Monday, August 17, 2009

Martin Meredith's ten books to read on Africa

Martin Meredith is a journalist, biographer, and historian who has written extensively on Africa and its recent history. His books include Mugabe and The Fate of Africa (UK title: The State of Africa).

Brian Schofield calls the latter "an epic survey of a continent gone wrong, starting from colonial independence after World War 2, to the present day. I cannot recommend it too highly - to be part of humanity in 2009, you have to try to understand Africa, and this book offers a tremendous guide to the whole tragic saga."

One book from Meredith's list of ten books to read on Africa:
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Published in 1958, Achebe's portrait of traditional village culture in Nigeria during the colonial era is venerated as one of the great African novels of all time. Achebe's purpose here is not only to inform the outside world of Ibo culture, but to remind his own people of the value of their traditions.
Read about another book on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue