I love to read literature set in Africa, so it’s  my hope that you will find some great new reads.  Of course, this list isn’t exhaustive by any means.  The books listed here are a result of my call for entries as well as some filling in of a few books that I hated to see not included.  Each book has a link over to the Book Blogs Google Custom Search Engine so you can get even more opinions.

Also, I know that there are some other great books out there (even I didn’t list all the African books I’ve reviewed), so I have included a Mr. Linky at the end of this post.  If you have a book review that is African in nature that was not included, I’d love for you to link it up so we have even more books listed!

A meme!  If you have a blog, I have included a meme at the end of this post so you can discuss African books on your own blog and link over to the carnival.  Feel free to participate, regardless of whether or not you have a book review listed here.  I would love to know your thoughts!

If you don’t have a blog, I’d love to hear in the comments which books you’ve read and which ones caught your eye.

Botswana

• The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith reviewed by Heather at The Maiden’s Court.  The first of 10 books that focus on the life of Precious Ramotswe and her fledgling detective agency.  “One of the most interesting things about this book is that you learn so much about African culture and the beauty of the nature. Africa doesn’t usually end up in best selling fiction very often.”
  • Also reviewed by Maw Books, more book blogger reviews.

• Whatever You Do, Don’t Run: The Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide by Peter Allison reviewed by Alyce at At Home with Books.  The memoir of a well-known safari guide Alyce says, “If you have ever wondered what it would be like to go on safari in Africa, then I would recommend this memoir. It was so much fun to read that I still find myself chuckling at some of the stories a couple of weeks after reading it.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

Burundi

• The Violets of Usambara by Mary Soderstrom reviewed by Melanie by The Indextrious Reader.  “This novel is a short one, and is the tale of a couple whose lives are at the cusp of change. Thomas Brossard is a former government minister who is out of work due to a change in government. His wife Louise, always the driving force in his life, has suggested he go to Africa with a Catholic charity . . . . This a very adult book in its quiet and understated narrative style.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

Congo

• Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad reviewed by J.T at Bibliofreak.  At a short 72 pages, J.T says, “This is possibly the most symbolic book I’ve ever read, and still one of my favorites.  It’s a novella, but don’t let the short length fool you–its not a light read.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver reviewed by Tracie at YuleTime Reading.  “About a Baptist minister who brings his family to Africa to act as missionaries in the 1950’s . . . [it] is a haunting tale that follows the lives of five women until the end of their days. The multiple layers of this novel make it an intensely interesting read. From the clash of two cultures, to the politics of the Congo, to the bond every mother knows with her child, this is definitely a must read that will stay with you long after you close the last page.”  
  • The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver was also reviewed by Caitlin at Chaotic Compendiums who had a critical eye.  “Despite these criticisms, this is a book worth reading, if only for the very last chapter which is in the voice of my favorite character, Ruth May. That along with many moments of beautiful physical description scattered throughout the book make it a worthwhile read, if one that is sometimes incredibly frustrating.”
  • Also reviewed by J.T at Bibliofreak, more book blogger reviews.

• King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild reviewed by Rhapsody in Books.  “Hochschild is to be commended for trying to bring this true horror story back to life. There is still a need to learn from the dangers of power and greed. As he concludes, “At the time of the Congo controversy a hundred years ago, the idea of full human rights, political, social, and economic, was a profound threat to the established order of most countries on earth. It still is today”
  • More book blogger reviews.

Egypt

• The Beggar by Naguib Mahfouz reviewed by Rose City Reader.  “This novella takes on the biggest “political” issue of all – the meaning of life. Omar’s tale is a metaphor for the “midlife crisis” of modern Egypt, 17 years after its 1952 revolution, as both Omar and the country search for meaning after achieving worldly success.”
  • More book blogger reviews.
    
• The View from Garden City by Carolyn Baugh reviewed by Swapna at S. Krishna’s Books.  “At its core,[it's] a novel about women, beautifully written and enhanced by the amazingly detailed descriptions of life in modern Cairo. Baugh doesn’t preach or have any sort of nefarious intentions but leaves the reader to make up his or her own mind about the message of the novel and of each of the stories”
  • More book blogger reviews.

Ethiopia

• Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese reviewed by Chris at Book-a-Rama.  About the lives of mirror twins born of the illicit affair between a surgeon and a nun, “The setting of Ethiopia is exotic, interesting and beautiful. Every character is well created, you can’t help but love them (except for one or two). The story is both entertaining and engaging. I enjoyed so much of the book, but… it was a massive book  [. . .] but there was something about it that just didn’t float my boat the way it did for other reviewers who thought it was awesome.”
  • Also reviewed by SuziQoregon at Whimpulsive who said that it read more like a memoir than fiction and she got emotionally involved in the book.
  • Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese was also reviewed by Hannah at Word Lily.  “I was, at turns, sort of dreading, expecting that the best of the book had passed and the rest would be downhill; and irresistibly, hopefully, pulled along. The characters are remarkably resilient through hardship and pain. I’ve read books with a stronger sense of place, but this setting did indeed draw me in. This book has a little of everything.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Of Beetles & Angels, A Boy’s Remarkable Journey From a Refugee Camp to Harvard by Mawi Asgedom reviewed by Natasha at Maw Books. “There are some great discussion questions in the back, and even Ethiopian recipes.  This book gives a great insight into the struggles of new immigrants adjusting to a new culture and mourning for loss of home.  Asgedom’s story is inspiring”

Ghana

• Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey reviewed by Dawn at She is Too Fond of Books.  A murder mystery set against the modern and traditional ways of African culture, Dawn said,  “When I read a mystery I don’t try to solve the case, I allow the author to do the work by unraveling the tangle of clues for me.  Quartey left some breadcrumbs that, in retropect, might have led me in the right direction if I had put any energy into it; but I prefer the leisurely pace of solving it on Dawson’s timetable, piecing the clues together through his eyes.  It was a very satisfying mystery.”
  • Also reviewed by Maw Books, more book blogger reviews.

Kenya

• 14 Cows for America reviewed by Alison at  A Novel Idea.  Alison says, “The artwork in the book is breathtaking and the story almost lyrical. It is a picture book with great depth. This is a story that will remain on my shelf for life. This is a story of compassion that I will take off the shelf and remind my children of regularly.”
  • Also reviewed by Maw Books, more book blogger reviews.

• Burn My Heart by Beverley Naidoo reviewed by Terry at The Reading Tub A historical fiction novel set in the 1950’s in Kenya, Terry says that Burn by Heart is exceptional and a wonderfully crafted story and “it’s a book meant for readers pre-teen through adult. It is destined to open some wonderfully thoughtful, candid discussions that are as relevant today as they would have been in 1951.”    Terry has additional information about the book on the Reading Tub website as well.
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Also check out this list of Kenyan book recommendations compiled from Rebecca at Lost in Books.

Liberia

• When God Says Go by Lorry Lutz reviewed by Debbie at Genre Reviewer.  “This book is a biography of an amazing black American woman who worked as a missionary in the jungles of Liberia from 1913 to 1972. The story briefly covers her parent’s lives as slaves, her childhood, and her education. It also briefly describes the founding of Liberia and the history of Christianity there.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

Malawi

• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamka and Bryan Mealer reviewed by Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea.  A memoir which is one of those rare stories you won’t want to miss, Diane says, “One of the most inspiring books that I have read in a long time, I’m pretty sure this book will touch most readers deeply, like it did to me. I know this story will stay with me for a long time to come.
  • More book blogger reviews.

• The Heaven Shop by Deborah Ellis reviewed by Natasha at Maw Books.  “Binti’s journey is one that you’ll want to take.  I loved watching her transformation from a proud, selfish child, being humbled as a orphan, and rising above her circumstances to help those around her.  I highly recommend The Heaven Shop for great insight on such a troubling subject [AIDS].

Mali

• Monique and the Mango Rains:  Two Years with a Midwife in Mali by Kris Halloway reviewed by Lisa at Books on the Brain.  A wonderful memoir, “themes in the book include family relationships, poverty, religious differences, the place of women in African society, hunger, malnutrition, power struggles, parenting, birth control, marriage, childbirth, volunteerism, and community. Holloway is respectful of the people and their culture and never has that too-frequent American way of being condescending.”
  • Also reviewed by Maw Books, more book blogger reviews.

Mozambique

• Secrets in the Fire by Henning Mankell reviewed by Andromeda at A Wrung Sponge.  “I cried all the way through. It’s a heartbreaking story based on the life of a real girl living in Mozambique. While running to the fields to work with her mother and sister she stepped off the path once and landed on a land mine. Her sister was killed and she almost died. She lost both of her legs”
  • More book blogger reviews.

Nigeria

• Amadi’s Snowman by Katia Novet Saint-Lot reviewed by Maw Books.  A picture book about literacy and new cultures, it “is an excellent addition to the multi-cultural library, or any library, for that fact.”

