Book Description
Following her defeat in the Spanish-American War of 1898, Spain shifted her colonial focus to her Protectorate in northern Morocco. When Spanish conscripts began to fight and to die by the thousands, political fallout forced the government to create a new unit of professional soldiers. This unit would serve the dual function of providing fighting men for Moroccan service, while sparing the lives of conscripted men. Under its founder, Jose Millan Astray, and his deputy, Francisco Franco, the Spanish Foreign Legion would quickly become the spearhead for Spain's army in Africa. This is the story of the creation, organization, and combat role of the Legion in its formative years from 1919 to 1927. Based upon archival sources in Madrid, Segovia, and Ceuta, this is the first and most complete history in English or Spanish of the early years of the Spanish Foreign Legion. The unit was instrumental in crushing Abd-el-Krim's rebellion against Spanish colonial authority. When the Riffians annihilated the army of General Silvestre at Annual in 1921 and were poised to attack the Spanish enclave of Melilla, it was the arrival of the Legion that pacified its panic-stricken citizens. The force would be in the vanguard of all major offensives undertaken in recapturing the territory lost in 1921, and its amphibious landing at Alhucemas Bay in 1925 marked the beginning of the end for the Rif Rebellion.
Customer Reviews:
Splendid Scholarship.......2006-10-24
Dr. Alvarez made unprecedented use of orignal archival sources to chronicle the exploits of the Spanish Foreign Legion in the Riff.
His detailed analysis will be of particular interest to students of counterinsurgency operations and scholars with an interest in the region.
a solid work .......2004-10-25
Part unit history and part campaign account, this is a solid, if uninspiring work. But it's a welcome addition if only because an English-language history of the Spanish Foreign Legion has been long overdue. Spain's campaigns in Morocco are rarely mentioned in the literature on African colonial conflicts. Why? It's not as if Spain was a newcomer to Africa: the city of Ceuta in Morocco had been a Spanish possession since the 16th century.
Francisco Franco, who began his military career in the Legion, emerges as a dour, serious figure dedicated to the task at hand. Those interested in the Spanish Civil War, especially fans of Nationalist Spain, will enjoy his portrait here, and perhaps understand how such a man achieved so much. Franco's alleged involvement in the plot to overthrow the "wet" Primo de Rivera in 1923, described here, foreshadowed the events of 1936.
Incidentally, readers of Christopher Balfour's recent work, The Deadly Embrace, marketed as an expose of Spain's use of poison gas against the Riffian tribesmen, may be interested to note that there are plenty of references to it here. The use of poison gas by Spain may be deplorable, but hardly shocking. Although war can bring out the best in men, it also brings out the worst. Perhaps Spain's decision to resort to gas may seem understandable in light of the atrocities carried out by the Riffian insurgents against Spanish civilians, particularly at towns like Nador (pp.51-52).
The Spanish are a proud, civilized people with remarkable achievements to their name, of which the Reconquista and the Conquest of the New World are just two examples. The West owes Spain a considerable debt of gratitude. Although the military reputation of Spain has suffered much in the last century, the Legion, as one of the world's elite forces, is an apt reminder of the former grandeur. Viva La Legion!
El Tercio.......2002-03-05
Excellent book about the first years of the Spanish Foreign Legion, also known as El Tercio (for Spanish infantry units which ruled European battlefields in the XVI and XVII centuries). It catches the spirit of the first Banderas (batallions), which were the fer de lance of the Spanish army in the Spanish Maroc Protectorate in the first quarter of the XX century. Afterwards, it took an active part in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), in the Russian front in the Second World War, where it fought together with the Wermacht, as well as in the Spanish Sahara in the late fifties.
Currently, and since Spain does not have colonies any more, the Spanish Foreign Legion is deployed in Spain, divided into four Tercios (regiment-type units) stationed in Ceuta, Melilla (two Spanish cities in northern Africa), Ronda and Almeria. It has seen action in Kosovo, and some companies will be probably sent to Afgahnistan in the near future. Always the crack unit of the Spanish army, the Legion is considered one of the best (if not the best) units within the NATO, comparing favourably with famous units such as the British SAS in field exercises and peace (?) missions in former Yugoslavia.
A VERY DETAILED, METICULOUSLY RESEARCHED HISTORY........2001-05-01
Dr Alverez has written an extremely detailed, comprehensive account of an important unit and era in Spanish military history. This is, by far, the best account of the Spanish Foreign Legion in English, and his worked does much to bring their story to a wider public.
Superb!.......2001-03-03
The little known Spanish Foreign Legion forged a well deserved reputation for valor and professionalism during Spain's early 20th century struggle in North Africa. Unfortunately, very little has been written in English about this extraordinary force. Dr. Alvarez has written a superb account of the formation and early history of the Legion capturing the unique Spanish elan of both its leaders and men. Here was a tough, truly elite military force in the best Spanish tradition. This book fills an important gap in military history which I hope will encourage other historians to explore the role the Legion played later during the Civil war.
Book Description
It began in Boston, with angry colonists objecting to the tyranny of a king who ruled from an ocean away.
It was voiced by patriots such as Sam Adams and Patrick Henry and echoed by citizens from New England all the way to the Carolinas.
It was fought by many -- colonists and patriots, Loyalists and slaves, Frontiersmen and Indians, British and French soldiers.
Over more than ten years, sides were taken, guns drawn, lives lost. But through it all, one man -- a general from Virginia named George Washington -- held the young colonies together and led them to victory, beating almost impossible odds.
History lovers Betsy and Giulio Maestro tell this true story of extraordinary times, incredible drama, and the birth of a new nation.
Average customer rating:
- Very evocative of the period.
- Another Fun Fielding Mystery
- Great historical who-done-it!
- Alexander Brings Interesting Historical Period to Life
- Good, not Great
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Death of a Colonial (Sir John Fielding)
Bruce Alexander
Manufacturer: Berkley
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ASIN: 0425177025
Release Date: 2000-10-10 |
Book Description
Blind magistrate Sir John Fielding returns to investigate the mysterious execution of a nobleman-and the auspicious appearance of his long-lost brother.
• 6th in the critically acclaimed mystery series.
Customer Reviews:
Very evocative of the period........2007-05-01
One of Mr. Alexander's talents is bringing his historical period to life, and he does this extremely well in this book. The book is set in England in 1771, so we get a good glimpse of life in London at this time, but in this book we also get a glimpse of the vacation town of Bath and the university town of Oxford. The book is rich in detail of this period. It is also chock-full of English justice as it was in this time. There wasn't much mystery here because we know all along who the murderer is, but Sir John and his ward Jeremy must prove it. They are trying to solve an [...]case that seems eerily familiar with what is happening right now, and with the arrival of the villain from eight years ago into England. He is a rough individual from the American colonies. These books are totally entertaining, and I enjoy the look back at a much earlier time, especially since Mr. Alexander's prose is so evocative.
Another Fun Fielding Mystery.......2003-07-22
Bruce Alexander's series of mysteries are set in 18th century England and have as protagonists blind magistrate John Fielding and his teenage assistant. "Death of a Colonial", like the five volumes before it, is a quick, fun read and no more. If you're heading to the beach, this is the right choice. If you want a complex mystery, subtly-shaded characters, or true historical detail, you'll have to look elsewhere.
Great historical who-done-it!.......2002-01-21
I get a huge kick out of Bruce Alexander's mysteries involving a blind judge and his young sidekick. I've read a lot of history from that time period, and though Alexander doesn't overload the books with a lot of rather...well putrid facts concerning life at that time, he gives enough information to make a picture in the mind of a world very different from ours.
If readers have ever spent time in England, as I have, most know that the trip to Bath is a quick one for us. Yet Alexander brings up how grueling those trips were via stagecoach (or any type of coach). I think we forget how much we take for granted in being able to hop in a car and go somewhere in relative comfort and safety.
Alexander's best work are the characters he draws. I would be hesitant to accept a blind man as getting to a level in legal circles to wind up as a judge, except that I have an author-friend who wrote Silence of the Spheres about deaf people who managed to become scientists. Knowing that deafness was less acceptable then blindness, makes it more likely that the possibility exists for someone with visual impairments would make it.
