George MacDonald Fraser manages to keep the humour and interest going. I've said it before, I'm saying it again, the Flashman series should be mandato...moreGeorge MacDonald Fraser manages to keep the humour and interest going. I've said it before, I'm saying it again, the Flashman series should be mandatory reading for all English History students from A-level upwards. The historical content is superb and the series looks at all the important aspects of the Victorian Empire. There may be tongue in cheek a lot of the time but there is also a lot of understanding and perception as well. This episode in the Flashman Papers deals with the fascinating topics of early English cricket, James Brooke and the Sarawak pirates, and the evil reign of Queen Ranavalona I in Madagascar. Our hardly noble anti-hero stumbles his way out of one frying-pan into another... I bet the real history wasn't much different.(less)
Kapuscinski was one of the greatest reporters around and his books are considered masterpieces in the use of the Polish language. "The Soccer War" was...moreKapuscinski was one of the greatest reporters around and his books are considered masterpieces in the use of the Polish language. "The Soccer War" was my introduction to this amazing man and, though episodic, the book has its moments of sheer horror. There's that moment when, whilst at a political meeting, you realise that all those around you, baying for blood, only see the colour of your skin - not your nationality. There's the chaos in the Congo when whites are being pulled out into the streets to be beaten and you wonder how the hell you got here. Then there's the depressing reality of politics in a colony that has to grow up overnight. Kapuscinski was the fly in the ointment; a newsman from a non-colonial state who found himself watching the collapse of empires in Africa whilst at the same time confronting the politically correct taskmasters back home in Poland. You can't fail to be gripped by the book. (less)
Mieczyslaw
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Books:
african
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