Dale Peterson and Karl Ammann lay out the history of the commercial hunting of apes (and other species) that is driving chimps, gorillas, and bonobos rapidly towards extinction, and the direct link with the logging taking place within Central African forests. It's not surprising that logging companies don't give a hoot if our closest relatives are hunted to extinction, but what is shocking is Peterson's and Ammann's exposure of the inaction and lack of concern shown by major conservation groups, and the even more troubling partnerships between loggers and conservation groups that have enabled loggers to continue destroying the forests and the wildlife that live there. Anyone who cares about wildlife, great apes or otherwise, and donates to major conservation organizations must read this book before writing another check. Ammann, the photographer who has campaigned for nearly a decade to bring the bushmeat crisis to the world's attention, writes a compelling afterword, and provides disturbing photographs of murdered apes. My only complaints are that there were not more of Ammann's photographs included in the book, and that the indictments of major conservation groups were perhaps not scathing enough.

With its appealing cover-picture of two baby chimps and its appalling title, "Eating Apes" is a must read for everybody interested in conservation in general and the survival of the great apes in particular. Although I've been already aware of the bushmeat crisis through voluntary work at a zoo, this book hit me hard. The scope of denial by many - individuals and conservation groups alike - paired with risky relationships between NGOs and logging companies is driving our closest living relatives - the great apes - to extinction. Dale Peterson's book encompasses every aspect of this difficult and very complex issue and Karl Ammann's pictures and comments provide further evidence of what really is happening. Everbody who makes or is going to make decisions regarding the bushmeat trade, logging, development and conservation in central Africa has to read this book before making those important and far-reaching decisions. My next task will be to check with the various conservation groups I support, to find out what they are planning to do about this subject. Depending on their answers, I may well choose to cancel some memberships. Something I haven't actually thought about before reading this book - so I hope that many others will follow suit and choose action over complacency!

Everyone should check out this book to at least look at the pictures. They are quite moving, especially of the babies.

But people moved by these pictures should see similar pictures of chickens, cows, turkeys and pigs. These pictures are easy to find, and what happens to these apes happens to these other animals at billions of times greater frequency and for equally trivial reasons. And this is at the hands of Americans, not Africans, and mostly people who wouldn't dream of eating apes.

Forget Tara, forget Falconhurst... this was the real deal. Based on the results of a U.S. Government project in the 1930's to capture the memories of living former slaves on tape, this awesome book is the history of slavery in the United States by those most qualified to tell it -- the blacks who actually lived it. And by telling their stories, we live through it with them; we feel what it must have been like to have your family members sold away from you, to be forced into cohabitation with a fellow slave you despised for the sole purpose of breeding new slaves, to be treated like a beast of burden, and the crushing indignity of being a piece of property to be treated however your master's whim takes him. The former slaves remembered it all, and their reminiscences aren't pretty: "For miles around you could hear those dreadful whuppins. They were a turrible part of livin'." We hear their voices through the dark years of Reconstruction, which for many former slaves was escaping out of one hell and landing into the next, and we hear the stark statement of one old man who sums up the results of all his labor, paid and unpaid, over the decades: "Ain't got nothin, ain't got nothin, ain't got nothin." And finally, we can only wonder at the strength and resilience of so many who claimed their humanity after so many years of being treated as something less than human, and who managed to not only survive, but to keep on keepin' on.

You wouldn't believe my excitement upon discovering this book at the local library. These are the voices of real slaves, their histories recorded in the 1930's through a government project to collect this data. What a true American gem. All the voices are transcribed in the "native" language - Black English as spoken by ex-slaves, many of them at the time of their stories being recorded nearly a hundred years old. The accounts are fascinating, and non-biased. Some slaves speak frankly of wishing once again for slavery, and they recount the generosity and attention of the "Old Marse". Others tell horrific and moving stories of truly brutal and savage masters and wouldn't want to return to "slave times" under any circumstance. Most of the stories include first-hand accounts of their experiences through the Civil War and Reconstruction, although the primary goal was to record their experiences while slaves. Reconstruction of this country had enormous impact, and what the slaves did to build the nation during it's early years has been such a neglected historical topic. This is by far one of the most important books in my collection. As a white 31-year old middle-class woman, this is a must-read for anyone who might call themselves an American, regardless of race.

