Rating: 
Summary: erotic novella's are written from experience
Review: Dark Star Safari : Overland from Cairo to Cape Town
by Paul Theroux (Author)Informative 3/10
Accurate 3/10
Readable 7/10
Entertaining 7/10
Incisive 5/10
Style 7/10 I bought this book with the intention of gleaning valuable information for a trip that I have always dreamed of undertaking from Cape to Cairo. I have travelled from Cape to Malawi on previous trips and I looked forward to comparing what I knew first hand and thus then would then be able to extrapolate Paul Theroux credibility or lack of to the rest of the journey. If only he had started in Cape Town, then I may have been sorely tempted to stop reading after a couple of chapters. Judging by all the reviews on Amazon the author has a popular following. Everybody loves a contrarian. His work lacks accuracy and depth. He is no better than the loud mouth tourist he so despises, as he flits from one place to another, seldom staying longer than a day or two, and passing caustic judgment in plentiful amounts. Paul Theroux theme consists of: · Africa is a basket case
· Examples of places that do not fit the basket case theme are glossed over, or relegated to the junk heap of not being real Africa.
· Aid is for the benefit of the do-gooders and rich spoilt whitey
· Africa is at its best when represented by a black man bear bottomed carrying a spear
· Africa is unsafe What a waste of time to have to wade through all those pages in order to have the same old Africa clichés paraded before us once again. This puritan spirit did however delight in the luxury of the exorbitant blue train, Mala Mala lodge and other tourist traps of huge expense. Paul you should have done more of the up market thing and then maybe you wouldn't have been so sour. We in Africa do not appreciate the casual cynical observer, or their cheap sarcastic remarks. The author's outdated sojourn into Malawi and Uganda as a schoolteacher over forty years ago gives him few points in credibility. His useless and fleeting contribution to Africa then, via his peacework and now via his book will decay into nothingness. The book is however entertaining and I am tempted to buy the authors "erotic novella" just to see if he admits not going to the room alone.
Rating:
Summary: Misanthropic Safari
Review: I read this book before a recent extensive trip to Kenya and Tanzania. I had never been to Africa before so the book, in large part, shaped my expectations of African people and society. I took it for granted that I would be robbed, maybe even as soon as I arrived at the airport. I even went so far as to wear ragged clothing and carry a cheap bag, in order not to make myself a target. Now that I have returned from my trip, I wonder whether the author and I visited the same continent. The people I met were warm and friendly. I never felt threatened and, to my surprise, was never robbed. Now I see that the author had an overly negative point of view regarding Africa, especially Kenya. I suppose every society has its good and bad sides. Unfortunately, the author focused all of his attention on the bad and ignored all that is good about Africa. This is probably a reflection of him and his own pitiful view of life and people, than an accurate depiction of the continent.
Rating: 
Summary: Very engaging
Review: This is typically fine Theroux, but maybe without so much of his usual cynicism. He seems in a happier mood, which is odd given the unhappy journey he's on. The book describes a post-9/11 overland trip (by train, bus, truck, and at one point a two-day trip by dugout canoe) through Africa from north to south. Theroux was a Peace Corp volunteer in Malawi in the early 1960s, and after being ejected from the Peace Corps for helping an opposition politician he was hired as a teacher in Uganda, where he lived for a number of years. Theroux compares what he knew of Africa then to what exists now, after four decades (or more, depending on the country) of independence from colonial rule. What he learns as he travels is disturbing: corruption is rampant, the cities are bloated and squalid, farms are failing and AIDS is devastating whole populations. And it seems that foreign aid projects are doing more harm than good, enriching government officials who then have every incentive to keep their populations in dire conditions of poverty to attact ever more aid. Short-term disaster relief has morphed into long-term food and development aid, making Africa (a resource-rich continent blessed with abundant farmland) a continent of beggars utterly dependent on outside assistance. In the lush east African countryside farmers have devolved into growing only subsistence crops... grown from donated hybrid (hence sterile) seeds that guarantee no chance of self-sufficiency (this being one result of U.S. brokered aid agreements that overwhelmingly favor agrobusiness entities such as Monsanto). The universities are wrecked and educated Africans have fled for Europe and North America. Those who stay and try to challenge the entrenched dictators are beaten, tortured and finally murdered. Sounds pretty bleak. And if you research recent news stories about places like Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Zimbabwe (led by the increasingly demented "Comrade Bob", aka Robert Mugabe, who seems hell-bent on ruining his country) you gotta wonder: will we ever get around to liberating these people? I rather doubt it. But bleakness aside, this is possibly the best Paul Theroux book I've read; thumbs up.
