. But always thru the eyes of a child. A remarkable book.
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Summary: The alternative to out of africa
Review: This is the story of growing up white in 1970s Africa - hard scrabble farming, misery, family eccentricity seeming normal when you don't know any different. 'Bobo' (Fuller) survives when other siblings don't, somethign that turns her mother from a funny drunk into a mad and morose drunk. Her mother is one of the most interesting and powerful characters to feature in a book full of interesting characters. This is an interesting story, well told, about growing up white and poor in post-Independance Africa (they move through various countries) but it seems to be missing a certain 'something' - joy perhaps, or just a let up? That is the problem with real life narratives sometimes - they don't always read as well as fiction. But this book is interesting and well worth the read never the less. Finding a lifestyle and livelihood in desperation has become a cliched theme in books right now (blame the success of 'Angela's Ashes') but this book transends most of that genre.
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Summary: It was just okay
Review: I'm writing this review, because I felt with all the five star reviews there needed to be a diffrent voice. I liked hearing about her life in Africa and family relationships, yet there was something lacking throughout the book. Especially near the end as she reaches adolescence the book becomes oddly impersonal and leaves the reader very dissapointed.
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Summary: I couldn't put it down
Review: It was a bit off my interests but recommended by a friend and well, nothing's quite like this. This is an unvarnished autobiography of a woman who grew up in an atypical family (with its particular piquant tragedies) in an atypical (for them) place. If you want to know what it's like to actually live in south central Africa, read this book. It will make you feel the place and a bit of the time in which it was written and may give you some insights into Africa's unique set of problems in this modern age. It is written well and really caught my imagination, a great read!
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Summary: My favorite book of all time.
Review: I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. Alexandra Fuller is an amazing writer, taking the reader into the scene as if we were standing next to her. It is beautifully written. Since I was 8 years old I have dreamed of going to Africa and living in similar circumstances and situations as she describes in her book. An excellent memoir! I've read it three times already...and have recommended it to everyone that I know who loves a great read. I am inspired even more to finally make it to Africa.
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Summary: disturbing
Review: I just finished reading" Don't lets go ", and I have to say, I find myself totally disturbed. On the one hand the story is fascinating. But I was hoping that at the end Alexandra would come around and not be such a racist.Black Africans are hardly mentioned except as inept servants. Even at the end of the book she says that there aren't any europeans living nearby for her parents to talk to now.
I'm wondering what she now teaches her children.
I thought that the way she turned her mother's alcholism into humorous episodes was false. there was an absence of fear of the situation which i think would be inevitable if your parents were as unstable and idiotic as the ones portrayed in the book.
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Summary: I adored this book!
Review: This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Ms. Fuller's voice is rich and intoxicating - just like the African countries she describes. I recommend it whole-heartedly - from the front cover with that hysterical little face to the end. Can't wait for the author's next book.
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Summary: Uplifting, unnerving - you can't put it down
Review: Alexandra Fuller draws you into the world of the white African with a finely observed yet beautifully understated tapestry of life in the dying days of the bwana. Fuller's taut prose delivers a terrific insight into one of history's most misunderstood people, yet, at the same time, builds a universally inspirational story of courage, humour and pathos. Don't miss this one.
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Summary: One of the best memoirs ever written
Review: Please read this book! It's one of the most compelling and inspiring stories about life and death that I've encountered. I didn't want the book to end. The language is beautiful and straightfoward--with no self-pity and no "politcal correctness." I am recommending this memoir to all of my friends.
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Summary: Childhood in Africa
Review: Alexandra Fuller's stories of growing up in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia on the various farms that her dad owns and manages over the years is of great cultural and personal interest. The interactions among the diverse characters in the book add color and interest to a story told from the heart. The afternoon I enjoyed reading this book brought sunshine into a rainy day. I eagerly look forward to Alexandra's next book about growing up in Africa.
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