FOR SO LONG, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT SLAVERY WAS LIKE. I'VE READ ABOUT IT IN BOOKS BUT THERE REALLY WAS NO DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE ACTUAL SLAVES. THIS BOOK REALLY HELPED ME TO FEEL THE DEVASTATION AND HUMILIATION OF THE AFRICAN SLAVE. IT HAS ALSO GIVEN ME A DIFFERENT OUTLOOK ON WHO I AM AND WHERE MY PEOPLE HAVE COME FROM. LONG BEFORE THIS BOOK I HAD DOUBTS ABOUT BEING AFRICAN. I DON'T MEAN AFRICAN AMERICAN. AFRICAN! FROM THE TRAUMATIC STRUGGLE MY PEOPLE HAVE ENDURED HAS MADE ME REALIZE THAT I WOULD BE SO IGNORANT TO CHANGE WHAT THEY HAVE GIVEN ME. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE AUTHOR OF THIS BOOK FOR NOT CHANGING EVEN THE DIALECT OF THE EX-SLAVES. IT REMINDS ME HOW FAR WE HAVE COME AND HOW FAR WE HAVEN'T. THERE IS SO MUCH HEALING THAT HAS TO COME TO THE SO CALLED AFRICAN AMERICANS. READING THIS BOOK, I REALIZE THAT I HAVE FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS WHO ARE STILL IN THE SAME STATE OF MIND. -MENTALLY ENSLAVED-

AEthelflaed (or Flaed for short) lives in late 9th century England. At 15 she lives a happy life as the Kings daughter and a wannabe scholar. But when she learns that her father has, for political reasons, betrothed her to a man she's never met before she watches in shock as the little freedom she has left drifts away. Her father hires a guard named Red to protect her. In the beginning Flaed finds ways to escape from his watchful gaze but when something horrible happens Flaed realizes the seriousness of the situation she's in. Red teaches her how to defend herself, how to fight and use a shield. But when her skills are put to the test will she emerge victorious?

This is truly one of the best historical fiction novels I've ever read. Based on the real life story of one of England's most influential women, The Edge on the Sword weaves a wonderful tale of a strong young girl and her life. I recommend this books to fans of such historical novels as Anna of Byzantium and medieval novels such as the Crown and Court Duel.

This is the most wonderful book I have ever read. I couldn't stop until I had reached the end. I read it for 7 hours, and not once did I get bored. The story captivates its readers like no other book has. Rebecca Tingle is brilliant.

I first got this book at the libary and it looked
interesting so I grabbed it. Once I started to read
it I wasn't able to put it down. I recomend this to
all peoples. It's a must read. I know that the covers
supid but foget about it and you'll love this book.

I also recomend the Tamora Pierce series exept for
"Briars Book".All the others are grate. But read the Song of the Lioness series fist. I also recomend Fearless, Sweep, Lois Duncan, Blood and Chocolate,Seven Daughters and Seven Sons".

This book was totally awesome!! It provides a very readable story of the little known African Front of World War I. It is full of colorful stories, such as armies being attacked by bees, and heroic exploits such as Lettow-Vorbeck's defense of German East Africa. I recommend this book to anyone interested in African colonial or World War I history, or anyone who just likes an exciting story.

A great and interesting read about how the Allies conquered Togo, Kameroons, South West Africa, and East Africa. The Germans started World War I with four colonies in Africa, and short campaigns in three of them resulted in their division between the French and British. In German East Africa, the battle was long and hard. A German cruiser was stranded here, and the Allies had to find and destroy it. The German military commander Lettow-Vorbeck waged a guerilla campaign against the French, British, Belgian, and Portuguese for all four years of the war. The story of the African Queen also maks its appearance in German East Afria. This book is the definitive account of the First World War in Africa.

Farwell is my favorite British military historian and this book might be his best. Growing bored with the same old discussions about the war in the trenches, and never finding more than a footnote or two in most history books about the war in the colonies, I searched for anyone who gave this theater of the Great War the attention it deserves. Farwell does not write dry history but tells a tale that keeps one wanting to read just one more chapter before putting the book down. I read this book in one sitting because it tied together many of the fragmented items I associated with this period of time in Africa:"Out of Africa","Young Indiana Jones","African Queen", etc.

One of my favorite sections of the book is the story of the hunt for the Konigsberg. My father told my the story as a child: the German cruiser was bottled up on the Rufiji River with its engine in need of repairs. Thousands of native laborers hauled the engine, en masse, a hundred miles overland to a machine shop in Dar-es-Salaam and then back again.

This book reads more like a novel than a history book and is, I believe, the best place to start if one is interested in the African theater of WW1. If you still want more, try "A History of the King's African Rifles..." by Malcolm Page and "My Reminiscences of East Africa" by Lettow-Vorbeck himself.