• Half of a Yellow-Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reviewed by Susan at Pages Turned.  Susan says, “Adichie depicts the early days of Nigeria’s independence, the massacre of thousands of Igbo living in the Muslim north in 1966, and the Biafran War that followed as the Igbo attempt to form their own country. From personal loyalties and estrangements to air raids and famine in the refuge camps, Adichie hones in on the telling details that will keep me mulling over this book for a long time to come.”  I found that I had left a comment on this review when she first posted it saying that I wanted to read it.  And I did!
  • Also reviewed by Maw Books, more book blogger reviews.

• Little Bee by Chris Cleave reviewed by Heather at Age 30+ . . . A Lifetime of Books.  Heather says that it’s better to not know anything about this book.  So I’m going to trust here and not say anything here either.  But wow, that cover!  It just screams read me!
  • Also reviewed by SuziQoregon at Whimpulsive who said, “Wow – this book impressed me a lot. The writing is the kind where I could have easily marked a sentence or paragraph on nearly every page. I really think that at some point I want to go back and re-read this one slowly just to be able to appreciate the many gems.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reviewed by Heather at Book Addiction who says “What I loved about Purple Hibiscus is that Kambili is just like any other teen stuck in a family situation that isn’t the greatest.  She has to deal with her oppressive, abusive father, and with her passive mother, and with navigating her way through life while trying to follow the rules her father (and her church) has set for her.”
  • Also reviewed by Mee at Books of Mee who said that the book reminded her of the book The Color Purple.
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe reviewed by Trixie at Reading and Writing About It.  “I thought it was fascinating to see the clash between traditional African society and the influence of British rule” in this book about Okonkwo and British colinization.
  • More book blogger reviews.

Rwanda

• As We Forgive: Stories of Reconciliation from Rwanda by Catherine Claire Larson reviewed by Debbie at Genre Reviews.  A new release, “This book tells seven personal stories of experiences during the genocide, its aftermath, and how they came to forgiveness. These accounts are intense, vivid, and powerful. The people in these stories came from different areas and had different experiences, giving the reader a good idea of what happened during the genocide and afterward. The book is worth reading for these stories alone.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin reviewed by Amanda at The Zen Leaf who compared it slightly in it’s subject matter to Deogratias (below).  She said, “I had to abandon Deogratias because it was too gruesome. Too graphically violent. I was scared I’d get the same thing here, but Baking Cakes was nothing like that. It was tactful in every sense of the word. It didn’t gloss over the things that happened in Rwanda, but it did approach the subject in a polite and non-gruesome way. I really appreciated that.”
  • Tam at Bailey’s and Books said, “interesting, at least to me, side note: In Gaile Parkin’s bio on the back of my ARC copy it notes, “Many of the stories told by characters in Baking Cakes in Kigali are based on or inspired by stories she was told during her work in Rwanda.” Not knowing much about Rwanda, to me, these stories in the book were both inspiring and important to know.”
  • Rebecca at Rebecca Reads also says that although it’s not a light read, “It shares a message of both tragedy (the story of the survivors [Rwandan genocide] and hope, for its ending message is that we can move on: there is a purpose to life, even after a horrendous tragedy.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda by J.P Stassen reviewed by Nymeth at Things Mean a Lot.  I LOVE the fact that we have a graphic novel included in this carnival.  She says, “I should start by warning you that I cried for something like half an hour after I finished this book, and that I’ve been thinking about it often ever since.”  If that’s not enough to make you click over to read the review she also says, “I’m the last person you’d catch telling others that they have some sort of moral obligation to read a book that will upset them. And yes, Deogratias is upsetting and relentlessly dark and depressing. It shows humans at their very worst, and no, there are no acts of kindness to counterbalance that. So, you know. I’m sure you all know your limits as readers enough to be able to tell whether or not this would be too much for you.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Emmanuel Kolini: The Unlikely Archbishop of Rwanda reviewed by Heather at Age 30+ A Lifetime of Books.  Kolini takes up his post as Archbishop in the wake of the 1994 genocide. “This book is a brief biography of Kolini’s life, an overview of the ethnic conflicts in Rwandan history, and the story of how these two came together.”  Heather has some good and not so good things to say about the book.
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Left to Tell:  Discovering God Admist the Genocide in Rwanda by Immaculee Ilibagiza reviewed by The Book Nook Club.  “What I felt most profoundly while reading this was that you choose how you feel about what life hands you, whatever your religious beliefs may be.  This woman chose to be thankful for what she had, not bitter over what she had lost. She chose to forgive in the face of hatred. Her attitude of tolerance and love is inspiring.  I would highly recommend it.”
  • Also reviewed by Maw Books, more book blogger reviews.

• Also check out this list of book recommendations about the Rwandan Genocide.

Sierra Leone

• A Long Way Gone:  Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah reviewed by J.T at Bibliofreak.  “There has been some controversy over whether or not all of Beah’s claims really happened.  A newspaper said last year that none of it could have happened to one person and that there was a discrepancy about his dates.  Beah stands by his story, and you know what?  So do I.  Just because it seems unimaginable doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.”
  • Rebecca at Lost in Books listened to this one on audio and said, “It was so heartbreaking at times I had to pause the CD and catch my breath. The descriptions of the people being murdered and even of Ishmael climbing the coconut tree when he was starving were so vivid I felt like I was actually there. The pictures in my mind were so crisp and clear.”
  • Also reviewed by Mee at Books of Mee who said, “The story is told fluidly. I never felt it slow down. It’s a good read from beginning til the end.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara reviewed by Kathleen at SMS Book Reviews.  A firsthand experience of the civil war in Sierra Leone is chilling: at the age of 12, Mariatu was attacked by young rebel soldiers, who cut off both of her hands. Mariatu’s account of her journey from war victim to UNICEF Special Representative inspires awe and hope.  “The book doesn’t only address the war that went on in Sierra Leone and the casulaties of that war. It also addresses what little has happened to help those still in the country.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

Also check out this list of Sierra Leone book recommendations compiled from Rebecca at Lost in Books.

South Africa

• 92 Queens Road by Dianne Case reviewed by Chele at Hungry Readers.  A Middle Grade fiction book set in the ’60’s during apartheid , this book  “shows the experiences of young Kathy and her family under the system of laws. Throughout the text, six-year-old Kathy searches for her place in her young country and comes to grips with her lack of a father and status as a “coloured” person.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Beethoven Was One-Sixteenth Black by Nadine Gordimer reviewed by Rose City Reader.  A collection of short stories which is a “worthwhile collection of stories and a good introduction to Gordimer’s sophisticated writing. ”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee reviewed by Mee at Books of Mee.  The racial tension in South Africa is the topic of this book and Mee says, “As most racism, it usually occurs in more ‘uneducated’ places by ‘uneducated’ people. Not in the city where everybody is supposed to be smart and sophisticated, no. It happens in the corners of the town, in back suburbs, behind bushes and shadows. I should know. I experienced extreme racism for many years of my teenage life — the problem that is unconsciously stuck with you to the bone, the matter of ‘my people’ against ‘your people’ — all too familiar elements that made me queasy.
  
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Fish Notes and Star Songs by Diane Hofmeyr reviewed by Chele at Hungry Readers.  Fish Notes and Star Songs is a Young Adult novel that Chele says would make a great pairing with Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak.  “With some references to some African history and wildlife, [the book] explores themes of loss, empowerment, spirituality and of language and names, their significance and power.  While some people would argue that this story is a fantasy, others will see it as realistic with dimensions of spirituality.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• The Life and Times of Michael K. by J.M. Coetzee reviewed by Rose City Reader.  A Booker Winner from a Nobel laureatem, Rose City Reader said, “Despite the credentials, I did not like this book and I do not see the point of it.”  I personally didn’t like the one Coetzee book I’ve read so I was glad to see I’m not the only one have Coetzee trouble.
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales by Nelson Mandela reviewed by Marta at Marta’s Meanderings.  “The audiobook brings his vision full circle, as these timeless tales return to the oral tradition to be heard around the world.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Out of Bounds:  Seven Stories of Conflict and Hope by Beverley Naidoo reviewed by Chele at Hungry Readers.  Consisting of seven short stories this book for middle grade readers “explore different events and conditions of Apartheid through South African children’s perspectives.  With varying degrees of hope, the protagonists face difficult choices and risk when deciding on what they believe about Apartheid depending on their various class and racial backgrounds.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Reading, Writing and Leaving Home: Life on the Page by Lynn Freed reviewed by Susan at Pages Turned.  Lynn Freed is a fiction author who grew up in South Africa before moving to the states and sets her fiction in South Africa.  Reading, Writing and Leaving Home is her story.
  • More book blogger reviews.

• The Scent of Oranges by Joan Zawatzky reviewed by Brooke at The Bluestocking Guide.  “I really enjoyed this book.  It was so sad, yet so poignant.  So many lives were ruined all because people judged others by the color of their skin and not by the type of person that they were.  The sad thing is that even though Apartheid ended problems remain.  There hasn’t been a happily ever after.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

Sudan

• The Devil Came on Horseback: Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle reviewed by Ramya at Ramya’s Bookshelf.  “It is hard to imagine that this book is actually a memoir- that events described here are not figments of imagination from a psychotically deranged brain. They are actual events appening in a different part of the world. People are starving, getting killed mercilessly, getting raped, being turned out of their homes right as I type this review. It is really hard to imagine that everything said in the book is true.”
  • Also reviewed by Maw Books, more book blogger reviews.