Alexander's Sir Fielding is just a hair like Sherlock Holmes, only his blindness makes him more sensitive to sound and tactile sensations. This attribute helps him in his sleuthing endeavors...I totally understand this as blind friends have those same abilities, just as my vision and attention to visual details is more acute because I am deaf. This has been proven true for both blind and deaf persons in recent MRI scans by neuroscientists...so the author is not taking liberties with his character. His plots are less well developed, and as one reviewer said, the plots tends not to be the fast-paced one usually seen in modern mysteries. Time moved slower then, and the mores were different. So if you know your history, you should not expect the same type of behavior, language, etc. from people of that century as shown by those of this century.
Fun book (well...for a mystery)...
Karen Sadler
University of Pittsburgh
Alexander Brings Interesting Historical Period to Life.......2001-11-05
Death of a Colonial by Bruce Alexander brings to life an interesting historical period. Sir John Fielding a blind magistrate in London helped to develop the Bow Street Runners, the first professional police organization in England . Sir John, the brother of Henry Fielding was a famed and gifted magistrate who compensated for his lack of sight by developing other skills. It is said that he never forgot a voice and could recognize a criminal by his voice alone.
Sixteen year old Jeremy Proctor assists Fielding in this pursuit of justice in Death of a Colonial. Fielding is commissioned to ascertain the validity of the claim of a fortune by Lawrence Paltrow the brother of an executed murderer, Arthur Paltrow. Arthur had been a wealthy man when he was executed and it was thought that there were no heirs to his estate. Together Jeremy and Fielding travel to Bath to meet the man's mother. It is at this point that the plot thickens. Jeremy and Fielding work together as a formidable team in discovering the conspirators.
Death of a colonial is rich in description of the feeling and times of England from Bath to London to Oxford. The reader is intrigued by Fieldings and Jeremy's journey through England and is ready to assist them in their search for criminals. The characters in the book are well developed and entertaining.
This is an entertaining book for those who love historical mysteries. Those who want fast paced action may wish to avoid this book
Good, not Great.......2000-02-02
I have read each of the Sir John Fielding mystery books. I enjoy them all. I don't worry too much about subplots, but enjoy a mystery. This book allowed me to know to much too soon, but overall it is a good book. If you didn't like his earlier ones you won't like this one. If you have liked them, then you will enjoy this one.
Book Description
A complete guide to teaching My Brother Sam is Dead. Includes an author biography, background information, summaries, thought-provoking discussion questions, as well as creative, cross-curricular activities and reproducibles that motivate students.
Customer Reviews:
This book still makes me cry.......2007-09-25
I first read this book when I was about 10 for a class project. We were only supposed to read a few pages a night for homework assignments but I ended up reading the entire book in a few hours. It was so good, I just couldn't put it down. I'm 20 years old now and I still read it from time to time and still cry at the end of the book. It's a wonderful novel about the American Revolutionary War and family. Read this if you're in the mood for a good-hearted novel and maybe a small cry.
My Brother Sam is Dead.......2007-05-02
BY: Dante Garner
Age 12
White Plains New York
ISBN # 0439783607
Price $ 5.99
If you like books about War, blood and violence? This is the book for you it is historical fiction book. It takes place during the American Revolution. This story tells how War will tear families apart.
This Story talks about how War is Cruel. Sam wants to go to War to fight for his country with the Patriots and his Father is against him fighting. There all suppose to be on the Torres. Ever since Sam has gone to war they have caused a lot of arguments and fights between Father and Sam. Sam has made a bad decision to go to War because now you have caused fighting with your Family and now more work for Tim and the rest of the Family since you had left.
After Sam left Tim had to do all of the work Mom and Dad mostly depended on him for cattle and other things. Tim wants to be like his brother and fight in the American Revolution for his Country. Mom was an alcoholic and she is a depressed also Dad will not let Mom mail back her son Sam just because Dad got in a fight with Sam. To me that is not right because you do not like a person she doesn't have to like him to.
I can connect an text to self because I had an family member that has died in an War an that is my older brother Marcus I recommend this book of the family members we have lost a lot of Americans from the War because War is Cruel and it may tear families apart.
