| African History Book Reviews | |
Prehistory -- Origins of Humankind
In the Footsteps of Eve
by Lee R. Berger and Brett Hilton-Barber.
On the advice of two grand masters of paleoanthropology, Don Johanson and Richard Leakey, Lee Berger decided that South Africa was the place to go to study the origins of humankind. It was a chance to work with actual fossils since both Ethiopia and Kenya were already bursting with paleontologists.
Colonial
The Africa House
by Christina Lamb.
The house, Shiwa Ngandu, was built by Stewart Gore-Browne, a British colonial who came to what was then Northern Rhodesia to fulfil a dream, and ended up playing a major role in the territory's peaceful transition to independence as the nation of Zambia.
Lost Lion of Empire: The life of 'Cape-to-Cairo' Grogan
by Edward Paice.
Need to do something to impress the wealthy stepfather of your would-be bride? Being elected the younger-ever member (22) of the Alpine Club and suvived the Matabele War not enough? How about spending three years on a quest to be the first man to traverse the African continent from south to north? Fortunately for Grogan, his beloved Gertrude waited for him. Given his later infidelities -- he ended up running three separate families -- one has to wonder if she regretted doing so.
South Africa
Soweto: A History
by Philip Bonner and Lauren Segal.
The personal accounts and documented history presented in this book give an excellent insight into the everyday life, past and present, of this famous South African township.
Religion -- Islam
The History of Islam in Africa
edited by Nehemia Levtzion and Randall L. Pouwels.
The Islamic faith and Muslims have played a crucial role in the development of Africa, not only in North Africa and West Africa where it is still the dominant religion, but also in East Africa, where its dominance decreases as one moves south, and in Southern Africa, where it was introduced through slaves and political exiles and is most prominent today in the cities of Durban and Cape Town.
Slavery
Transformations in Slavery by Paul E. Lovejoy.
An introduction to the history of slavery in Africa which examines how indigenous practices of slavery developed under the influence of international trade. The book is not limited to a study of the trans-Atlantic slave trade but considers the impact of all forms of slavery on the social, economic, and political development of the continent.
