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For some reason, when this book came out a few years ago, it was almost completely ignored. But with the glut of bad travel books (and of even worse books on Africa) I can't figure out why. Rushby's account of his travels through Ethiopia and Yemen tracing the story of the enigmatic drug called "qat" is so vivid and engaging and enlightening that it should have gotten far more attention. Or at least it should have gotten some. Rushby recounts amazing tales and fascinating history while also following the paths of other writers who traveled in the region before him, like Sir Richard Burton and Arthur Rimbaud.