Rating:
Summary: Cairo to Cape, with a scathing commentary along the way
Review: Fans of travel narratives are well acquainted with Theroux's style - he talks about how much he loves travel, yet is generally negative about the places he visits and the people he meets. This book is true to form, and followers of the author's career will appreciate the personal significance of this latest journey, overland from Cairo to Capetown: On the eve of his 60th birthday, Theroux is searching for nostalgia and wondering if reports of the collapse of Africa are accurate. As he travels the length of Africa, taking trains whenever possible, Theroux marvels at how Africans seem incapable of maintaining anything or running any organization efficiently. There is no way to put a politically correct spin on his conclusions: In Theroux's view, any progress beyond subsistence agriculture is due to outsiders (colonists, aid groups, or the entrepreneurial class from India), and once they leave, everything collapses. The Africans respond that their problems are due to a lack of money, but Theroux observes that it doesn't take any money to sweep the litter out of a building. These woes afflict every country he visits, regardless of how deeply affected it was by colonialism and regardless of what ideological path it has taken since independence. Only in Uganda and South Africa does Theroux express optimism that things are improving. And on top of it all, there is AIDS, which has infected over half the population in some countries. Theroux talks about his affection for the African people, but no matter how you look at it, the book is a damning commentary on Africa and Africans. It's even more sobering to realize he visited the relatively stable portions of Africa. What would Theroux have said about Liberia, Sierra Leone, or Angola?
Rating: 
Summary: An African Walk-through
Review: This was my first Theroux book and I thought it overall was a very good travelogue. The first part of the book was kind of slow (I am almost stopped reading it in Egypt, I was actually pretty bored by the descriptions of the ancient ruins) but I am glad I persevered to read on about his daring, significantly off-the-beaten path adventure. I was constantly intrigued by where he was going next and how he was going to do it. I also was appreciative of his comments on "humanitarian" work over in Africa, it seems like we have been pumping billions of dollars into these countries for the past 30 plus years with little results. Perhaps education is the only solution, as shown by the measurable success of his students. My only real bone to pick was his somewhat self-righteous demeanor towards tourists in Africa. Not everyone has the confidence or savvy that Theroux has to travel off of Africa's tourist trails. As he demonstrated several times, many of these towns can be dangerous and visitors can be easily taken advantage of or harassed. In the end, I did find comfort in the fact that he did enjoy his luxury train ride between Cape Town and Johannesburg as well as the "touristy" safari, and he did not mind taking the time to talk to other non-African visitors that he ran into (everyone had a story). I also got a kick out of the phonetic spelling of English words spoken by the locals-I could easily hear them talking in my head.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific, terrible, and rhetorically problematic
Review: This book is well-written in many ways and it gave me, as a reader, the opportunity to see a first-hand view of places I'm unlikely to visit on my own. Theroux does an excellent job of evoking the beauty, humanity, and joy as well as disappointment, sadness, and outright filth of Africa. As a travelogue it is fascinating. My problem with the book is with the polemics. Alright, I'd like to know about the effects of the "donor economy" on Africa. I'd like to appreciate the problems that individual Africans face and how (or if) things have gone wrong. But Theroux gives us remote views of the targets of his criticism. He praises certain efforts from his period in Africa, during the 60s (and laments their ultimate failure). But he continually rubbishes current efforts in a dismissive way, without drawing us close enough to draw our own opinions. We're given his viewpoint, not shown the facts and allowed to draw our own conclusions. Part of the problem here, though, is that he follows a singular path, which may in-and-of-itself be misleading. He doesn't follow up on the various donor organization that he dislikes so much. He could be entirely right. But then again, I have friends who have spent time in Africa on a humanitarian mission of one sort or another--an acquaintance is in Mauritius right now--and, well, yes, there is grinding poverty and other nasty things about life there. But it might not be entirely the fault of people in the white Land Rovers either. And much of the criticism he makes of changes to places he's been before (fewer trees, uglier buildings, etc.) could be applied to many larger cities in the USA just as easily. Nostalgia for the bucolic past is fine, but these experiences must be also be measured against thirty years of change. The verbal tsetse flies aside, here is the cradle of humanity presented as a huge human tragedy, a (not-so) glorious safari from end-to-end. As a travelogue it is engaging, a trip to faraway and exotic lands, filled with realism and often lurid detail. But a critical reading of his conclusions leaves a certain amount of doubt about them. I liked this book and recommend it as a diverting read. But you may find the constant theme a bit irritating.