Malidoma Some', gives a clear explination, of the African World View, as seen thru the eyes of the Dagara people. It's a book of philosophy, spirituality and culture, presented for any reader tocomprehend. This book opens the doors to a greater understanding of African culture.

I have read this book along with all of Malidoma's works. I believe Malidoma has one of the best skills at articulating the problem that Western/European reality has posed on the rest of us. I personally do not use the specific rituals that he recommends because I have rituals that my own culture prescribes; however, I think any person that is ready to take a spiritual advance need to read this book and put his suggestions to practice. I have met Malidoma and found him to have a beautiful spirit filled with wisdom and the innocence of a child. I believe that anyone can trust what this teacher has to say. I also recommend this book for all priests and healers in the world because Malidoma has touched something that need not be ignored if we are to heal ourselves and others. Thank you Malidoma.

This book clearly offers the insights and wisdom that many "Western" readers seek for the creation of community and healing rituals. Malidoma's writing is inspiring and personal. I felt not only a deeper understanding of the Dagara way of life, but also of the commitment and dedication Malidoma has in offering their wisdom for healing the ills of the modern world.

I was left with a sense of embarrassment and shame that for all the complexities, distractions and damage that we have brought down upon the indigenous cultures of the world, that this wonderfully generous and caring man would offer us healing rituals in return.

I would hope that all who read this book will take its message to heart and work to incorporate the healing rituals that are described into their lives. I sincerely believe that the survival of both the modern and natives cultures depends on it.

My co-worker's brother wrote this book so I decided to support him and read it. Since I'm preparing for a trip to Ghana also I thought this book was interesting and Mr. Gaines' adventures were hilarious.

It is remarkable to think that this is Mr. Gaines first book! He has hit a homerun the first time at bat! After completing the book I was struck with a desire to experince Ghana for myself!

12 Days in Ghana is a superb publication! Once I started reading the book, I couldn't put it down. I was amazed that this was Mr. Gaines first publication. 12 Days in Ghana made me laugh and cry - he did an excellent job on incorporating emotions and humor throughout the book. His writing style made me feel that I was with him on his journey to Ghana. This book has inspired me to continue my research on my family history. I highly recommend this book to anyone planning a voyage to their Ghana or anyone who is planning to search their own roots. I am hoping Mr. Gaines will write a sequel to the book!

"Une saison blanche et sèche" is a book written in 1979 by André Brink who had been prohibited from publishing it, in South Africa. On the face of it,it's a very full novel, built on a fascinating intrigue which leads to fundamental problems in the country of apartheid:individual liberty; the difficulty in communicating between the black and white races, and between the social classes;... It's a tragic but touching book which describes the realism in life for the apartheid in South Africa.

André Brink's novel, A Dry White Season, is a captivating, yet realistic tale about the unfair treatment of blacks in Johannesburg, South Africa. I found it to be an excellent read because of how Brink is in touch with reality. He has his readers ponder a true-to-life question, an ongoing question about racism. Ben Du Toit, the protagonist, finds the deaths of his African-American friend, Gordon Ngubene, and Gordon's son, Jonathan, to be unusual. Both deaths appeared to be caused and covered up by the government. Ben spends his entire life in hopes of uncovering the truth behind these two mysterious deaths. Were they treated unjustly because they were black? This is the question that Ben solves throughout the novel and unfortunately, his quest draws him away from his family and friends. In the end, Ben, living in complete isolation and sadness, discovers that his country is unfair. He triumphs, however, because he is no longer ignorant of his country's behavior. This novel relates to us because we are well aware of racism and injustice. It is very true that Ben's family would leave him if he did not spend time with them. Brink did not falsify the truth with a happy ending but instead allowed the reader to feel Ben's loneliness.

Andre Brink,a white South African novelist, indicts the murderous intent of the apartheid system and how one man with his whole life invested in it finally comes to realize the true nature of the system after his black worker is killed. He shows us how once the truth is exposed this man's whole life is dramatically changed and profiles his struggles in tyring to confront the state apparatus. This story is a must read for anyone seeking to understand the political and racial climate of pre-Independence South Africa and the social dynamics that conspired to maintain the status quo of the day

Dr. Johanson shows both his strengths and weaknesses in this largely enthralling look at risks and rewards of paleoanthropology. His expertise in hominid development comes well-wrapped in the role of storyteller. And his experiences in the field are a story worth telling. Johanson disappoints when he steps outside his field of expertise. For instance, his chapter on radiometric dating is riddled with inaccuracies. And "Is It A Matter Of Sex?" is intrinsically flawed in its discussion of evolutionary "strategies." Overall a great book and a good read!

