Select language, opens an overlay

Comment

Drink the Bitter Root

a Writer's Search for Justice and Redemption in Africa
Sep 17, 2011Liber_vermis rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
This travelogue-memoir was a "Staff Pick" of the Fall 2011 issue of "BC Bookworld" magazine. The item noted that the book "describes Geddes' forays, at age 68, into Rwanda, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Somaliland. In a world of child soldiers, refugees and poets-turned-freedom fighters, Geddes is particularly impressed by Somali culture in which poetry is a popular activity viewed as 'a healing and a subversive art'." So much for their opinion. As a reader who worked in southern Africa for several years, my response was that Geddes was a voyeur of African misery and crime. It would be like hanging out on Vancouver's Eastside to observe, photograph and interview the prostitutes, addicts, and homeless for the next parasitic book. I wanted to quit before I got to page 50. I persevered to the end. I regret it. [Note the injunction in the "Quotes" tab.]