Rating:
Summary: Many subtle thoughts on a well-observed journey
Review: Holding on to an outdated, romanticized idea of Africa (having lived and traveled in different parts), I was given Dark Star Safari believing I was about to immerse myself in a tale of classic adventure, colorful descriptions, and sentimental tales. Instead, I found the harsh reality of Africa told with candor, insight, openness, and total political incorrectness. Thank you, Mr. Theroux! Political incorrectness is desirable if it evokes objective observation. This is not an appeasing travelogue. This is a complexly woven journey (safari!) of memory, presence, cultural and political knowledge, irreverence, egocentrism, courage, and truth. If planning to vacation in any country between Egypt and South Africa, one is better advised not to consult Dark Star Safari, but if one would like to know the essence of Africa, this is a must to read. I'm very thankful for the repeat analysis of foreign aid, which alone is worth reading the book along with the many answers to questions the engaged traveler never new he had.
In my opinion, Africa is still the most interesting and noteworthy continent to travel on. If one shares that feeling, it is easy to find all the subtle, concealed likings Mr. Thoreaux has for it. They are after all more potent than any of the dislikes. There is plenty of wonderful friendship, warmth, and positivity in this account of a journey turned into voluntary hardship! I haven't finished reading Dark Star Safari yet (South of Jo'burg)-I'm procrastinating to prolong the trip. Mr. Theroux, you did evoke a deep sense of Africa in your reader, a lingering sense of a wish not to end the journey.
Rating:
Summary: Chicken Bus Blues
Review: I picked this book up after re-reading The Happy Isles and enjoying it more than I did the first time.
Almost in one sitting, I consumed the book, urging Paul's journey on so that I could get to his encounters in Kenya. That chapter turned out as a small disappointment, because he glossed over Nairobi, relating one poignant meeting with a former political detainee. Familiarity breeds contempt?
Nevertheless, I find this typical Theroux: crystal clear observations of a man who has mastered the art of camouflage; he connects effortlessly with the heartbeat of his surroundings but remains detached enough to record objectively.
Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda and Malawi offered wonderful scenes of local life and strife, while Kenya, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa suffered somehow from the author's reliance on 'established' views on political theory, written history and the findings of the development community. If only he could see Kenya after December 2002!
Theroux gives a fresh look at Africa today, much needed after the drought that followed David Lamb's controversial 'The Africans'.
By focusing on humanity and by being characteristically candid about his own fears and prejudices, he succeeds in painting a new picture that will be valued by those who want to know Africa in another way than through travel brochures and chartered safaris.
Africa's realities may be depressing, but Theroux convincingly shows that there is hope and optimism if the common man, poor and ...-naked, is left to his devices by meddling 'agents of maercy' and their own incompetent leaders..
Rating:
Summary: Good Book But Theroux's Ego Gets In the Way
Review: In the first 50 pages, Theroux uses "crepuscular" three times. "Twilight" just won't do it for this fellow. Why? Am I to be impressed with his vocabulary? This man's impressive adventures and subsequent output have given us all a way to experience parts of the world we are unlikely to travel personally. But, please, Mr. T., when you complain about the rigors of this trip (and I believe much of it went beyond horrible), don't tidy up your insightful criticisms of Africa with those little wrap-up sections of how you dearly love to be alone, and that Africa is giving you that pristine solitude regardless of the stink, pain, heat, mud, fear, rotten food, and abysmal lodgings.
Rating:
Summary: an honest portrayal
Review: I enjoyed Paul Theroux's travel writing a lot. His writing style portrays great depictions of scenery and the human drama that accompanies his lengthy trip. Woven throughout is a strong sense of shock at the modern condition of Africa as well as a deep enjoyment of many of his interactions and adventures on his exploratory side trips. East Africa is a land of bewildering contrast and Paul's personal history there makes a worthy credential for a critical examination. I especially liked his persistent questioning of the value of charity organizations, as well as his questioning of the root causes of societal failure and an apparent neglect to try to improve conditions. Why do urbanized Africans tend to ignore any opportuities for successful farming or other businesses opportunities ? Paul finds that this is (partly) because when anyone does prosper, a hoard of relatives immediately shows up and demands to be taken care of. That one had me thinking for a long time. The urban scensa are disturbing and sad, and it was also refreshing to read that far off the main tracks lie small villages that do manage to subsist. This is all around a very informative and well crafted book and Theroux's occasional cynicism seemed fair-handed to me. After all, how does one resolve the immense contrast of Africa society ? Avoiding it is one way (the tourists), religious chicanery is another. Thanks, but I'll happily take Paul's mild cynicism along with his honest appraisal of African life as it is now.
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