• Not On Our Watch, The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and John Prendergast reviewed by Becky at Becky’s Book Reviews.  “This book does three things essentially a) relates the authors first hand accounts of trying to help, a behind-the-scenes look at activism b) provides basic information about the political, social, cultural situations in Darfur and surrounding regions placing everything into context and c) gives tips on how ordinary people–Americans for the most part–can do their part to help.”
  Also reviewed by Maw Books, more book blogger reviews.

• Slave: My True Story by Mende Nazar reviewed by Heather at Book Addiction.  An amazing memoir,  Heather says, “I truly don’t have much else to say other than – Slave is absolutely a must-read.  I can’t emphasize that enough.  What a powerful, inspiring story.  I’m so glad I picked this book up and I truly believe you should too.”
  • Also reviewed by Maw Books, more book blogger reviews.

• Tears of the Desert by Halima Bashir reviewed by Tracie at YuleTime Reading.  Tracie summarizes this amazing book (believe me, I know, I raved about it myself after I read it) as “follows Halima Bashir through her childhood in a remote African village, to her education at University, through her practicing of medicine and eventually to her escape from Darfur.  During her life, war and genocide loom over her as she tries desperately to avoid the conflict even though she see’s the affect of the war on her people in her work.  Eventually the war finds her and she must pay a horrible price for the help she has given her people.”
  • Also reviewed by Maw Books, more book blogger reviews.

• The Translator:  A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari reviewed by Debbie at Genre Reviewer.  “Daoud Hari tells his story in a very simple but a profoundly moving way. This is not a “fun” book, but it is an eye-opener to the reasons behind the conflict and is a first-hand look at what is really occurring in this area.”
  • Also reviewed by Maw Books, more book blogger reviews.

• What is the What by Dave Eggers excerpt shared  by Susan at Pages Turned.  A very poignant passage from an amazing book (which I also reviewed).  It’s one that I personally can’t recommend enough and even had both of my parents read so I was thrilled to see Susan share it with us as well.
  • Also reviewed by Maw Books, more book blogger reviews.

• Also check out this list of book recommendations about the Darfur genocide.

Uganda

• First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria by Eve Waite- Brown reviewed by Jen at Devourer of Books.  The memoir of a Peace Corps worker in Uganda, Jen says, “I seriously very highly recommend this book, whether you’re an idealist who wants to go out and make the world better, someone who wishes they had the cajones to follow love and their ideals to third world countries, or someone who likes an entertaining story; in other words, basically everyone!”
  • Also reviewed by Maw Books, more book blogger reviews.

• The Ghosts of Eden by Andrew Sharp reviewed by Jackie at Farm Lane Books Blog.  About two very different boys growing up in Uganda, Jackie says, “I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to read about African culture, without battling with symbolism or the endless horrors of war. It is a beautifully written story, and I think it has just become my favourite book with an African setting.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

Zambia

• Sikulu & Harabe by the Zambezi River: An African Version of the Good Samaritan Story written by Kunle Oguneye and Illustrated by Bruce McCorkindale reviewed by Terry at The Reading Tub.   Her reviews says, “I highly recommend Sikulu & Harambe by the Zambezi River.  It is storytelling at its best, with the lessons build into the story but still completely evident. The crayon-styled illustrations might lead you to think this is a book for only the youngest audiences. Preschoolers and Kindergartners will love this book, but so will kids up to third grade. The story itself and the lessons it offers will engage newly independent readers and offer a wonderful complement to the study of folklore and culture.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

Zimbabwe

• The Boy Next Door by Irene Sabatini reviewed by Debbie at Genre Reviewer.  “An engrossing novel that starts out as a mystery of sorts (did Ian really do it?) in which curiosity about her neighbor leads to friendship and then love. But it’s not an easy love.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin reviewed by Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness.  “Godwin parallels this deeply personal memoir with the reporting he did about the destruction of the Republic of Zimbabwe under President Robert Mugabe.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

General/Multiple Countries

• Another Man’s War:  The True Story of One Man’s Battle to Save Children in the Sudan by Sam Childers reviewed by Debbie at Genre Reviewer.  A memoir that tells the story of Sam Childers and of the children of southern Sudan and northern Uganda, Debbie says, “I’d recommend this book, especially to those who like incredible-but-true missionary stories, to soldiers who are Christians, and to those interested in what’s being done to help the children in southern Sudan and northern Uganda”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Chanda’s Secrets by Allan Stratton reviewed by Chele at The Hungry Readers.  A Young Adult novel set in an imaginary African country, “Chanda manages preparing the funeral for her youngest sister, helping a best friend about whom rumors circulate, supporting a weakening mother, and watching many deal with a disease that affects many but remains stigmatized and unnamed.  Chanda juggles her secrets with a mix of fear, love and denial.  At the source of them all is AIDS, the unnamed killer.”
  • Also reviewed by Kathleen at SMS Book Reviews who says it was heartbreaking and “This is one of those books that is so good you don’t know what to say.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Copper Sun by Sharon Draper reviewed by Melissa at One Librarian’s Book Reviews.  The story of a girl taken from her home village in Africa by Slave Traders to America, Melissa says, “This book was haunting and awful and beautiful all wrapped up in one. Amari’s survival through the brutalities and hardships she faces as a slave is just amazing. Throughout the book, I wondered how people could survive these horrors. The answer testifies to the tenacity of the human spirit – hope.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• The Marsh Lions:  The Story of an African Pride by Brian Jackman and Jonathan Scott reviewed by Jeane at Dog Ear Diary. This book “is more than just a book about lions. It’s about the whole panorama of African wildlife living around the Musiara Marsh, on the borders of Kenya and Tanzania. It’s the product of five years that Jonathan Scott spent photographing animals in the Masai Mara, keeping detailed notes about their behavior and interactions. He later collaborated with Jackman to have the book written and published.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Middle Passage by Charles Johnson reviewed by J.T at Bibliofreak.  “This is a magical realism metaphor-laced book.  It’s gonna run away with you.  You might not love it.  I can’t say that I loved it.  But I did really like it.
  • More book blogger reviews.

• No Room in the Ark by Alan Moorehead reviewed by Jeane at Dog Ear Diary.  “This book describes the author’s various safaris to view wildlife in Africa during the 1950’s. I really enjoyed reading his vivid descriptions of the weather, landscape and animals- especially incidents where he came into closer contact with the wildlife. One night a hyena snuck into his tent and ate his leather boots right from under his cot!”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Papa , Do You Love Me? by  Barbara M. Joose reviewed by Brian at Book Dads.  A picture book for the younger crowd, “The warm earth tones of the illustrations perfectly complement the text and evoke images of the Serengeti, a Glossary at the end of the book explains about the Masaai culture.  Papa, Do You Love Me shows children that all fathers unconditionally love their children, no matter where (or how) they live.”
  • More book blogger reviews.

• Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan reviewed by Kathy at Bermudaonion.  Oprah’s newest book selection isn’t a fast read with it’s diaolouge written in often times difficult to dicipher dialect.  But Kathy says, “This book isn’t a fast read, but I think it’s an important one.  The title of the book comes from the fact that children in Africa sometimes have to deny their identity and say they’re one of “them” (another tribe or religion) in order to survive.  You will be a different person after you’ve read this book.” 
  • Teddy from So Many Precious Books, So Little Time reviews one of the short stories titled An Ex-Mas Feast.
  • More book blogger reviews.

• West with the Night by Beryl Markham reviewed by Jeane at Dog Ear Diary.  “I can’t say which I preferred, reading about the horses and African wildlife, or reading about her flights in a small plane- both were engrossing and captivating. And have you ever had the thrill of coming across a character in a book, who was friends with one you knew in a different book entirely?”
  • More book blogger reviews.

What Now?

If you have a blog, I’d love to have you answer the following questions in your own post or come up with your own thing.  Participation is open to all.  If you don’t have a blog feel free to answer them in the comments:

1. Do you read a lot of books that have an African focus?  If so, why do you enjoy them?
2. Have you reviewed any books with an African theme?  If so, feel free to highlight them.
3. What are you looking forward to reading next?  Anything on your radar?
4. If you haven’t read a lot of books with an African focus, what are some books that you’d like to read?
5. Are there any book titles showcased in this carnival that sounds interesting to you or that you’ve read?

Link your meme post in the Mr. Linky so we can visit:

Have More Book Reviews?

If you have a blog and have book reviews (no matter how old) with an African focus we’d love to know about them too!  Link your book reviews to the Mr. Linky in the following format:  Book Title (country).

(P.S.  Would you like to submit a book review to the next Bookworms Carnival?  Check out the details.)

What I found fascinating about The Secret Keeper is that the author Paul Harris is also a journalist who covered the war in Sierra Leone.  I wanted to know how much of his personal experience played into the writing of this book and was thrilled to be able to ask Paul some of those questions.  Please welcome Paul to the Maw Books Blog . . .

Maw Books:  How and why did you become a journalist? Can you briefly share a few highlights from your career?

