Rating: 
Summary: How Dare I Ever Travel to Africa
Review: Evidently, no one is morally fit to travel to Africa other than Mr. Theroux. Unless one is going for reasons deemed appropriate by this author, one is bound to do nothing but harm to those Africans Mr. Theroux chose to care about. Never mind that tourism is a potentially sustainable and renewable resource with a price tag that is far more reliable than the price of the coffee grown all 'round the equitorial belt. Never mind that tourism can be one of many impetouses for African nations to pay heed to the conservation of thier wild lands and animal species (No, not at the expense of Africans, Mr. Theroux- Please read David Western's "In the Dust of Kilimanjaro."). Paul Theroux annihilates the effect of his many thoughtful observations with his pompous, intellectual elitism. As one one of the sunburned, broad-hatted Westerners who has loved the African continent, I beseech Mr. Theroux to get over himself. It might surprise him to know that while I have been to the Ngorongoro Crater (and enjoyed it), I have also spent untold hours in my Alaskan home reading books on Afrian political history, natural history, and cultural history. By the way, I intend to visit Bwindi and Mgahinga next January, and I intend to enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Dark Star Safari : Overland from Cairo to Cape Town
Review: America's master traveler (Fresh Air Fiend, 2000, etc.) takes us along on his wanderings in tumultuous bazaars, crowded railway stations, desert oases, and the occasional nicely appointed hotel lobby. "All news of out Africa is bad," Theroux gamely begins. "It made me want to go there." Forty years after making his start as a writer while serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi, he returns for a journey from Cairo to Cape Town along "what was now the longest road in Africa, some of it purely theoretical." More reflective and less complaining than some of his other big-tour narratives (e.g., The Happy Isles of Oceania, 1992), Theroux's account finds him in the company of Islamic fundamentalists and dissidents, sub-Saharan rebels and would-be neocolonialists, bin Ladenites, and intransigent white landholders, almost all of them angry at America for one reason or another. The author shares their anger at many points. Of the pharmaceutical plant outside Khartoum that was flattened by a cruise missile on Bill Clinton's orders a few years back, he remarks, "Though we become hysterical at the thought that someone might bomb us, bombs that we explode elsewhere, in little countries far away, are just theater, of small consequence, another public performance of our White House, the event factory." Such sentiments are rarely expressed in post-9/11 America, and Theroux is to be commended for pointing out the consequences of our half-baked imperializing in Africa's miserable backwaters. His criticisms cut both ways, however; after an Egyptian student offends him with the remark, "Israel is America's baby," he replies, "Many countries are America's babies. Some good babies, some bad babies." Theroux is often dour, although he finds hopeful signs that Africa will endure and overcome its present misfortunes in the sight, for instance, of a young African boatman doing complex mathematical equations amid "spitting jets of steam," and in the constant, calming beauty of so many African places. Engagingly written, sharply observed: another winner from Theroux.
Rating:
Summary: solipsistic, self-aggrandizing, intelligent
Review: This is a book about a man who went to Africa carrying in his mind what he wanted Africa to be and when the continent did not fit that mould, he complained and complained. In the end, this book is about Paul Theroux and not about Africa. It is about a solipsistic, self-aggrandizing, intelligent man who in the end is rather unappealing. The conversations he records become tiresome because they are all in the same pattern -- He portrays himself as sane, rational, as opposed to the stupidity of other people. He is also excruciatingly condescending when he writes about Africans and seems to be entirely unaware of it, his smirky amusement at Ethiopians is an example. Theroux sometimes sounds like a colonial-era writer; he is guilty of wanting Africans to be exoticized primitives: pure and unspoiled. (Somebody tells him that the Mursi are REAL Africans and by REAL, Theroux means 'admirable savages') It is sad that he fails to engage with Africans in the present. Africa has been changed by its impact with the West, it can NEVER go back to what it was, in the same way that Americans cannot go back to the time of their great-grandfathers. However, all educated and westernized Africans are NOT corrupt, as Theroux seems to believe. Being 'bare-assed' as he puts it, does not automatically a good African make.He criticizes the Aid Industry, all well and good, but he does so without nuance, without engaging with any alternatives and in the end I felt that if they had given him rides when he asked, he might feel more kindly towards them. His limp self-righteousness comes through when he writes about ivory, for example, but what I found most tiresome was how he constantly told hawkers or beggars or drivers, "Please don't talk about money." What street person in a developing country does not ask for money? And Theroux seems to delight in highlighting how Africans don't like each other, as if it somehow proves something for him. There is never a reference to African writers, as if one cannot trust Africa as represented by the people. Instead, Theroux reads Heart of Darkness, a novel that sees Africans as dogs, TWELVE times, and once even admits to feeling like Kurtz. Perhaps the only thing I admired about this book is Theroux's abhorrence for the Africa of Hemingway and others - the Africa of big games, of pay and be shown a lion that you'll shoot and go home to boast about, of no black people except for generic, stupid servants, each one an African Jeeves.
Rating:
Summary: An Honest Portrait of a Continent
Review: Paul Theroux writes a book about his travels through Africa that is sad and beautiful. The prose is smooth, and the stories rich and poignant. He is able to reflect on what has transpired over the last 40 years, due to his five years in Malawi and Uganda as a Peace Corp member and as a teacher - as a young man. I have read all of Mr. Theroux's travel books, and this is perhaps the best. There are many aspects of the book that I enjoyed - from boat trips to dangerous rides through Sudan - but the points that were most rewarding were his comments on the state of affairs, and his analysis of why things are the way they are. His honesty is refreshing and challenging. He views with a clear eye the damage that has been done by colonialism, slavery, war, famine,stupidity, poor leadership, and misguided aid from Western and Eastern nations. He does offer solutions that are the bedrock of humanity. It almost reads like a "Book of Virtues". We have heard the value of kindness, hard work, honesty, education, and long range planning over and over, but this book really shows you that virtues are necessary ingredients for a successful society. His observations are those of an Anthropologist, and as a human being returning to his past. This book has something for anyone that has a love of travel,literature,philosophy,art and science. I recommend that it be required reading for all United States citzens.
Rating: 
Summary: A Bright Look At Darkest Africa
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I hadn't read Theroux since "Riding The Iron Rooster" and didn't want to after reading about a third of that book. Ordinarily, I have to finish a book even if I don't like what I'm reading, but Theroux's book about his travels through China was so negative, I was thoroughly disgusted and had to put the book away. From what I read, it seemed as if Theroux lost his joy of travel; he hated everything. Maybe a middle-age crisis, who knows? Theroux's joy in travel is back in "Dark Star Safari" however. (The dirt and grime and dust of China though annoyed him terribly but somehow the same conditions in Africa aren't nearly so repulsive to him.) How he survived the trip by land from Cairo to South Africa without having a nervous collapse is amazing. Theroux's anger at African dictators who no longer can blame colonialism for their countrys' problems is a breath of fresh air. What's stale and rotten though is that the west keeps pouring dollars into the pockets of these very same dictators in the guise of aid. Africa's future (with the exception of a few countries) appears hopelessly fated to repeat the same blood-drenched policies again and again. I'd like to see Theroux take his next trip up the west coast of Africa and write a book about that.
Rating:
Summary: "There Are Bad People There"
Review: Ever since I first read THE OLD PATAGONIAN EXPRESS over twenty years ago, I have enjoyed Paul Theroux's travel books and regarded them as the best of their genre -- at least among contemporary authors. Africa presents a particular challenge for travelers. If you read the papers, you will find virtually no good news from the Dark Continent. Instead, there are stories of genocidal massacres (Ruanda and Burundi), slavery (Sudan), tribal violence (most countries), rampant AIDS (everywhere), child prostitution (Djibouti and Mozambique), terrorism (Egypt and Sudan), civil unrest (Zimbabwe), rampant crime (South Africa), and so on ad infinitum. Fortunately, Theroux had spent some time in Africa in his youth and still possessed a smattering of the local languages. And he had an incredible amount of courage and fortitude. (One of Theroux's forebears along much of the route was Michael Palin of Monty Python fame in his entertaining "Pole to Pole" series of documentaries. But then, he went along with a large film crew and could afford to pay the baksheesh required to satisfy the ravenous officialdom along the route.) Theroux traveled by ferry boat, canoe, train, bus, taxi, truck, van, foot -- in fact everything but bicycle or airplane -- from Cairo through the Great Rift Valley to South Africa, with a few interesting detours. Except for a foiled hold-up attempt in Kenya, he managed to avoid most problems by asking the locals he met questions about the road ahead. Whenever his informants said "there are bad people there," he made whatever adjustments he could; but most times he just relied on his considerable street smarts and managed to get by unscathed. In addition to the "bad people" one expects, there were a surprisingly large number of good-hearted people who helped Theroux without any expectation of return. In fact, the only group of people he unilaterally slams are the international aid workers with their bright new Land Rovers -- refusing all eye contact and associating only with one another. Even the missionaries prove to be more helpful. His comments in this area were quite an eye-opener to me: I had not realized what a failure five decades of international aid had proven to be. I devoured this book in three sittings and was greatly saddened when it came to end. Theroux has changed forever my view of Africa. Although there is no bibliography, I appreciated the author's frequent references interspersed throughout the text to other background works on the subject.
