Customer Comments

My school had the privilege of having Alexandra Fuller come and talk to us about living in Africa. I was slightly confused about why she was there, but as she talked to one of my classes about living in Africa during different civil wars, I automatically wanted to read her book. Now, I was able to read it and I can say I never wanted to put down the book. Being in Africa during the ending of a ten year civil and the starting of "a new civil war between Renamo rebel forces and the new Frelimo government" (52), I would think that living in Africa as a child would be so terrifying, especially living as close to the Mozambique border as she did. To most people watching out for land mines or being aware of snakes everywhere you stepped is an extreme caution, but Fuller and her family needed to live through it everyday. Although, Fuller did not have live through this by herself because she had her older sister Vanessa to always comfort her. She also had the company of the servants working at he house such as, Violet, the housekeeper or Snake, the cook. Before reading the book, I knew that there was a lot of conflict in Africa, but after reading the book, I realized how it affected the lives of peoples. From learning how to use a gun to driving in a land rover to watch for land mines, Alexandra lived through something I wouldn't even be brave enough to live through. The detail of the book makes you feel like you're watching a movie.

My school had the privilege of having Alexandra Fuller come and talk to us about living in Africa. I was slightly confused about why she was there, but as she talked to one of my classes about living in Africa during a time of war, I automatically wanted to read her book. Now, I was able to read it and I can say I never wanted to put down the book. Being in revolutionary Africa, I would think that living in Africa would be terrifying with being cautious of land mines and terrorist. Fuller recalls her childhood life in Africa. Some parts of her life were fun and exciting, but others were terrifying and scarring. She talks about the dangers of living in a rural African farm house such as nightly raids and land mines. To a five year old, this would be too terrifying. Living a very sheltered life, I would not be able to deal with what Alexandra Fuller did. After reading this book, it opened my eyes on events that I never even knew about. Overall, this is something you want to read! The detail of this book makes you feel like you are right there with her!