Six books. One continent. Endless adventures.

Hey {NAME}, Welcome to this month's book list with a theme: Africa travel. Africa fascinates me. As one of the largest, most diverse continents on the is planet, it doesn't fit into a neat little package. A lot of people ask me why I didn't include it in my book How to Travel the World on $50 a Day. Simple. It's too big. It's too big, diverse, and complex to fit into a neat little chapter with travel tips. But my fascination with the continent has always been there and this month I'm sharing some recent - and not so recent - reads. Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown by Paul Theroux In Dark Star Safari, world famous writer Paul Theroux travels the length of Africa to gauge the state of affairs. He talks to locals, aid workers, missionaries, and tourists. This book does a great job at portraying the complexity of Africa: hopeful, beautiful, filled with promise, problems, and still trying to break the shackles of the past. It gives you a rich impression of the continent in a way only a story tell as good as Theroux can do. I highly recommend the book! A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah Africa has many problems, one of which is child soldiers. As I've mentioned before, it's important to understand a place's history - both good and bad. In A Long Way Gone, Beah tells the story of how at the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels his village and conscripted into the government of Sierre Leone's army as a child soldier. This heartbreaking account shows just how easy it is to make people do bad things. I read it when it came out and to this day it still one of the most powerful memoirs I've read. I can't recommend it enough. Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize. After apartheid ended, he became the president of South Africa and helped heal the racial divide his country faced. This book is his moving autobiography and a must read for anyone heading to South Africa. He was someone who truly made the world a better place! Long Way Down: An Epic Journey by Motorcycle from Scotland to South Africa by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman This book chronicles the Ewan and Charley's 15,000-mile bike journey, from the northernmost tip of Scotland to the southernmost tip of South Africa. I recently picked up this book after learning about it because I liked their first book (which had them going across Europe and Asia on a similar journey). Funny, honest, and engaging, this story gives you an incredible look at the diversity of people, culture, and geography in the continent. Plus, it's pretty cool they drove a bike from Scotland to South Africa. That alone is interesting! Definitely an amazing book. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness is a short novel about an ivory transporter in the Congo River in Central Africa. While a well written tale, this story is one that symbolizes the "White Man's Burden" and racism that were central to European imperialism in the 19th and 20th century. While many of the terms and feelings expressed may make you recoil, this book is nonetheless an important book on Africa and the racial attitudes that shaped so much of African history. For that alone, you should read it. It's considered a classic for its raw storytelling. Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen The true story of the author's life growing up on a farm in Kenya, I watched the movie based on this book years and years ago. It was only in the last couple of months I found out that the movie was based on a book - which of course I had to pick up (I loved the move). Dinesen chronicles her life growing up on a farm and the harsh realities of colonialism. Not always politically correct to the modern reader, this book is a fascinating look at the history of Kenya and what life was like in the transitioning time of the 1930s and 40s. I really loved it (and the movie it was turned into too!). That's it for this month! I like the idea of country themes so I'll probably do more of these in the future. If you have any suggestions, let me know. I'm always looking for new books! Until next month, happy reading! Best, Nomadic Matt [Unsubscribe]( | [Update your profile]( | 407 W University Ave, Georgetown, Texas 78626