Paul Harris: I always wanted to be a journalist and I think I have been lucky to have had that ambition from a young age. When I was about 9 years old I started a newspaper at my school (it lasted one edition!). So it was simply a matter of doing student journalism, getting a journalism qualification and then battling to get a job. The reasons why I  wanted to be a journalist are a mix. Every journalist (I would hope) wants to change the world a little bit for the better. But every honest journalist should admit that it’s a chance to have an awful lot of fun, see some exotic places and get to see your name in print. My main highlight would be covering the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. It was a panel set up by archbishop Desmond Tutu to examine apartheid era crimes by all sides. It was a privilege to watch a nation try to heal itself like that, with all the moral compromises and complexities that that involved.

Maw Books:  Starting a newspaper at nine?  It’s no surprise you became a journalist!  You spent a month in Sierra Leone covering the civil war.  It is obviously this experience that drove you to write The Secret Keeper.  But you’ve also covered many other conflicts across Africa and elsewhere. Why did you choose this story over any of the other stories that you could have told?

Paul Harris: I think Sierra Leone held the most fascination because for me it was the most extreme experience.  More so than two months embedded with the military during the invasion of Iraq or other conflicts which I just dipped in and out of.  In Sierra Leone I was operating alone, in a strange country amid utter chaos.  It was a heady mixture of excitement and fear.  It was also the conflict that put a full stop on my African experience. I decided to leave shortly after.

Maw Books:  I can only imagine the things you must have seen and heard.  Why write a novel in the first place?  Is it something that you have always wanted to do or have been interested in?  What led you to turn from journalism writing to novel writing?

Paul Harris: I always wrote fiction, especially when I was a child. I fell in love with Tolkien and spent many hours writing my own stories set in fantasy worlds (writing a fantasy book is still a secret ambition of mine). Then, after I had left Africa, I decided to take my desire to write a novel seriously and followed the dictum: write what you know. So I began the process of taking some of my own experiences as a setting and starting to work what sort of themes I wanted to explore.

Maw Books:  Was it easy or difficult to switch to a different style of writing for The Secret Keeper from your journalism writing?

Paul Harris: It was very liberating actually. Fiction is an opportunity to play around and say exactly what you want. Journalism has rules to stop that sort of thing.

Maw Books:  I imagine being an war correspondent stationed abroad can be very frustrating when faced with the ignorance of others who either have little to no interest in the stories that you are risking your life to bring to them.  Do you think you can reach a new demographic with a novel (as opposed to journalism writing), to those who may not be aware of some of the current conflicts around the world?

Paul Harris: Definitely. The best fiction can bring the most obscure parts of the world to people’s attention and reach people that don’t consume too much news or have become disillusioned with it. I imagine that Khaled Hosseini has done more to bring Afghanistan alive for people than a thousand news stories.  Perhaps, hopefully, what happens is someone will read the fiction and then be inspired to find out more about the reality.

Maw Books:  I must admit that Hosseini spurred my desire to read more books that take place in Afghanistan, which I’m lucky to say I have.  What do you hope the reader learns, if anything, after reading The Secret Keeper?

Paul Harris: I think, at heart, it’s a story about moral complexity. That very few things are black and white. Good people do bad things, bad people do good  things. Everything is a shade of grey.

Maw Books:  What was the personal emotional impact on you from your experience in Sierra Leone?  How does covering war stories change you?  And how do you suppress this emotion in your journalism writing?

Paul Harris: It was pretty intense. I thought I was fine but after I left (and was incredibly relieved to get out) I noticed that I was behaving in certain strange ways: edgy, short-tempered, constantly nervous. I remember walking through a Nairobi street when a car exhaust backfired several times and it set my heart racing so much I thought I was about to have a panic attack.  But I think for most journalists the impact of covering conflicts will be as varied as the person. Some very fine friends make their whole careers out of it. Some of them thrive, others become very damaged. For me, it gave me a great sense of perspective and the preciousness of life and a feeling that war truly is the greatest folly of mankind. As for suppressing the emotion in writing, I think the simple rules of writing journalism will keep a lot of it out. But also a little bit of emotion – and breaking those rules – is generally a good thing. There is no such things as true objectivity, especially about tragedy, and nor should there be.

Maw Books:  Was the experience of writing The Secret Keeper cathartic in any way?  A way for you to release some of the emotions that you felt while in Sierra Leone or any other war torn country?

Paul Harris: I think it was. It felt good to get it out on the page, probably more than I realized I needed.

Maw Books:  After witnessing so much real-life drama how do you recreate that drama in The Secret Keeper?  How are real life emotions different than emotions as written on a page?

Paul Harris: What a fascinating question. I think (I hope) that I tried to recreate that drama as accurately as possible and give my characters emotions that would ring true. I think authors should aim to recreate authenticity. Because readers are not fools and will spot a fake. So I guess it is up to the readers to say if I have succeeded or not.

Maw Books:  How have the real life people you met in Sierra Leone influenced the characters/personalities in your book?

Paul Harris: A lot, but not all. The romance between Danny and Maria was inspired by an affair that a colleague and a local aid worker were having.  Kam, Danny’s driver and fixer, was based entirely on my driver in real life. Ali was inspired by a guy I met on a helicopter trip.  I did not even speak to him, but he just looked so… shady and yet totally at home in his environment. I just extrapolated him from there. The scenes in the hotel bar were all taken from real life. That place was a real “Star Wars” bar that everyone went to every night. Covering a conflict like that at leaves gives one a vast amount of exotic source material.

Maw Books:  I thought Kam was quite the character!  How much (if any) of you is there in Danny?  Is there anything specifically that happened to him that is based upon your real life experiences?

Paul Harris: I think inevitably there is a lot there. A friend pointed out that there is very little physical description of Danny in the book and I guess that is because in my mind’s eye he was basically me. There are several specific incidents inspired by real life events: the shooting outside the RUF leader’s house, the trip to Bo and the fire fight up country towards the end of the book. Mining those events for fictional purposes did feel a little surreal at times.

Maw Books: Knowing what your author photo looked like I have to admit that I kept picturing Danny as you.  And what fascinating experiences!  Was there a particular scene that you knew you had to write about?  That never changed from the moment you conceived it?

Paul Harris: Weirdly, the last sentence was pretty much the first sentence that came to my mind. Writing the book felt like a journey to get to that point and though it took lots of turns and twists, I felt I never really lost sight of it.

Maw Books:  What surprised you most about your book and/or characters as you were writing? Did anything turn out radically different than you’d originally thought it would?

Paul Harris: This is a tough one. I had an unusual experience writing the character of Danny’s girlfriend, Rachel. I wanted her to be a sympathetic, good person.  But at the end of the first draft my editor said she didn’t really care for her at all, saying she came over as negative and complaining. With that in mind I went back and reread those bits of the book with a fresh eye and was astonished to discover she was right. I had written her in print in a way completely different than what I thought I had. So I went back and rewrote her parts to do her more justice.

Maw Books:  While I was reading The Secret Keeper I kept visualizing the story as a movie playing out in my head.  If The Secret Keeper were a movie, who would you cast as your characters?

Paul Harris: That’s a fun question. A lot of people say it feels very cinematic. Perhaps Penelope Cruz as Maria. As Danny is inspired by some of my own experiences, I think modesty forbids me making any suggestions. I’ll leave it to readers’ imaginations. They are likely to be more honest than mine.

Maw Books:  I could totally see Penelope Cruz as Maria.  Good choice!  Can you briefly share with us what you think the current state of Sierra Leone is and what you think is in it’s future?

Paul Harris: Sierra Leone – I am delighted to say – is doing well. It is still desperately poor and has huge needs, but the war is over and has been for almost a decade now. Progress is slow but with such a history any sort of progress is to be celebrated. The same can be said of much of the rest of the region where equally devastated countries, like Liberia, are also recovering and stable. It is good news in a troubled world.

Maw Books:  I was haunted with the blank stares and listless ex-child soldiers as you wrote about them in the book.  Maria, works for an orphanage that took in ex-child soldiers in an attempt to rehabilitate them and place them into homes.  Will you share with us some of your experiences with child soldiers in Sierra Leone? Is enough being done for them?  What, in your opinion, needs to be done?

Paul Harris: My experiences were mostly limited to meeting them at  roadblocks and trying to negotiate my way through them. It is incredibly scary and also incredibly sad, to meet such young children, armed with machine guns, drunk and high and dangerous, and yet fundamentally still children who respond to a laugh and a smile. It is a problem that felt almost impossible to solve and I am no expert. But they need all the help and understanding they can get to help them recover from traumatising experiences that we can never imagine and yet not lose sight of the fact that they remain children.  Like everything else in Sierra Leone, resources are small and the need is great.  But, at the very least, no more child soldiers are being created.

Maw Books:  I have a special interest in Sudan.  You have spent some time in Sudan.  Can you briefly share a little bit about some of the stories that you covered there?