This book talks about the War back in the day and this book is good because it has a lot of info in this book.
#1 My Brother Sam is Dead Is a HIT #1.......2007-05-01
The story is about a boy named Tim Meeker and how he looses most of his family because of war and a feud between his brother and his father because, Tim's brother wants to go to war. In the book it talks about how Tim's brother runs away. The brother comes back in the middle of the book and he finds out what happens to his dad. As you go along in the book Tim's brother goes to jail for a crime he never committed. Another thing that happens in the book is how Tim gets shot in the arm trying to save his brother Sam. At the end of the book something unexpected happens, but you have to read it to find out.
My Brother Sam Is Dead.......2007-04-30
Book review-My Brother Sam is Dead
By Chris Pollio, age 13, White Plains, New York
ISBN # 0439783607
My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoin Collier and Christopher Collier; Scholastic, Inc. United States, early 1970's; $5.99
Although I've only seen clips of the Revolutionary War in social studies class, it feels like I have experienced the war but I guess it's just the fact that I read the book My Brother Sam is Dead. The book My Brother Sam is Dead was written by the Collier brothers and is a warfare historical fiction book. This book is about the Meeker family and how they face many conflicts such as Sam going off to fight in the Revolutionary war.
This book shows how a family's life can change because of war. In the book My Brother Sam is Dead the Meeker family lives in Redding, Connecticut. The story takes place during the early 1700's. Sam a rebel fighting against the British is in war while Tim his brother, Mother and Farther are continuing on with the tavern business and their daily lives. An opinion I had on this book was it was boring at first. But then soon after it changed to a book that had me on the edge of my seat because there is a lot of action and adventure that takes place in the book. Like when someone's head got chopped off. I think this book is worth reading.
There are many conflicts that the Meeker's face during the Revolutionary war. One conflict that the Meeker's face during the Revolutionary war is that Sam ran away to join the rebels also known as Patriots to fight against the British army. Another conflict that the Meeker family faces during the Revolutionary war is that business is getting slower and the products are getting harder to receive since the patriots pay with their own money which is worth nothing. One more big conflict that the Meeker's face is that Tim and father go and sell supplies to earn money for the business in Verplanks Point and they run into cowboys. The cowboys kidnapped father and Tim journeys home never meeting with father again. A connection I can make with this book relates to the movie The Patriot. I can relate this book to the movie the Patriot because they are both about the Revolutionary war and the battles and wars between the British and Patriots. When I was watching this movie I was thinking of this book because it had the same story line, which was war that takes place in the early 1700's. The theme for this book is that war can turn men into beasts. Another theme relating to this story is that war can tear families apart.
I recommend this book to anyone who is seeking a historical war and the revolution because that is what takes place in the book. The target audience for this book is young adult. But I suggest that you should read it. This book is a satisfying book. One award this book received the Newbery Honor, the Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and was nominated for National Book Award. James Lincoln Collier was born into a family full of authors, this book is amazing. You should read it and if you choose to read it I hope you enjoy.
"My Brother Sam Is dead".......2007-03-31
If you like war movies or books this might be the book for you. It talks bout how this boy named Sam wants to go to war for no reason just to fight for his country but his father doesn't want him to go because he wants his son to do good in his study's and also school, I really didn't get that part but I still need to read more it really get's interesting by the 5th threw the 8th chapter.
I'm starting to like this book because it talks about a kid who want's to do something for his life and future but his father is stopping him from doing the thing's he want's to do for him not for other people, but it really effects me because is like his father just wants the best for him but Sam just thinks other wise, his father want's the best for himself not for his son. Is just like my father he just want's the best for me but like I think he just want's the best for himself because I want to do some other thing's like play football or basketball but he just want's me to stick with one sport like my other favorite sport that I love is baseball and I get what he means but other wise then that why wouldn't want your son to go to war and be a man is just for discipline that's what I think.
