A review by ejdecoster
Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown by Paul Theroux

3.0

This book was complicated. For each part travelogue, one part was political or social commentary by the author. While I don't doubt Theroux's abilities for either (as an experienced travel writer and former Peace Corps member in Africa), the two approaches made for an uneasy combination. I'm not sure Theroux has much substantive (beyond his opinion) to add to the debate over foreign aid to Africa, and his often-smarmy attitude detracts from what arguments he does offer. The travel descriptions seem honest and he is straightforward in his storytelling, enough to make me interested in other travel narratives he has written.