Mali Blues: Traveling to an African Beat

Rating:
Summary: A very fine book on Africa, of a different kind
Review: Having extensively travelled through and lived in Africa, I totally enjoyed this book which seeks and captures the perspective of the Africans encountered. This is a welcome break from other authors looking down upon local people. Highly recommended to those planning to go to the region and genuinly want to know/feel more and those who love the region and people.

Rating:
Summary: A disappointing hodge-podge
Review: The book splits evenly into two halves. The first half recounts Joris's travels in Senegal and Mauritania (the book's high point), and introduces us to Mali. The second half, also dealing with Mali, is an account of her friendship with the singer Boubacar Traore, and her efforts to delve into his personal life. Traore comes across as an abrasive and tempermental character; it's very odd that he should be the focus of the book. Joris's writing style at the beginning of the book relies on indirect quotations instead of actual dialogue, which makes it quite dry; later in the book the writing quality improves markedly where dialogue is concerned. This is more the memoirs of Traore than a travel narrative. It's a sad oversight (but emblematic of the book's flaws) that her only visit to Mali's Dogon region is one day-trip, recounted in a few pages that highlight Traore's role as her guide rather than the Dogon people.

Rating:
Summary: A disappointing hodge-podge
Review: The book splits evenly into two halves. The first half recounts Joris's travels in Senegal and Mauritania (the book's high point), and introduces us to Mali. The second half, also dealing with Mali, is an account of her friendship with the singer Boubacar Traore, and her efforts to delve into his personal life. Traore comes across as an abrasive and tempermental character; it's very odd that he should be the focus of the book. Joris's writing style at the beginning of the book relies on indirect quotations instead of actual dialogue, which makes it quite dry; later in the book the writing quality improves markedly where dialogue is concerned. This is more the memoirs of Traore than a travel narrative. It's a sad oversight (but emblematic of the book's flaws) that her only visit to Mali's Dogon region is one day-trip, recounted in a few pages that highlight Traore's role as her guide rather than the Dogon people.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting more to those who have already been there.
Review: This book is very personal, exposing intimate details of the life of a famous musician in Mali. I was embarrassed on his behalf, and wondered if he knows what this author did to him. Apart from that, given its shortcomings, such as personal bias and structural weakness, it was interesting to read. I'm not sure, however, if someone who had never been to West Africa, and in particular Mali, Senegal and Mauritania, would understand it fully.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting more to those who have already been there.
Review: This book is very personal, exposing intimate details of the life of a famous musician in Mali. I was embarrassed on his behalf, and wondered if he knows what this author did to him. Apart from that, given its shortcomings, such as personal bias and structural weakness, it was interesting to read. I'm not sure, however, if someone who had never been to West Africa, and in particular Mali, Senegal and Mauritania, would understand it fully.