Book Description
In the tradition of Philippa Gregory's smart, transporting fiction comes this tale of two independent, spirited sisters. Bright and inquisitive, Hannah Powers was raised by a father who treated her as if she were his son. While her beautiful and reckless sister, May, pushes the limits of propriety in their small English town, Hannah harbors her own secret: their father has trained her in the physician's art, an education forbidden to women. But Hannah's secret serves her well when she journeys to colonial Maryland to reunite with May, who has been married off to a distant cousin after a series of sexual misadventures had ruined her marriage prospects in England. As Hannah searches for May, who has disappeared, she finds herself falling in love with her brother-in-law, even as she struggles to believe his claim that her sister died in childbirth. Alone in a wild, uncultivated land where the old rules no longer apply, Hannah is freed from the constraints of the society that judged both her and May and found them dangeroustoo smart, too fearless, and too hungry for life. But Hannah is also plagued by doubt, as her quest for answers to May's fate grows ever more disturbing and tangled. The Vanishing Point is a marvelously assured period piece. Sharratt's ten years of research on everything from seventeenth-century pharmacology to pioneer cooking are evident on each page. In this gripping, evocative novel, rich in texture and authenticity, Sharratt brings to vivid life a distant world that feels as immediate and relevant as our own.
Customer Reviews:
compelling story, exquisite literary writing.......2007-06-23
I got very little sleep until I finished this compelling story of two sisters in colonial America. One is supposedly dead of childbirth, and the other who comes from England in search of her (and who is a brilliant young doctor who can't practice because of her sex) stumbles into the bleak homestead where her sister's handsome young widower is living alone with his terrible memories, and falls in love with him. Still, the ghost of what really may have happened to her sister haunts her.
The author is a truly literary historical novelist, a rare and wonderful thing.
Stephanie Cowell, author of MARRYING MOZART (Penguin)
Intrigued for days after........2007-06-10
I didn't want to put the book down. I continued thinking about the characters after I was done and even found myself angry with some of them. It was a well written historical fiction. In the beginning it flows nicely and fills you in on the characters, half way through the book I started to be more than connected to the characters I understood their feelings. The ending was stunning, not at all what I expected, there were so many turns and twists. The ending was the BEST part! I suggested it to a co worker she too was stunned by the ending and simply told me she didn't see it coming.
Good book, I would suggest it.
Delightful and sinister, it's a fun read! .......2007-06-05
Toss this one into your beach bag, but remember to bring along some sunscreen! You will not be able to pack up and leave until you finish this intriguing and delicious book. The mystery is good, the characters are interesting and likable, and the love story is tingly!
Heart-pounding and sexy historical fiction.......2007-04-10
From its early images of forbidden female sexuality to the torments of agrarian life in colonial Maryland, I found The Vanishing Point to be a gripping read. Beautifully textured, extraordinarily researched and deeply insightful of the constraints and ingenuity of young rebellious women of the era, both in the Old World and the New. Strongly recommended for young women readers, as well as those intrigued by conditions for women in early American history.
A So So Read.......2007-03-24
Recently having gotten into historical fiction, I picked up The Vanishing Point. While not bad (it was written well), it moved a little slow for me. There were points where I was interested to see what was going to happen and if in fact Hannah's suspicions were correct. For the most part, however, I read the book to finish and to move on to the next one. I didn't quite like the going back and forth between characters and time period. I'm not going to recommend or not. Other reviewers seem to love it. This was just my personal feeling about the book.
Book Description
Who were the Pilgrims? Far from the somberly clad, stern, and righteous figures children learn about in school, many of the early settlers of Plymouth actually dressed in bright colors, drank heavily, and often got into trouble.
A surprising new look at America's founding fathers and mothers, The Times of Their Lives presents a realistic, factual account of the Plymouth colony based on contemporary archaeology, cultural research, and living history. Taking little known trial transcripts, personal accounts, wills and probate records, as well as physical artifacts such as shards and spoons unearthed from old foundations, James and Patricia Deetz reveal what life in seventeenth century Plymouth was
really like. In the process they blow the dust off the dull, wooden figures of tradition and show the people of Plymouth as vibrant individuals who lived out complex and colorful lives in a world profoundly different than our own.