Johanson has a writing style that instantly draws the reader into the book. He gives a good history of paleoanthropology before heading into the real story about his own fossil finds. Three quarters of the book is narritive on the years he was in the field interlaced with short stories about other paleoanthropologists. He writes with an unbiased, pleasent style that is lacking in most scientists. The book is written so well that most people even if they are not interested in the topic could get enjoyment from it. Its a gripping work that blends the history of paleoanthropology with modern techniques and Johanson's enlightening insight into a remarkably enjoyable scientific work.

As a reader who has a sparse knowledge of anthropology, I can say this book was a pleasurable and informative read.

Dr. Johanson divided the book into a prologue and five parts. The prologue describes the events of November 30, 1974, the day Lucy was discovered. The first part covers a brief background to the earliest fossil finds and is invaluable to any reader who is interested in who's who among some of the earliest scientists working on human origins. Part two covers his actual field expeditions to East Africa. During his first field season, Johanson became concerned about financing when his original grant of $43,000 was dwindling away. It is interesting to note, as Johanson describes about anthropology, that science is more than just field work and analysis. There is political, financial, and human relation issues that need to be mastered for the mission to succeed.

I found part three, the analysis of Lucy, to be the most compelling. Johanson includes Le Gros Clark's paper and accompanying illustrations to highlight eight differences between chimpanzee jaws and human jaws. Knowledge of these differences were of immeasurable value in the analysis of an australopithecine jaw. Part four delivers a brief account of how our ancestors began to walk upright. I found this to be interesting but highly speculative. The final section includes drawings of how australopithecus afarensis may have appeared.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a desire to know more about human ancestors and how a paleoanthropologist proceeds in uncovering our past.

An excellent book, well-written, packed with vital information, highly analytical, and professorial. But not pro-African, I'm sorry to say, in spite of all its merits.

Why highly intelligent and educated people like Godfrey Mwakikagile and others of his ilk write books so critical of Africa, is beyond me. What they say is true. Rwanda made history - it was our Nazi Germany. So did Somalia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Angola, Congo, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Sudan and many others, leaving indelible scars on our continent. We couldn't even hide that from the rest of the world, and still can't, I'm ashamed to admit. They all made history. And many continue to do so.

But why help our detractors and enemies make Africa look so bad? You can say - we already look bad! And we do. It's all on television, on the radio, and in newspapers worldwide, in all kinds of languages. But that does not mean we Africans should also harp on it, like these African writers and our enemies do.

Remember the old saying: Do not air your dirty laundry in public. Although you may not always want to keep it in the closet. But don't just toss it out there in the yard, either.

Say something good about Africa, even if it's not much. So nothing good comes out of Africa, just because we have all these wars, AIDS and other diseases, hunger, illiteracy, poverty and corruption? Come on!

If Mwakikagile had plenty of good things to say about Africa in the same book, in spite of all its negative aspects, I would have been tempted to give it the highest rating, five stars, for excellence. I'm sorry I can't.

Professor Mahmoud Mamdani, a leading African scholar who teaches at Columbia University, uses Godfrey Mwakikagile's book "The Modern African State: Quest for Transformation," as a textbook for graduate studies. Other professors use the book as an assigned or recommended text for graduate students in African and development studies and international affairs. It is also found in graduate school libraries across the United States like all the other books written by Godfrey Mwakikagile who, himself, is becoming an increasingly influential African scholar.

But that is not the only reason why his book, "The Modern African State...," got my attention. At a recent academic seminar on Africa, one of the participants cited George Ayittey's work, "Africa in Chaos," together with Godfrey Mwakikagile's "The Modern African State...," in his discussion of civil conflicts on the continent. Most of the participants knew or had heard about Ayittey. But that was the first time some of us heard about Mwakikagile, although quite a few had. His work, "The Modern African State...," equally trenchant as Ayittey's, is a great contribution to the growing literature about post-colonial Africa written by the Africans themselves.

It is interesting to see that more and more African intellectuals are taking an "internalist" approach to Africa's problems instead of always blaming external forces for her plight. Dr. Mwakikagile is one of them.

But such an approach must be balanced with an analysis of external involvement, including colonialism. Africa is still reeling from its devastating impact. However, this does not mean that all of Africa's problems should be placed entirely on the shoulders of her former colonial masters, as many Africans who take the "externalist" approach are fond of doing.

