- Hardcover: 448 pages
- Publisher: Portobello Books Ltd; First Edition edition (1 Sep 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1846271541
- ISBN-13: 978-1846271540
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.6 x 5.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
216,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #26 in Books > History > Countries & Regions > Africa > 20th Century
Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles
and over 900,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'A wise, compassionate and understanding account of Africa, written by a man who has glimpsed deeper truths about the continent' --The Times
Review
'A remarkable, ground-breaking achievement, capturing the complex texture of a rapidly changing continent. It is also terribly moving'
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Concise introduction to a complex continent,
By David Kobia (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles (Hardcover)
This book is almost 600 pages long, and still feels like an abridged account of Africa. I actually thought it was pretty bold to call the book 'Africa' - like a little boy with a toy gun calling himself a cowboy, so I approached the book expecting to disparage it immediately. Having grown up in some of the countries written about in the book, I realized Dowden had actually lived through it enough to warrant telling the tale. I believe this book far outranks many of the history books on Africa, and should be required reading for all high school kids.
Post colonial Africa evokes different types of emotions depending on which side of the railway line you grew up on, so its easy to understand why descendants of the colonialists themselves might not find this an easy read. Dowden places a great deal of the blame for Africa's woes squarely on them and other factors like foreign aid. My opinion is biased because I tend to agree. Those without any type of bias will find the book extremely fascinating. Discovering Africa through Dowden has left me feeling that I should make the same commitment and re-discover the beautiful continent of Africa.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Africa: Altered States Ordinary Miracles,
By
This review is from: Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles (Hardcover)
This book should be required reading for anyone with an interest in Africa. The author has a profound understanding, through many years of experience, of what makes Africa tick. His writing is underscored by an evident personal commitment and compassion for the continent and its inhabitants. Africa is at a cross roads in its development following the momentous developments at the end of the last century and with a new, powerful influence from Asia and China in particular. The old practices which have led to rampant corruption might at last be under threat with the emergence of a new middle class who understand the need for change for the betterment of their countries. Time will tell but this book gives cause for cautious optimism although the road ahead is a long one. Don't hesitate, read it!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
... until one day Achebe's house is open to all,
By Sara B. (Italy) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles (Paperback)
Richard Dowden, before taking up the post for the Economist, has been for many years the Africa Editor of the Independent. I was very curious to read his work and I have found, first of all, the immense love he feels for the continent! According to me this is important... he can transmit passion to the reader. I believe the author has a profound and intimate understanding of the topics he writes about thanks to the many years he has spent in Africa... some of his points are arguable but for sure give rise to your brain to think.
I would recommend this book as it is updated, easy to read and very positive! After reading it, you will have a very different picture of Africa, compared to what you generally see on the media (often portrayed, sometimes by some aid agencies, as a pitiable place of poverty). It is a message of hope, optimism (but not the blind one!) and richness. Anyway I was expecting more on the "ordinary miracles" stated on the title! However, in general, I really like it... I have found some parts very moving, and loved the chapter on the "positive positive women".
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Countries & Regions > Africa > 20th Century
- Books > Reference > Writing > Journalism
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