Paul Harris: I spent some time traveling with Christian missionaries who were buying back black African Sudanese who had been captured in slave raids by Arab Sudanese. I know that sounds incredibly medieval but the South of Sudan back in the 90s was just that kind of place. It is a different world.  I also covered a lovely story on a sort of ‘Olympics’ that aid groups organized in the area for local kids who had little else to enjoy in tough childhoods defined by the ongoing civil war. I loved south Sudan.  People were generous and kind and it really felt like going back in time.  My favourite moment was sleeping in a south Sudanese village, deep in the bush and being awoken by terrible screams and shouts. In the middle of a war zone, you could imagine all sorts of horrors. But the next morning we discovered one of the village elders had had too much to drink and his wife had kicked him out of their hut. It was their argument we had heard.  As someone who fundamentally believes that every human being is basically the same, it was a good lesson in the universality of human experience!

Maw Books:  I’ve read a bit about the slave trade in South Sudan.  It’s just so crazy!  And now for a few more “lighter” questions.  What’s the last book you finished and what’s on your nightstand right now?

Paul Harris: The last book I read was the excellent Columbine by Dave Cullen. I have not got anything on my night stand just yet as I am about to start doing research for a new book and am going to draw up a long non-fiction reading list based around US politics to kick things off.

Maw Books:  What is the best writing advice you have ever received and in turn the best writing advice that you could give?

Paul Harris: The best advice I got was write what you know. It was a great help in giving me the focus to write a book after several false starts over the years on less solid ground. My advice would simply be: a writer writes.  So many people say they have books in them, but never finish what they start.  You have to persevere. To the end. It sounds blindingly obvious, but the main reason most people don’t get published is because they don’t write a book.

Maw Books:  That makes perfect sense.  If you could have dinner with any five people, dead or alive, who would they be and why?

Paul Harris:

Jesus Christ (just to solve the mystery of who he actually was)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu (the most ‘good’ person I have ever met) Aristophanes (great sense of humour)
JRR Tolkien (he created an entire world inside his head)
Mae West (she would make it a proper party)

Maw Books:  Speaking of dinner, a question that I ask of every single author I interview is to share with us a recipe that I will later make and blog about.  Do you have a favorite from your world travels that you would care to share with us?

Paul Harris: Food during a lot of my travels has not been that good (two months of military rations in Iraq!). But here is a dish from Cape Town in South Africa, with its origins in the Cape Malay community, people descended from Malaysian slaves brought over by the Dutch in the 17th Century.  It is called Bobotie and is a bit (only a bit) like a moussaka.

Link to Bobotie recipe.

Maw Books:  Seriously, sounds delicious.  I’m going to try to get everything I need for it.  So what are you doing right now?  Do you have any more books in your future?

Paul Harris: I am just starting a second book. Set against the backdrop of an American presidential campaign. I covered the 2004 and 2008 elections and want to capture some of that amazing excitement and drama. As I said earlier: write what you know.

Maw Books:  Anything else you would like to share with the Maw Books readers?

Paul Harris: Just to say thanks for reading and commenting.  The experience of doing this sort of thing online is a lot of fun and also blogs like Maw Books are so important these days. For readers and for authors.  We’re entering a whole new world together.

Giveaway: I was able to pick up a second copy of The Secret Keeper that I would love to pass on to you.  To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me what you found the most interesting from this interview with Paul Harris.  If you would like to double  your chances of winning, also leave a comment responding to my book review of The Secret Keeper.  Giveaway is open world-wide and I’ll pick a winner on May 27th.

Links of interest:  The Secret Keeper website.  Maw Books review of The Secret Keeper.
Genre:  Mystery/thriller.
Publisher:  Dutton Adult.  April 2nd, 2009
Hardcover, 336 pages.  ISBN: 0525951024
The Secret Keeper is available from your independent bookstore, Powell’s, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
.

I would now like to point your attention to an organization that is also helping Darfur refugees in Chad.  Book Wish Foundation is an organization that aims to provide reading relief by putting books into the hands of primary school, pre-school, or literacy program students in the refugee camps.  Books, libraries, reading glasses, and school supplies are all part of the project.

According to Book Wish Foundation:

Book Wish Foundation is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN: 26-1285319) with a mission to provide reading relief for people in crisis. In partnership with organizations that work on the ground in some of the most distressed places around the world, we support reading to improve education, mental health, and occupational training.

Reading relief is a concept much broader than providing books. It encompasses all of the aid for community institutions and individuals that makes reading possible. This includes, for example, support for libraries, schools, informal literacy and language programs, and vision care. To provide relief, this aid must match the specific needs that exist, which vary according to the crisis situation, culture, language, demographics, educational history, and aspirations of the people being served. These needs form the basis of the Wish Lists on our website, and provide an opportunity for highly targeted giving.

We focus on people in long-term crisis situations because they may face problems so grave that reading relief is not a major component of the aid they receive, although reading may have a great positive impact on their lives. Refugees, internally displaced people, school-aged children not in school, the homeless, the critically ill, and the desperately poor are among the populations we aim to reach.

Book Wish Foundation was formed in October 2007 by the mother-son team of bibliophiles Lorraine and Logan Kleinwaks, in response to a Washington Post article describing the lack of books in a refugee camp in Eastern Chad. We are staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers, and all money and goods donated for specific projects or Wish List items will be used only for those purposes. Incidental costs, such as for office supplies, are not funded through these targeted donations. Public documents of the Foundation are posted on our website and can conveniently be viewed here. A financial statement is available upon written request from the Office of Consumer Affairs of the State of Virginia, where we are registered to solicit charitable donations.

One of the reasons, I wanted to mention Book Wish Foundation was because of the creative post holiday campaign that they just launched:

We’ve just launched a (post-)holiday campaign to raise funds for library construction, English textbooks, and primary school textbooks for the Darfuris in the Bredjing, Treguine, and Gaga refugee camps in eastern Chad. Here’s how it works: we want you to count the books you received as presents this year and donate $1 per book. You can choose how the money is spent and read more details at holiday.bookwish.org.

A little bit always goes a long way.  We all love books.  We all asked for books for the holidays.  We gave books and we received books.  Now we can give just a little more.  My kids received at least 15 books for Christmas.  I will personally be donating $1 per book to the Book Wish Foundation.  If you feel you are able, I invite you to do the same.  Sadly, the genocide in Darfur isn’t over yet.  Refugees in Chad need your help getting back on their feet.  Putting books into the hands of those who needs them is just one small way to make a difference.

Visit Book Wish Foundation and the Holiday Book Wish website for more information.

Finally!  I think I’ve finally finished the final update of the Reading & Blogging for Darfur awareness campaign.  For details on all of the books and posts that these figures are based on, visit my September wrap-up post.

Here’s How We Did

• I read 31 books in September for a grand total of: 5,405 pages at a penny per page equals $54.05
• Number of posts I published during September: 62 @ .50 cents per post equals $31.00
  
• Number of comments and trackbacks received during September:  1140 at .10 cents a comment equals  $114.00
• Number of bloggers who posted about the campaign:  58 at .50 cents each equals $29.00
• Number of bloggers who posted button in their sidebar:  32 at .50 cents each equals $16.00
• Number of Darfur books read or documentaries watched: 31 at .50 cents each equals $15.50
• Number of books or videos reviewed by bloggers: 29 at $1 each equals $29

The Quick Numbers

• So it looks like I’ll be donating $203.50
• If you chose to sponsor me at a penny a page that total is $54.05
• If you chose to sponsor me at .50 cents a post that total is $31.00
• If you chose to sponsor me at both a penny a page and .50 cents a post that total is $85.05
• As of today and according to my rough numbers I had 13 people sponsor me at a penny per page for a total of $702.6 and 14 people sponsor me at .50 cents a post for a total of $434.00.  So in addition to my $203.5, you helped raise $1136.60.

It’s not too late, if you’d like to go ahead and sponsor me now that you have an idea of dollar amounts, go right ahead!

How to Make Your Donation

Many have inquired about sending money directly to me, to which I say, no thank you please.  Take a look at the list below and choose the organization that you feel you are most comfortable with and donate directly to them.  Some organizations fund awareness campaigns to pressure politicians to take action and others deal directly with the people in Darfur helping with services and programs.  If you find an organization not on this list, feel free to donate to them as well.

This is total honor system here on your donation.  I trust your guilt will get to you when a year from now you realize you forgot to make your donation 

ORGANIZATIONS WHO ACCEPT DONATIONS with interest and a presence in Darfur, Sudan:

• International Rescue Committee, Donate for Darfur. 90% of funds go to humanitarian services and programs, 10% to administration and fundraising. Your donation will go specifically to Darfurians.
• Save Darfur. Funds crucial awareness and advocacy programs that play a critical role in building the political pressure needed to end the crisis in Darfur.
• Enough Project Founded by John Prendergast, funds help galvanize public and political leaders to effectively confront mass violence against innocent civilians in Darfur and southern Sudan, northern Uganda, eastern Congo and Chad.
• A list of 20 non-profit organizations who have a presence in Darfur. I recommend looking at each organization closely to determine how your donation is used.
• Another great list of humanitarian organizations in Darfur. Again, browse around and decide if one looks right for you. Everybody from The Red Cross to Save the Children.