Most of the problems Africa faces today - rampant corruption, mismanagement, brutal repression, ethnic conflicts, hunger, illiteracy, endemic poverty and disease - are either caused or exarcebated by the Africans themselves; not by the former colonial masters who are now even being asked by some Africans to go back and rule them again. Things are that bad. And it is African writers like Mwakikagile who should be commended for taking up the challenge to tell the truth about their continent, however bitter.

It would be even more encouraging if their kith and kin here in the United States, African Americans, also faced this reality, instead of romanticizing Africa. Randall Robinson of TransAfrica is the exception, together with a few others; although their attitude is not the same as the attitude of black conservatives who are sometimes extremely hostile toward Africa and usually don't want to have anything to do with - "that place." Foregetting that white Republicans and others don't care about them either. They don't even want them in the Republic party. Alan Keyes knows that. Brilliant, highly articulate, he should have been the standard-bearer of his party, but still was not nominated as the Republican presidential candidate because he is black. And, yes, African!

But bad as their attitude is, one must not entirely ignore what black American conservatives - they hate to be called African Americans - say about Africa. Africa's problems can only be solved by Africans. We can help them, but the initiative must come from them.

It is also in this context that Dr. Godfrey Mwakikagile's highly acclaimed work, "The Modern African State: Quest for Transformation," must be viewed; although, unlike black American conservatives who hate Africa and by extension hate themselves, he writes out of deep concern for the well-being of his continent as much as his compatriot Professor George Ayittey does, as do many others.

With this work, "The Modern African State: Quest for Transformation," Godfrey Mwakikagile joins a list of African writers, including internationally renowned ones, who have written books highly critical of the continent's arrogant and corrupt leaders and crumbling state institutions; and who believe that solutions to African problems must come from the Africans themselves more than anybody else. They include Wole Soyinka, "The Open Sore of A Continent: A Personal Narrative of the Nigerian Crisis"; George Ayittey, "Africa Betrayed," and "Africa in Chaos"; Chinua Achebe, "The Trouble with Nigeria," and others. The author of many books about Africa, he's one of the most articulate spokesmen of the African Renaissance South African President Thabo Mbeki talks about.

This is not an entirely original work. The author relies heavily on secondary sources to advance his arguments and defend his thesis, as many writers do, of course. But this does not mean that his work is any less compelling. It is not a dissertation (he probably wrote one already for a PhD), requiring primary sources, and the author wanted to address a larger audience, not just members of the academic community.

Therefore, to get his message across to a much wider audience, which he obviously intended when one considers the multitude of problems Africa faces, he had to write it in a way that would make it accessible to members of the general public, without academic jargon and expounding abstract concepts; for example, about the nature and origin of the state, or discussing Hobbes' "Leviathan," which would be relevant in this context, given the nature of the modern African state as an
oppressive institution.

Therein lies the strength of this work: its simple, direct message; virulent but justified attack on the corrupt regimes across the continent and the modern African state as an institutional anomaly irrelevant to African realities; and its prescriptions for Africa's debilitating condition. There are brilliant insights in here, illuminating the African political landscape; for example, how to end ethnic conflicts on the continent which may require new solutions not yet tried in Africa, but coming from the Africans themselves.

Fellow Africans had better listen. And that includes African leaders themselves, and their advisers. They should read this book.

In 1909, just after the end of his term as President, Theodore Roosevelt traveled to Africa for a year long safari.The trip was a major undertaking ; hundreds of porters were needed to carry his baggage. Roosevelt's son, Kermit came along, taking photographs which are reproduced in the book. Roosevelt and company bag hundred of animals. It appears that all hunting rules were suspended for the ex-president. Roosevelt and son are soon blasting away at anything and everything that comes into view. British East Africa is described in terms that make today's politically correct readers wince. Attitudes have changed dramatically in less than one hundred years. It is odd to hear Roosevelt describe parts of Africa as a "white man's country," suitable for large scale settlement by Europeans. The book bogs down and I was unable to read it without skimming through some parts. The descriptions of marching through wilderness and chasing after game on foot and on horseback seem to go on forever. There is a lot of great infomation here even if it is necessary to become your own editor by skipping though tedious parts.

This book gives you the genuine flavor of safari 80 years ago.

Not being very good with a gun, having little outdoorsman skills, and not being in the best shape of my life, reading this book was better than being there. If I was there, I would miss the animals, I would be too tired to enjoy it, and besides all of that, Africa is not as it was 100 years ago.
I have just begun to reread this book, and I don't know how many times this is. I enjoy it each and every time I pick it up.