Great African Reads discussion

I'm in. I'm starting in Egypt and then who knows! Reading Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz right now, so I had inadvertently set myself up well to participate.

Beth wrote: "I'm in. I'm starting in Egypt and then who knows! Reading Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz right now, so I had inadvertently set myself up well to participate."

Glad you are joining me on my trek. You are starting with an awesome book, too.

Just finished Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz for Egypt. It was a novel set during WWII in an alley in Cairo. The book follows the daily lives of the different people living and working in the alley. The characters are nicely developed. I am about to teach a personality testing course and I could almost have filled out one of the tests I am teaching on at least a couple of the characters. It took me a little while to get into the book--it sort of lazes along, but in the end, I was trying to finish the book before going to sleep and really was frustrated that I couldn't quite stay awake to the end. I have had the book for a long time, and am glad I finally got to read it.

The book is worth 3 points for the author, who is Egyptian, and I get 6 points for mentioning that the pyramid of Giza is in Egypt, though not in my book, and posting this picture of the pyramid. So I am at 9 total so far.

Finished The Translator. I really liked the book. It was a nice exploration of love, loss, intercultural connection, and the things that make a place home. I liked reading a book written from the perspective of a devout Muslim woman. I don't read many of those. This book was worth 4 points, so I am up to 13. Off to Ethiopian next...

Finished The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears for Ethiopia. It is a beautiful book about an Ethiopian immigrant who flees the political violence there for Washington, DC.. I really loved this one.

This is another 3 points, so I am up to 16. Off to Kenya.

Finished The Constant Gardener for only one point. Still glad I read it because it reveals some really disturbing things about big Pharma and the 3rd world.

Total now 17.

Gotta find my Tanzania book...

Well, after a 10 month hiatus, I have finished two books this week and am well into a third. For Tanzania, I read The Book of Secrets by M.G. Vassanji for 4 points. This one was a struggle for me to get through, hence the long gap while I was trying to get myself to read it. Part of the problem was that I didn't have it on audio, so I had to read it on my iPad and kept falling asleep. It is an interesting look at Tanzania's history (particularly during WWI), but it was a bit slow. The book did mention the gorgeous Mount Kilamajaro:



With the image, that is 10 for this book, and a total of 27 points.

For Mozambique, I read Confession of the Lioness by Mia Couto. This book was totally gorgeous. It is part magical realism, part meditation on the situation of women in Mozambique. It alternated between the tale through the eyes of a mulatto hunter and that through the eyes of a woman in her 30s in the village where lions have been killing women. I really want to read more Couto now.

This one was worth only 2 points, but was worth more than that to me, since I will have a new author to read!

Total 29.

I could finish now with S. Africa, but will go to Zimbabwe first, since I found some of the African Women challenge books on audible, and I can get them done quickly that way.

Just finished We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo. Loved it. Review is here

This is worth 4, so I am at 33. Off to S. Africa to finish the tour by year end. Maybe by today, depending on how much time I have to listen to audio.

Almost there!

I read The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. It's worth 4 and the picture of Boulders Beach is another 6, so I am now at 43 and done with my tour. I was a bit disappointed with this as a last stop. The author is a lauded African woman author, but the book was Chicago. I don't have time to do another one before year end, so it will have to do.

Here is my very short review.