Raising Awareness

A huge part of this campaign was to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur.  I know a lot of you have mentioned that you have learned so much when you knew so little about Darfur.   I remember the first time I ever saw the word Darfur.  It was on the way to my husbands grandma’s house.  There was this college duplex that had a huge sign in the window that said, “Save Darfur.”  After passing that sign half a dozen times, I started to feel guilty that I didn’t know what in the world they were talking about.  So of course I had to look it up.  It’s that same type of awareness that you’ve helped to create as you talk with your friends, neighbors, bloggers, etc.

Check out these awesome bloggers:

• Mari from Mari Reads reviews Darfur Diaries:  Stories of Survival by Jen 
• Wordlily reviews The Devil Came on Horseback documentary over at Please Pass the Popcorn.
• Joy from Thoughts of Joy reviews The Translator:  A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari.
• Tanabata at In Spring it is the Dawn reviews The Translator:  A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari.
• Ana from Diary of an Eccentric reviews Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir.
• Bermudaonion reviews Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir.
• Melissa from Shhh I’m Reading reviews Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir.
• Joanne from The Ride watched and reviewed the the Darfur Diaries documentary.
• Ramya from Ramya’s Bookshelf reviewed The Devil Came on Horseback, Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steadle.
• Lisa from Books, Lists, Life reviewed Not On Our Watch:  The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and Jon Prendergast
• Samantha from Sam’s Book Blog reviews The Translator:  A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari.
• Madeleine from Madeleine’s Book Blog reviews The Devil Came on Horseback documentary.
• Nicole from Books, Books, and More Great Books writes up an amazing review of The Devil Came on Horseback, Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steadle.
• Ali from Worducopia reviews the documentary Darfur Now.
• Heather from Book Addiction reviews The Translator:  A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari.
• Amy from The Sleepy Reader reviews The Devil came on Horseback, Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steadle.
• Jen from Devourer of Books reviews Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir.
• Amy from Amy’s Haiku Haven reviews The Translator:  A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari and Not On Our Watch:  The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and Jon Prendergast, the video Journey to Darfur and the documentary on Sudan from Vice Magazine.
• Mrs. B. Roth from It is I, Mrs. B. Roth watched the documentary The Devil Came on Horseback.
• Marcia at The Printed Page also read Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur.
• Becky from Becky’s Book Reviews read Not On Our Watch:  The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and Jon Prendergast.
• Tracy from Bookroom Reviews watched and reviewed the documentary Darfur Now.
• Megan from Leafing Through Life read Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir.
• Alyce from At Home With Books reviews The Translator:  A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darufr by Daoud Hari.
• Kathy from Bermudaonion reviews Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir.
• Jenn M. at Knowledge Tree Day Care reviews the documentary The Devil Came on Horseback.
• Donna Gephart watched the documentary The Devil Came on Horseback.
• Daniel watched the documentary Darfur Now.

Did I miss you?Let me know.

What I have on the Maw Books Blog:

• Guest Post:  Dennis Burke, Co-Author of The Translator, A Tribesman Memoir of Survival in Darfur
• Tears of the Desert, A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir with Damien Lewis
• The Devil Came on Horseback, Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle and Gretchen Steidle Wallace
• The Sudan Project:  Rebuilding with the People of Darfur:  A Young Person’s Guide by Melissa Leembruggen and an interview with the author)
• .Darfur Diaries:  Stories of Survival by Jen Marlowe
• Not On Our Watch:  The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and Jon Prendergast
• The Translator, A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari
• Genocide in Darfur by Janey Levy
• Videos and links to learn more about the genocide in Darfur.
• Darfur book and video recommendations

Giveaways!

Thank you to the many wonderful authors and publishing companies who have generously donated their books including Susan McBride, Cynthia Lord, Christina Meldrum, Leslie Patricelli, James Dashner,  J. Scott Savage, Hatchette Book Group, Literary Ventures Fund,  Nation  Books, Random House, and Rich Women Sisterhood.

• To be eligible for at least one of the 50 prizes you must have during this past month either read a book about Darfur, watched a documentary about Darfur, posted about the campaign on your blog, or put the button in your blog sidebar.  (I do have more than 50 people eligible, so I’m going to feel really, really bad for those who don’t win.)

• One person is going home with ALL the books!! Yes, ALL of them!  At least $800 worth of prizes!  To be eligible for this grand prize you must either sponsor me at a penny per page, .50 cents a post, or both.  See totals above.  Seriously, $30 gets you a chance to win a ton of books?!  Not bad, I say.

All the prizes and how to register for them are in the post directly following this one.

THANK YOU!

I wish I could personally thank all of you for making this such a success.  I know that what we do isn’t going to make the genocide in Dafur stop right now, but I do know that every little bit helps.  And when this whole thing is over, we won’t tell ourselves, “I knew, but did nothing.”  I can’t say thank you enough.

Any questions? If so just let me know.

Genocide in Darfur is easy to read, has an excellent format and great photos.  It’s split into five sections:  a brief history of genocide in general, Sudan’s timeline and the events that lead up to the genocide, the actual genocide, insight into the victims and aggressors, and how the world is responding to the genocide in Darfur.  At the back of the book, there is a timeline, a glossary, resources for more information and further reading, and a bibliography.

While I didn’t find any of the content original (all the stories referenced other books which I had already read), Genocide in Darfur is a great reference book that I’d recommend as an excellent introduction for children and teenagers to the atrocities in Darfur.

Another book for children, but at a younger reading level, that I would recommend about the genocide in Darfur is The Sudan Project: Rebuilding With the People of Darfur: A Young Person’s Guide by Melissa Leembruggen (read my book review and an interview with the author).

Other books I’ve reviewed about Darfur:
Darfur Diaries:  Stories of Survival by Jen Marlowe
The Devil Came on Horseback, Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle and Gretchen Steidle Wallace
Not On Our Watch:  The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and Jon Prendergast
The Translator, A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari
Guest Post:  Dennis Burke, Co-Author of The Translator, A Tribesman Memoir of Survival in Darfur
Tears of the Desert, A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir with Damien Lewis

Reading her story was horrifying.  I literally was covering my mouth while reading many parts of it.  Even though it was a difficult subject matter to take in, I couldn’t put it down.  I realized that Halima and myself are exactly the same age.  That small detail made a huge difference for me while reading about her life.  At each age, I reflected upon what I was doing in my relatively comfortable life free from war, killings, and rape.

Halima Bashir was born into the Zaghawa tribe in the Sudanese desert in Darfur.  Her father was the wealthiest man in the village and was able to afford many luxuries, including the ability to send Halima to the best schools.  Her father wanted nothing more for her than to receive an excellent education.  It was while going to school in the city that Halima began to see the differences between those who lived in villages versus the city, but most importantly the difference between the Arabs and black Africans.  Halima was an excellent student and received top marks enabling her to enroll in college and receive her doctorate degree.  At the age of 24, she was her village’s first formal doctor.

Halima soon transferred to a different village but was worried for her family as villages began to be attacked.  Halima soon discovered that nobody would escape unscathed.  This is a pretty long passage from the book, but it’s one that you just have to read for yourselves. It recounts the gang rape of about 40 girls from the ages of 8-13 when the Janjaweed attacked their schoolhouse in her village:

“It was around nine o’clock,” Sumiah began.  Lessons had just started.  All of a sudden, I heard the pounding of hooves and wild yelling.  Doors were smashed in and the windows too.  We didn’t even have time to cry for help.  Suddenly they were inside . . . ”

Sumiah paused, her face downcast, her eyes looking inward as she relived it all.

I touched her arm, gently. “Don’t if you can’t.  Don’t go on.”

Sumiah shrugged.  “It’s better to talk . . . . I need to . . . It was like a band of wild animals just jumping on us and forcing us to the floor.  All around me girls were being raped, regardless of their age.  The Janjaweed carried guns, knives, heavy sticks – the ones they use to beat their horses.  If any girl tried to resist they beat her with those sticks . . . ”

Sumiah glanced at me.  “They were shouting and screaming at us.  You know what they were saying?  ‘We have come here to kill you!  To finish you all!  You care black slaves!  You are worse than dogs!  Either we kill you or we give you Arab children.  Then there will be no more black slaves in this country.’ But you know the worst?  The worst was that they were laughing and yelping with joy as they did those terrible things.  Those grown men were enjoying it, as they passed the little girls around . . . ”

In all of the confusion one or two of the girls managed to escape.  They ran to their homes and raised the alarm.  But when the parents rushed to the the school they found a cordon of government soldiers had surrounded it and were ltetting nobody in.  If anybody came too close, the soldiers shot at them with their guns.  Parents could hear their daughters screaming, but there was no way they could help.

For two hours they held the school.  They abused the girls in front of ther friends, forcing them to watch what they were doing.  Any girls who tried to resist were beaten in the head with sticks or rifle butts.

“Before they left, they spat on us and urinated on us,” Sumiah whispered. “They said, ‘We will let you live so you can tell your mothers and fathers and brothers what we did to you.  Tell them from us:  If you stay, the same and worse will happen to you all.  next time, we will show no mercy.  Leave this land.  Sudan is for the Arabs.  It is not for black dogs and slaves.’ “

As punishment for speaking out about the gang rape school incident, Halima herself is taken, tortured, and gang raped for days.  When they finally allow her to leave, she makes her way back home to her own village.  But not even there can she find peace.  Her village is attacked from the sky by her own government and on the ground from the Janjaweed.  It’s then that her father is killed and her family scattered.  Granted aslyum in London, Halima has still not found her family.