Beginning with an eyewitness account of the first Thanksgiving, The Times of Their Lives offers an often startling portrait of Plymouth Colony that includes aspects of the legal system, folk beliefs, family life, women’s roles and gender issues, eating habits, alcohol use, sexual misconduct, domestic violence, suspicious deaths, and violent crimes.
The result is an impeccably researched and highly imaginative work that shakes up our view of one of the most cherished myths of American history.
Customer Reviews:
Good Work, But They Should've Done Even Better.......2007-01-23
This book is a thorough piece of work - facts, dry text, colorful insights, dull academia, interesting human elements. It is a strange piece to review, as now that I have finished reading the book, I look back and can actually consider it to be a number of smaller works all contained within the save cover. With that in mind, I will comment on the "sections" individually as well as the work as a whole.
Archaeology: interesting subject matter for sure, the reader may well find themselves irresistibly drawn in to the discussions on the various referenced sites. However, the author in his/her attempt at describing orientations of items/foundations, etc., does a poor job. In many instances, a simple keyed diagram would have much more applicable and practical than long-winded and convoluted textual descriptions.
Lifestyles: flowing, page-turning descriptions of the subject matter at hand, be it the belief in the existence of witches, the settlement of estates, or the rules regarding fornication. Well done!
References to other work: must say that I was a bit disappointed with the occasional complete dependence on Demos' A Little Commonwealth.
Self-promotion: constant references by the authors to themselves in the 3rd person became annoying, carrying with it an unmistakable air of arrogance. And the disjointed and gratuitous "Postscript" written at the end of Chapter 6 by Patricia Scott Deetz that rambles on about her husband/co-author's many accomplishments was unnecessary and totally out of place.
Overall: A strange conglomeration of creative writing and storytelling ala Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick and drier Demos-style reliance and regurgitation of old probate records. In the end, I am happy to have read this work, and the experience was enjoyable overall. I can't help but feel, however, that the authors have sold themselves short and not fully-harnessed their collective knowledge of and love for the Plymouth Colony history.
really good.......2003-11-29
You get the feeling Deetz is a bit of an ass, true, but the book speaks for itself; it's sensational. He gets right to the heart of the matter in the first pages: the truth about Thanksgiving is nothing like the perception. He brings the truth out of a morass of lies. Even in this time of greater accuracy in history-telling, Deetz's book stands out as a particularly honest approach. Yes, English people were responsible for the annihilation of the native population; that much even Jerry Falwell would acknowledge. But the fact that we cover it up and celebrate it with Thanksgiving is the sad part.
There was a lot more happening in the 1620s than historians have allowed us to see.
The Pilgrims through History, Myth and Archeology.......2002-02-15
James Deetz and Patricia Scott Deetz's The Times of Their Lives (Life, Love, and Death in Plymouth Colony) looks at the somewhat misnamed Pilgrims, including much recent archeological scholarship along with the usual documentary evidence upon which most historians exclusively rely. They show a great respect for the nineteenth century created myths surrounding the pilgrims while at the same time deconstructing them to present as realistic picture of this time as current research will allow. Along the way, they touch upon crime, sex, marriage, material culture, and food to give a full picture of the lives lived in Plymouth Colony, both British and Indian. The authors manage to make all of the archeological information quite palatable to the average reader. A nice read.
Essential Deetz.......2001-11-06
An absolutely wonderful, detail-filled account of early colonial America by one of the greatest archaeologists of our time. He will be missed.
Shatter the Stereotype.......2001-06-04
In this interesting book, Deetz and Deetz develop a realistic picture of the original settlers of Plymouth Plantation. Basically, these settlers were not our Thanksgiving stereotype of devout religious dissenters, grim and disciplined, who wore shoes with big square buckles. Instead, these settlers were much more diverse, and were a mixture of religious separatists (the minority) and secular types in search of land and prosperity. Of particular interest to me was the authors' discussion of crime in Plymouth. One warning: The book has passages that suffer from political correctness. This reader found them distracting.