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of time
Review: Although peppered with mildly entertaining anecdotes, Theroux's latest novel is a 500-page exercise in ego masturbation. Theroux constantly gets simple facts wrong, such as early in the book where he discusses the Islamic take on the biblical account of Abraham attempting to sacrifice his son. Theroux said the son was Isaac, whereas in fact in the Koran it is Ismael. This seemingly minor detail is a huge faux pas in that part of the world. And, Theroux's fixation on the "Nubian Banana" is just plain weird. Theroux constant whining about development workers in Africa gets old after the second time - but he revisits this theme again and again. He also complains ad nauseam about tourists - and then goes to one of the most exclusive resorts in South Africa. He tries to present himself as the Indian Jones of African travel, but ends up coming across as a pampered dweeb. Theroux cruised right passed the Great Zimbabwe Ruins in an air-conditioned bus, and hence failed to write about one of the most incredible archaeological sites in sub-Saharan Africa. This was another of the many shortcomings of this book. The only saving grace in "Dark Star Safari" describes his journey down the river from Malawi into Mozambique. And, his early experiences in Malawi and then in Uganda deserve some respect. Having spent most of the last 20 years traveling all over Africa - first as a backpacking explorer and then as one of the development workers Theroux despises - I must say that this book left me feeling like I had been cheated out of the time and money I put into it. For the average American who thinks of Africa as a far-off scary place, this book will make for good arm-chair travel. Unfortunately, it will only serve to reinforce the ignorance most Americans have of this wonderfully exotic, incredibly beautiful and refreshingly fascinating continent. If I could give this book a .5 star rating I would.
Rating:
Summary: Attitude
Review: Paul Theroux should temper his sarcastic and belittling style which gets in the way of good content.
Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable
Review: Africa is often couched with the extraordinarily negative term "the dark continent", a relic of the colonial days. However, this term lives on with us, as powerful as ever, for it often seems that all the news out of the continent is bad. Would it be a news cycle without a civil war, without some kind of horrible famine or plague occurring in Africa? To those who pay more attention, the reality can be described as even worse. AIDS kills millions, the governmental structure of almost all the countries is frayed and decrepit. There is little to be optimistic about. I expected this idea to be a challenged a bit by famed travel writer Paul Theroux, but this was not the case. In an amazingly well written and horribly illuminating portrait of Africa, Theroux outlines the disastrous course the continent and its people have been on for the past few decades. Again and again we are reminded of the negatives, and there are probably too many to fit in one book. However, as Theroux reminds us, hope is not dead, for the citizens of Africa have as much hope and desire for a better life then anyone else. Theroux was a Peace Corps voluteer in the 1960's when he first came to African. An idealist, he quickly fell in love with the people and their often social customs. At the time, many Africans shared Theroux's feelings of optimism; colonialism was on the way out and new governments were forming. However, as Theroux returns and meets again with his old friends, he finds that many of these new governments were no less authoritarian or corrupt when compared to the former regimes. The stories that Theroux so artfully recounts of political and social repression are just shocking, and give the western reader a big clue about why this continent is in such dire straights. There is an almost constant aura in the book, an aura of just precipitous decline and disintegration. Nothing works, the roads are falling apart, there is famine and violence. It is a very depressing book, but Theroux is a master of writing it. He writes of the people that do survive it, that do not shy from the struggle, and that lifts the writers, and the readers, spirits immeasurably. The most amazing part of the book, in my opinion, was Theroux himself. I was just stunned by the amount of risks and chances he took with his own life, as he avoided the "tourist" Africa route and took bus, truck, boat, canoe, and plane down through Africa. Numerous times he had the opportunity to take a quicker or easier way, but he seems genuinely dedicated to experiencing the real harshness of the trip. This makes for very good reading, and Theroux's some what cynical prose transmit the dank and horrific living conditions he had to share with others. Constantly parodied is the tourists themselves, who seemed to have a shared sense of illusion and ignorance concerning the place. There are passages connected with the dour reality that are just laugh out loud funny, as folks with no hope cling to their humor and their all around good nature. One of the most tragic parts of the book is the light Theroux shines on the aid agencies that pour billions of dollars into Africa. While many of the staffers are honest and very hard working, a sizeable minority of them seem to do nothing but take advantage of their position and live off the money pouring in from the outside. They all have land rovers while the people they are supposed to help are living in squalor. The cycle goes on and on. To counter this image however, Theroux tells of doctors and clergy who are almost insanely dedicated to helping the people of Africa, one cannot feel anything but outright admiration for these figures as Theroux draws them. It is a tragic journey in a sense, but it is one that is compelling in its nature. Theroux scenic and atmospheric writing style shine in this book, and it is just a joy to read. This book is unforgettable, congratulations to Mr. Theroux, as his bravery in taking the trip is an inspiration to any travel writer of adventurous inclination.
Rating:
Summary: Theroux!
Review: I enjoyed The Great Railway Bazaar more than this one but, in my book, Theroux still ranks as one of the finest writers of this generation. I own all his titles and hope he is at work on the next.
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