by Christina Lamb (Author)
A powerful and intensely human insight into the civil war in Zimbabwe, focusing on a white farmer and his maid who find themselves on opposing sides. In 2000, after Robert Mugabe had launched his controversial land reform programme, Nigel Hough held on to a fervent hope that he might keep hold of his ostrich farm. A few months later, however, he arrived home to see his family residence and livelihood violently seized by veterans - and to his shock saw his former maid Akwe at their head. By tracing the intertwining lives of the Nigel and Akwe - rich and poor, white and black, master and maid - Christina Lamb not only presents both sides of the Zimbabwean dilemma, but captures in achingly intimate terms her own uplifting conviction that, although savaged, there is still hope for one of Africa's most beautiful countries.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: HarperPress
Published: 18 Apr 2006
ISBN 10: 0007219385
ISBN 13: 9780007219384
`Lamb is a careful observer, and her anguished refrain is the terrible schizophrenia of people who fiercely love their land but do nothing to save it...the strength is in the storytelling...it is a good piece of reportage...her book deserves to be read.' Daily Telegraph
`A perceptive account of Zimbabwean history since the colonial days.' Times Literary Supplement
`Riveting...Lamb's book tells a disaster story on a massive scale.' Daily Mail
'Compelling...Lamb has a remarkable pair of stories to tell, and does so extremely well.' Spectator
Christina Lamb is one of Britain's leading foreign correspondents and a bestselling author. She has won 14 major awards including five times being named Foreign Correspondent of the Year and Europe's top war reporting prize, the Prix Bayeux. She is the author of numerous books including `Farewell Kabul', `The Africa House', `Waiting For Allah', `The Sewing Circles of Herat' and `House of Stone'. She co-wrote the international bestselling `I am Malala' with Malala Yousafzai and `Girl from Aleppo' with Nujeen Mustafa. She is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, an honorary fellow of University College, Oxford and was awarded an OBE by the Queen in 2013.