Halima’s story is heartbreaking.  How she was able to sit down and tell us about it, is beyond me.  This is the type of memoir that makes you sick to your stomach not only because it happened but because it is still happening.  And not enough is being done to stop it.  What’s even more heartbreaking is the idea that Halima’s story is not unique.   Many women and children are suffering as a result of war, brutality, killing, and rape.

Click here to watch a short three minute video with Halima Bashir and Damien Lewis.  The two organizations that the two authors support are www.fund4darfur.org and www.aegistrust.org. A donation of the money made from the book will be made by the authors to the Aegis Trust.

Read this book!

Would you like to win a copy of  Tears of the Desert, A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir with Damien Lewis? Random House has graciously donated two copies to be given away in conjunction with my Darfur awareness campaign.  Click here for details on how to get involved and entered to win.  Giveaway now closed.

Links of interest:  www.fund4darfur.org and www.aegistrust.org. More book blogger reviews.
Genre:  Memoir
Publisher:  One World/Ballantine.  September 9, 2008
Hardcover, 336 pages.  ISBN:  0345506251
Tears of the Desert, A Memoir of Survival in Darfur is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Of Beetles & Angels, A Boy’s Remarkable Journey From a Refugee Camp to Harvard by Mawi Asgedom

At the age of four, Asgedom’s family was forced from their war ravaged home in  Ethiopia and spent three years in a Sudanese refugee camp.  At the age of seven, his family was able to immigrate to Chicago.  Asgedom’s story is of the trials and blessings of that move and its effects on his parents, brother, and sister.

It wasn’t always easy, for months they didn’t dare leave their hotel room for fear of the people but were not without newfound friends.  Asgedom’s father who was a very well respected man in Ethiopia had the hardest time adjusting and eventually went downhill.  Asgedom and his brother got into trouble at school a lot but were in general good kids.  His family was very, very poor and Asgedom knew that the only way to better himself was through his education.

His story is truly a story of somebody who knows how to study.  Through high school he worked hard to receive perfect grades.  Upon graduation, it never occurred to him to apply to Ivy League schools instead of the local community colleges until somebody suggested he try.  Not only did he get accepted into every college he applied to but was offered very prestigious scholarships to many including Harvard.  Four years later, Mawi Asgedom gave the valedictorian speech when he graduated from Harvard.  He set the example that if he could do it, a poor refugee boy from Ethiopia, than anybody could do it.

The writing is a bit fragmented and seemed to jump around a bit but I think it would hold a young readers attention.  There are some great discussion questions in the back, and even Ethiopian recipes.  This book gives a great insight into the struggles of new immigrants adjusting to a new culture and mourning for loss of home.  Asgedom’s story is inspiring and to tell you the truth, reading about him studying so much tired me out.  In his case, it certainly paid off.

Mawi Asgedom now tours the country as a motivational speaker visiting school kids and has even appeared on Oprah.  You can visit his website here.

Would you like to win a copy of  Of Beetles and Angels by Mawi Asgedom?  Hatchette Book Group has graciously donated two copies to be given away in conjunction with my Darfur awareness campaign.  Click here for details on how to get involved and entered to win. Check back (you are subscribed to this blog, aren’t you?!) at the end of the month to put your name in the hat for this one.  Prizes will build up throughout the month.

After the film was released, Jen wanted to tell the back story of what it was like to actually make the film and set out to tell their story.  From the onset of learning about the genocide in Darfur, to securing funding, and setting off to Africa, the reader follows the filmmakers as they must improvise, conduct interviews, and deal with the emotions that are difficult to push aside.  Both the book and the film do a great job at having the people of Darfur tell you their story in their own words.

There were a lot of great quotes and insight from the book.  It was hard to narrow it down to just a few.  From the preface, written by Paul Rusesabagina (played by Don Cheadle in the movie Hotel Rwanda):

How many more must die, be raped, watch their homes burn, have their livestock stolen, be turned into refugees?  What has the world learned from Rwanda?  Rather than learning from history, we are allowing it to repeat itself.  “Never Again” is an empty slogan as “Again and Again” unfolds. . . Genocide is happening today, in Darfur.  Now that you know, what do you plan to do?

One Darfurian, Salih Bob said

I’m quite sure if this happened in Los Angeles from your own government or in newcastle from the British government . . . all the world will hear you and help would come.  But our case is different.  Nobody is listening.

To one teenager, they asked, “If you could give a message to the kids in America your age, what would it be?”  His answer, especially the ending makes me so sad:

‘I will wish them peace and I will tell them we are here in Darfur.  Our villages were burned, we are in a very bad situation.  We ran to the Sudan Liberation Army.’  He paused, trying to think of what else he could ask his peers in America.  ‘How are you guys doing?’

How are we doing?  Right now we seem to be pretty well off, considering that the majority of us are living from the shade of one tree to another.

After the film came out, the filmmakers were asked “How can anything we do possibly make a difference?”  Their answer:

When the horror is so large, there is a tendency to buy into the fallacy that since you can’t do everything, then it’s pointless to do anything.  If we allow ourselves to fall into that trap, we become completely paralyzed.  A phone call to your congressperson isn’t going to halt the Sudanese government.  A letter to the editor of a newspaper isn’t going ensure access to humanitarian aid for displaced people.  We know this film isn’t going to stop a genocide . . . But it all feeds into a larger effort.  Perhaps it’s true that we can’t possibly do enough.  But what we do does matter.  It matters to people in Darfur and refugees from Darfur who are here.  It’s important for them to know that there are people in the outside world who care about them, who are standing with them and working on their behalf.

They went on to say,

 We wanted to encourage audiences to first learn all they could about Darfur, going past the simplistic portrayal the mainstream media offered, and then to suggest that they research different organizations in order to determine how they wanted to get involved.

I echo that statement and in fact that’s what I had in mind when I started this Darfur Awareness campaign.  I wanted people to learn something, anything, about Darfur that they didn’t know before.  Let that knowledge change them in such a way that they felt the need to get involved.  Even if that involvement was simply to tell a friend or a neighbor what it was that they learned.

So get involved.  Learn something.  Read this book.  Watch this documentary.  Doing something to make a difference is simply that easy.

Would you like to win a copy of Darfur Diaries, Stories of Survival?  Nation  Books has graciously donated two copies to be given away in conjunction with my Darfur awareness campaign.  Click here for details on how to get involved and entered to win. It’s really easy! Check back (you are subscribed to this blog, aren’t you?!) at the end of the month to put your name in the hat for this one.  Prizes will build up throughout the month.

Other resources on this blog about the genocide in Darfur:
Darfur Book Recommendations
Book review of The Translator by Daoud Hari
Book review and author interview of The Sudan Project by Melissa Leembruggen
Book review of Not On Our Watch, The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle and John Prendergast
Book review of The Devil Came on Horseback, Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Bridan Steidle and Gretchen Wallace Steidle
Videos and links about Darfur
Reading & Blogging for Darfur campaign

THANK YOU to everybody who has gotten involved in raising awareness and funds for Darfur.  Be it from your encouraging words, blogging about it, putting buttons in sidebars, and reading books or watching videos about Darfur.  If you haven’t gotten involved yet, it’s not to late!  Why should you, you ask?  Well, I basically want people to at least see the word Darfur and wonder what in the world does that mean?  So many of us haven’t ever heard of Darfur, much less know that the world’s largest humanitarian crisis is taking place there.  The government of Sudan has killed hundreds of thousands of its own citizens and continues to terrorize them.  And we aren’t doing enough to stop it.

I’ve gotten a lot of great support!  But I know that it could be more.  It’s not to late to get involved.  Even if you see the button on somebody else’s blog and think it’s enough, think again.  Your readers aren’t necessarily their readers.  I’m trying to reach more than just bloggers.  If a hundred blogs mentioned Darfur in a single post, how many people would that reach?  Thousands!  If a hundred blogs left the button in their sidebar all month how many of their readers would see it?  Even more.

I remember the first time I ever saw the word Darfur.  It was on the way to my husbands grandma’s house.  There was this college duplex that had a huge sign in the window that said, “Save Darfur.”  After passing that sign half a dozen times, I started to feel guilty that I didn’t know what in the world they were talking about.  So of course I had to look it up.  It’s that same type of awareness that I’m trying to create.  Plus, I kept those numbers really low (50 cents a post, $1 a sidebar) hoping that it would add up to a lot.

And leave me those comments!  I’m having my own read-a-thon this month and those comments, small as they may seem, keep me going!  I’ve found myself getting into bed at one-thirty in the morning only to turn on the lamp to get some reading done.  When I ran my 100th post giveaway I was averaging 30 comments a post, so I know we can do better.  So stop by, say hello, boost my spirits.  Besides donating ten cents a post, I’m just being greedy and saying that I need help staying awake.

