Brother in the Bush: An African American's Search for Self in East Africa

by John Slaughter

Brother in the Bush is a coming-of-awareness memoir of what the experience of Africa can mean for a 21st-century African American. John Slaughter, a successful stockbroker, has “made it” as a black man in America, but his life is full of constant reminders of how violently fragile existence here really is. Not long after his Baltimore townhouse is invaded—and Slaughter confronts, shoots, and kills the intruder with his shotgun—he embarks on a series of trips to Africa that unfold over almost a decade. Along the way he discovers a way of life that transforms and deepens his identity as an African American. Seduced and humbled by the contrasting realities, beauties and dangers he discovers in East Africa, Slaughter encounters different ways of life that begin to change his conceptions of life’s purpose and meaning. Slaughter’s vivid, blunt, and erudite narrative voice moves back and forth from his past growing up in the sixties and seventies to the present-tense of his journeys. Brother in the Bush unearths, probes and assesses the truths that Africa helps teach Slaughter about his life—and all of our lives—here in today’s America.

135 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2005

Reviews

[Abdul-Malik Muhammad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in preparation for and on the flight to Kenya. Mr. Slaughter does a good job of anchoring his Kenyan and American experiences with the context of Dubois' concept of double consciousness, without using the term. I found his romanticizing of the Maasai a little uncritical, but can appreciate his reaching for African culture. As I leave Kenya (for now), I'm grateful to have had his perspective on the way in. Asante Sana Mr. Slaughter!

[Wesley Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a slow reader and I read this book in one day. It is short, vivid, to the point, and a well told real-life story that the reader can relate to regardless of their race.

This book begins with a gruesome scene, and an odd reaction to this gruesome scene. Something that, as a Black man myself, I grasped, but my best-friend (a white male) also grasped. That is the magic of this book. We both identified with this book, because of Slaughter's honest depiction of the events in his life, his refusal to accept status quo, and his drive to question the reaction of others. The book is a testimony for finding meaning in our day-to-day lives, and to stop settling for the bastardization of the American dream that is marketed to us twenty-four-seven.

Slaughter has created a work that opens up much needed dialogue concerning issues about race and perception in addition to the void that many of us have with our careers. After reading this book I wanted to explore new cultures and step outside of the boundaries I had unknowingly created. I find it no coincidence that the same year I read this book I accept an offer to travel to India for a friend's wedding-- the experience changed my life.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm reluctant to say much about this book, because as a white American it may just be hard for me to understand the author's perspective. But I've spent a few months in some of the places he visited, and everything seemed completely different to me.