Book Description
An epic narrative combining the literary reportage of Ryzard Kapuscinski with a historical love story reminiscent of Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient
In his final days, rising from a bed made of mountain cedar, lashed with thongs of rawhide from an oryx shot many years before, Aidan Hartley's father says to him, "We should have never come." Those words spoke of a colonial legacy that stretched back over 150 years through four generations of one British family. From great-great-grandfather William Temple, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his role in defending British settlements in nineteenth century New Zealand, to his father, a colonial officer sent to Africa in the 1920s, building dams and irrigation projects in Arabia in the 1940s, then returning to Africa to raise a family—these were intrepid men who traveled to exotic lands to conquer, to build, and finally to bear witness. For finally there is Aidan, who becomes a journalist covering Africa in the 1990s. Weaving together stories, his family's history, and his childhood in Africa, Aidan tells us what he saw.
After the end of the Cold War, there seemed to be new hope for Africa but again and again—in Ethiopia, in Somalia, Rwanda, and the Congo, the terror and genocide prevailed. In Somalia, three of Aidan's close friends are torn to pieces by an angry mob. Then, after walking overland from Uganda with the rebel army, Aidan is witness to the terrible atrocities in Rwanda, appearing at the sites and interviewing survivors days after the massacres. Finally, burnt out from a decade of horror, Aidan retreats to his family's house in Kenya where he discovers the Zanzibar chest his father left him. Intricately hand-carved and smelling of camphor, the chest contained the diaries of his father's best friend, Peter Davey, an Englishman who died under mysterious circumstances over fifty years ago. Tucking the papers under his arm, Hartley embarked on a journey to southern Arabia in an effort not only to unlock the secrets of Davey's life, but of his own. He travels to the remote mountains and deserts of southern Arabia where his father served as a British officer. He begins to piece together the disparate elements of Davey's story, a man who fell in love with an Arabian princess and converted to Islam, but ultimately had to pay an exacting price.
The Zanzibar Chest is an enthralling narrative of men and women meddling with, embracing, and ultimately being transformed by other cultures—one of the most important examinations of colonialism ever written.
Customer Reviews:
Best book on modern Africa.......2007-09-30
I just wrapped this one up about a week ago and WOW, I can tell you already it's one of those books that lingers in your head. When I wasn't reading it I found myself thinking about it (at work, on the bus). Aidan Hartley is an african born (4th generation, of english decent) journalist, in the field during the tumultuous late 80's to mid 90's. He covered wars in Ethiopia, Somalia, Rwanda, and even in the Balkans. The Zanzibar Chest weaves the experiences of Aidan's father, his own childhood in Kenya and his experiences working as a stringer for Reuters into the history of Africa itself. Hartley's ability to capture the bittersweet love affair he has with his homeland is remarkable. He fully realizes (more so than most) the horrors perpetuated on the african people, by outside forces and by one another. Neither overly condeming nor sentimental, Hartley writes with a passion that is firmly grounded in his vast knowledge of the contintent to create a narrative that is romantic, horrifying and gut wrenchingly honest.
Another thing I enjoyed about his writing style was that he conveyed a sense of both the epic and the intimate about his own experiences. Although his knowledge of things like history, geography and politics is impressive, he also consistantly includes detailed descriptions of people, objects, foods, customs, locations, etc. These small personal details often convey a humanity and even humor despite the horrifying events throughout the book. He creates a real sense of being there that I think most non-fiction writing ignores. I hope Hartley writes more, because this book fleshed out my own thinking on Africa as no other single book has. I suggest anyone interested in expanding your world view, to read this book and prepare to do so with a lump in your throat. Intense and wonderful!
A page turner, but...........2007-01-06
...The Zanzibar Chest is at times nearly obscene in it's adrenaline filled adventure. Many of the stories are beyond belief. Mr. Hartley has lived a life none have lived and few would wish to live. But it is certainly entertaining reading.
Hartley also does an excellent job developing a unifying theme of Africa and it's mystery and relates it to his fathers life.
Other similar books I'd reccommend would be Don't let's go to the dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller and Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux. Zanzibar chest tops both in excitement but is perhaps their equal in writing quality.
Very Different.......2006-12-30
I agree this book is an "amazing" and "stunning" not to mention terrifying glimpse of the "depths of hell". I had to put the book down often because I needed breathers from the atrocities and horrors described.
While I agree with some of the reviewers who didn't like the way the stories change abruptly and that it does seem like three books in one, I think that the writing overcomes these minor annoyances.
Someone else wrote critically that you can't learn anything about the Africa today from this book. I disagree. There are many countries in Africa and most of them seem to be in turmoil much of the time. Things are constantly changing and today's book won't describe tomorrows news. However, isn't the best way to learn about something is to know its history?
There are some terrific reviews here that sum up the book much better than I could. I'm looking forward to Mr. Hartley's next book which should be very different from this one.
Truth about Africa told so well it is poetic.......2006-12-13
This is the best memoir of Africa I have read. The honesty and introspection is stunning. Adrian Hartley's prose is so beautiful it is almost poetry. The first below is inspired by this wonderful book, the second is from the book:
Africa Is Bathed In Light
Inspired by Adrian Hartley's
The Zanzibar Chest
Rising before dawn
Waiting for sunrise
The deep light reveals
Everything in incredible detail.
The morning is awash
In color and shadow until
Blinded by the orange sun's ball
I'm trapped in the crescendo of radiance
As Africa is bathed in light, and
The world becomes two-dimensional.
Somalia
from Adrian Hartley's
The Zanzibar Chest
In the all out war
Of Everybody
Against Everybody
Lies a grim paradox:
If you have nothing,
You Starve.
If you have something,
You are attacked.
Either way,
You get killed.
Could Not Stop Reading.......2006-08-23
A finely crafted account of the gritty, dangerous, sometimes glamorous experiences of a journalist in war-torn Africa. Gives the reader a new appreciation for those who risk their lives to bring us the news. Highly recommended!
Average customer rating:
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Wieland: Or The Transformation: With Memoirs Of Carwin The Biloquist: A Fragment
Charles Brockden Brown
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Brown, Charles Brockden
| ( B )
| Authors, A-Z
| Horror
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
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General
| Horror
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Classics
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
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Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
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ASIN: 0156966808 |
Book Description
Narrated by Clara, the only survivor of the cursed Wieland family, this Gothic tale builds in suspense to one tragic night when Clara's brother, in a divinely inspired seizure, commits an unspeakable act. Edited and with an Introduction by Fred Lewis Pattee.
Customer Reviews:
Wieland.......2001-03-14
I was required to read this novel for an American Ficiton class in college. Most students would rate required reading very low just because it is required reading. Wieland has a low rating because it deserves it, not only because it was required. As an English major I love to read but Wieland tests any readers ability and patience. Brown's writing style is comparable to James Fenimore Cooper's Deerslayer - extremely descriptive and at times, without a difinitive end. The many themes that are found in the novel are outdated to today's readers and will have little if any effect on the interest of the novel. The grotesque theme of familial murder mimicks the writing of Edgar Allan Poe. If you are a Poe fan, Wieland may interest you. For those that are not Poe or Cooper fans, I would suggest looking for reading elsewhere. Wieland is time consuming and not worth the trouble.
Average customer rating:
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Patrick Henry: Liberty Or Death (Graphic Biographies)
Jason Glaser
Manufacturer: Capstone Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
General
| Biographies
| People & Places
| Children's Books
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Historical
| Biographies
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Colonial & Revolutionary
| United States
| History & Historical Fiction
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General
| Ages 9-12
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ASIN: 073684970X |
Books:
- The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook
- The Cestus Deception (Star Wars: Clone Wars Novel)
- The Complete Guide to Investing in Real Estate Tax Liens & Deeds: How to Earn High Rates of Return - Safely
- The Covenant/The Betrayal/The Sacrifice/The Prodigal/The Revelation (Abram's Daughters 1-5)
- The Darwin Awards II: Unnatural Selection
- The Good Girl's Guide to Bad Girl Sex: An Indispensable Resource for Pleasure and Seduction
- The Honorable Imposter/The Captive Bride/The Indentured Heart/The Gentle Rebel/The Saintly Buccaneer (The House of Winslow 1-5)
- The King of Lies
- The Last of the Red-Hot Vampires
- The Leadership Moment: Nine True Stories of Triumph and Disaster and Their Lessons for Us All
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