Thanks so much to everybody who has sponsored my reading at a penny a page, 50 cents a post or both!  I have approximately 13 sponsors.  I’d love to have at least 25 sponsors. So get the word out there! I know many were unsure and still deciding.  Just let me know before the end of the month, so I know if you’ll be eligible for the grand prize.  If I get 25 sponsors I’ll add a $25 gift certificate to Amazon to the grand prize.

So what have I finished this past week?  The fact that I’m reading Ana Karanina by Leo Tolstoy makes me feel better about counting the pages for some of those easier reads.  Books I’ve reviewed are linked over.  Others are coming.

• What Jamie Saw by Carolyn Coman: 126 pages
• The Devil Came on Horseback:  Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle:  230 pages
• This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis: 176 pages
• When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka:  160 pages
• Clementine by Sara Pennypacker:  135 pages
• Clementine’s Letter by Sara Pennypacker:  150 pages
• The Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker:  137 page
• Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli (saying it only took me ten minutes to read this one, I didn’t count pages)
• Darfur Diaries:  Stories of Survival by Jen Marlowe:  256 page
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee:  284 pages
• A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck:  148 pages
• Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale:  (didn’t count pages for this one either)
• The Leper Compound by Paula Nangle:  192 pages

Author Interviews from this past week:

• Susan McBride, author of The Debs and The Debs book review
• Cynthia Lord,  Newbery author of Rules and Rules book review

Other posts published since September 1st:

• Submit Your Questions for a Shannon Hale Interview (surely, the blogosphere has more than just six questions to ask Shannon!)
• Author Events this Week in Salt Lake City
• New York Times Bestsellers – September 7th
• I Made the Finals! Come Out and Vote!  Voting ends on the 12th, so hurry and vote for your favorite blog!  I’m nominated for Most Extravagant Giveaways and Most Altruistic.
• 100,000 Visitors.  Let’s Celebrate!  It’s not to late to put your guess in and win a $10 gift certificate to the online bookstore of your choice.
• Dinosaur Books for Babies, Toddlers and Preschoolers
• Day 1:  Blogging & Reading for Darfur

Stats so far:

• Pages read since September 1st:  1,994 at a penny a page equals  $19.94
• Posts published since September 1st:  14 at .50 cents a post equals $7.00
• Number of comments received (including trackbacks, etc. because I’m not about to try to subtract those out):  317 at .10 cents a comment equals  $31.70.  Let’s double that this next week!
• Number of bloggers who posted about the campaign:  51 at .50 cents each equals $25.50 (I upped this from .25 cents, I may go up to a dollar if more people blog about it)
• Number of bloggers who posted button in their sidebar:  28 at .50 cents each equals $14
• Number of Darfur books read or documentaries watched: 3 at .50 cents each equals $1.50
• Number of books or videos reviewed by bloggers: 2 at $1 each equals $2.00
  (Think of those books and videos as a mini-challenge.  I’m assuming since it was the first week, it was low numbers.  Let’s get those books read!)

Visit these great reviews!

• Mrs. B. Roth from It is I, Mrs. B. Roth watched the documentary The Devil Came on Horseback and wrote up a great review.
• Megan from Leafing Through Life read Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir and I’m eagerly awaiting her review.
• Marcia at The Printed Page also read Tears of the Desert:  A Memoir of Survival in Darfur and gave a great review.  But what’s more is that she’s giving away her copy over at Up for Grabs and donating .50 cents for each entry.  So go over there and enter!!  Tears of the Desert is a new release that you don’t want to miss!
• Let me know if I missed you and I’ll make sure to link over next week.

Giveaways!  These are just the prizes that were announced this week.  Next week at about the mid-point I’ll announce the majority of the prizes and list who is eligible to win.  Trust me, if you haven’t gotten involved yet, you will want to! There are TONS MORE!!  Read here for details on what to do to become eligible.

• Individual Prizes:
  • Signed copy of The Debs by Susan McBride sponsored by Susan McBride
  • Signed copy of  Rules by Cynthia Lord sponsored by Cynthia Lord
  • Ex-library copy of When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka sponsored by Maw Books
  • This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis sponsored by Hatchette Book Group

• Grand Prize (one person will win all of these!):
  • Signed copy of The Debs by Susan McBride sponsored by Susan McBride
  • Signed copy of  Rules by Cynthia Lord sponsored by Cynthia Lord
  • Ex-library copy of When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka sponsored by Maw Books
  • This is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis sponsored by Hatchette Book Group

It’s not to late to get involved.  Open to everybody, everywhere!  Click here for all of the details and click here for a great Darfur primer.

When Brian Steidle retired from the Marines, he started looking for a job in which he could utilize his military skills.  While browsing the classifieds, he came upon an ad from a civilian contracting company overseeing a cease fire in the south.  With naivety, he quickly accepted thinking that he had just landed his dream job.  It wasn’t long after his arrival in Sudan, that Brian transferred to Darfur, working as the American representative in the African Union.  A monitoring force of only 300, the African Union’s mandate prohibited them from taking any action to actually protect civilians or arrest perpetrators.  Their only job was to “observe, inquire, and write reports.”

Can you imagine?  You’re dropped into the middle of a genocide, where the the government of Sudan has killed hundreds of thousands of its own people through aerial attacks on the villages and  the Janjaweed (meaning devil on horseback) raiding them from the ground and the only thing you have is a pen/paper and a camera?

After a village attack, Brian met a small baby named Mihad who had been shot in the back, with gaping entry and exit wounds.  The baby’s aunt (her mother died) tried to have Brian treat her.  Brian couldn’t do anything, “I shook my head and swallowed with half-hearted acceptance that there was nothing I could say or do to change the situation.  I took photos and made notes for my report.  Silently fuming, I moved on, clutching my camera a little too fiercely.”  He did this time after time.

Brian writes about the frustration that comes while witnessing the atrocities of a genocide and not being able to do anything about it.  What’s worse, is that the world wasn’t doing anything about it either.  Darfur is the world’s most crucial humanitarian crisis in the world right now.  But do people even care?  While back home for a few weeks, Brian had this conversation with a bartender.

“Darfur is a region of Sudan.  There’s a genocide going on there – the government has already killed a few hundred thousand of its own citizens.”

“Whoa.  That’s intense.  So, like, isn’t everyone in Africa killing each other, if they’re not starving already?” he asked.

Annoyed, I tried to give him a quick summary of the conflict.

After a few minutes he broke in.  “So, why do we have Americans like you there?  What do we get out of it?”

“What?  Nothing,” I told him.  “You get nothing.”

“So, why should I care?”

I almost knocked my beer over.  “Shouldn’t we care about massive killing?”

“So what?  Africa is a mess.  I don’t really care if they keep killing each other,” he said.

What!?  Wouldn’t you care if people were being killed down your street?  Wouldn’t you care if people were being killed in your city?  Wouldn’t you care if people were being killed in your state?  In your country?  What’s the difference between a 100 miles, a thousand, or three thousand?

There’s a  lot of argument over the word genocide.  I totally agreed with this statement:

Every nation had an obligation to prevent such atrocities.  To me, whether or not to use the word genocide wasn’t what was important.  People were dying in large numbers and we had the means to stop the violence.  Unfortunately, we did not have the will.  They are ‘just Africans,’ someone said to me once.  It made me sick.

I highly recommend reading The Devil Came On Horseback, Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur for those wanting an insiders view.  It was well written and kept me engrossed the whole time.  Before reading this book, I watched The Devil Came on Horseback documentary based upon Brian’s time in Darfur.  If you don’t read this book (which I think you should) than I highly recommend that you watch this documentary!  It’s one of the best that I’ve seen but it’s also one of the most graphic.  It’s not for the faint of heart, but I think that’s the point.  It’s a call to action.  My husband and I cried through this film, especially when you see Brian break down on camera.  He’s very sincere.

The official trailer:

More about Brian:

Why am I doing this?  Surely, my efforts are hardly going to make a ripple in the big picture.  But when I read Brian’s following words, it was a confirmation to me, that I’m doing the right thing.

Sometimes when I am talking to people about Darfur, they ask me how they or the United States will benefit from getting involved in the issue.  I can feel my anger rising.  I tell them:  You get nothing!  You get nothing from helping these people – except to know you did something good, that you did the right thing.  You helped people who couldn’t help themselves.  Every human being should have a chance to grow up without violence, to make independent choices in life, to drink a glass of clean water, to be free of fear – the fear or rape or a bullet in the back during the simple task of collecting firewood for daily meals.

I then point to my photo of Mihad and say:  If these reasons aren’t enough for you, I give you her.  Shouldn’t she have the right to grow up surrounded by peace and love?  What child deserves to be shot at age one?

What nation can allow genocide to continue?

What person can turn their back on the victims of such hatred?

When the genocide in Darfur has ended, what will you say you did to stop it?

Don’t forget to get involved in the Reading & Blogging for Darfur campaign taking place all September.  Visit www.globalgrassroots.org an organization founded by Gretchen Steidle Wallace (Brian’s sister), and www.thedevilcameonhorseback.com for information about the film. 

When the genocide in Darfur has ended, what will you say you did to help stop it?