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A review by mlindsey441
Crazy River: Exploration and Folly in East Africa by Richard Grant
4.0
Books like these are why I love reading around the world so much -- In just a few short days, I was able to travel down a wild and crazy river through Tanzania and then overland to Burundi and on to Rwanda. Along the way, I had a fabulous tour guide who took the time to carefully explain the historical significance of these areas, as well as give me a crash course in Burton's travel exploits in these areas.
All the fun and adventure, with none of the risk -- other than those associated with sitting so much, which according to the latest reports, are not inconsequential.
I really did enjoy this book. I am not the same kind of traveler as Grant (he spends an awful lot of time in bars and talked about prostitutes more than I cared for), and I would likely never visit the places he did, even if I did visit this part of Africa, but it was interesting to read of his experiences.
I especially enjoyed the way he wove current issues into his travel writing, especially when he wrote about Burundi and Rwanda after the genocides there. Often the writing that comes out of these places emphasizes the hope that people feel and the power of forgiveness, which is important -- but I appreciated that Grant took the time to really make his readers feel how difficult that forgiveness really is. More than any other account I have read about Rwanda, I felt the weight of the country as is heals from a brutal genocide that implicated many of its citizens.
All the fun and adventure, with none of the risk -- other than those associated with sitting so much, which according to the latest reports, are not inconsequential.
I really did enjoy this book. I am not the same kind of traveler as Grant (he spends an awful lot of time in bars and talked about prostitutes more than I cared for), and I would likely never visit the places he did, even if I did visit this part of Africa, but it was interesting to read of his experiences.
I especially enjoyed the way he wove current issues into his travel writing, especially when he wrote about Burundi and Rwanda after the genocides there. Often the writing that comes out of these places emphasizes the hope that people feel and the power of forgiveness, which is important -- but I appreciated that Grant took the time to really make his readers feel how difficult that forgiveness really is. More than any other account I have read about Rwanda, I felt the weight of the country as is heals from a brutal genocide that implicated many of its citizens.