Although she reads novels fairly regularly, she prefers nonfiction. Here are her observations about two nonfiction books and a novel.
The Last Resort: A Memoir of Zimbabwe by Douglas Rogers (nonfiction)
Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Rogers is the son of white farmers living through that country’s long and tense transition from postcolonial rule. Once he grew up, the author escaped the dull future mapped out for him by his parents and sought adventure and excitement elsewhere.
But when Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe launched his violent program to reclaim white-owned land and Rogers’ parents are caught in the crossfire, everything changes. Lyn and Ros, the author’s parents, are the owners of Drifters – a famous game farm and backpacker lodge that was one of the most popular budget resorts in the country. During the upheaval, their home and resort come under siege, their friends and neighbors run for their lives.
Instead of leaving, Lyn and Ros stay. Mugabe et. al. says all the whites should go home to England, but Lyn and Ros ARE home. After all, they were born in Zimbabwe; they ARE home. I’m not giving anything away to say that somehow they survive.
Their survival could be chalked up to their flexibility and their non-controlling personalities. They don’t try to hold on to what used to be. Instead, the former resort transforms itself, first as a refugee camp,
then as a brothel, a hangout for soldiers and spies, and in the end, illegal diamond dealers.
It is an incredible story and as it goes with these kinds of books, I painlessly learned a part of history I hadn’t previously understood in this detail. ★★★★out of four stars.
The Spiral Staircaseby Karen Armstrong. (Nonfiction)
This true story begins with the author’s spellbinding departure in 1969 from the Roman Catholic convent she had entered seven years before — hoping, but ultimately failing to find God.
She knew almost nothing about the changed world to which she was returning and she was tormented by panic attacks and inexplicable seizures. Her struggle against despair was further fueled by a string of discouragements —failed spirituality, failed doctorate and failed jobs, fruitless dealings with psychiatrists. Finally, in 1976 she was diagnosed with epilepsy, given proper treatment and released from her private hell.
She then began a writing career. She has since become a scholar and an often sought after consultant in dealings concerning Islam. Inthe end, she does not profess to any particular religion which preserves her objectivity in discussing the subject ★★★★ out of four stars.
True Grit by Charles Portis. (Fiction)
After seeing the 2011 release of the movie True Grit, I felt compelled to not only re-watch the earlier version (1969), but to read the book. The scripts in both movies are lifted right off the book’s pages.
The newer movie was more true to the book in showing how bad the weather was and how difficult life was in the 1800s. If you’ve seen either movie, you’re not going to get much more out of reading the book. ★★ out of four stars.
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