Angry Wind: Through Muslim Black Africa By Truck, Bus, Boat, And Camel

by Jeffrey Tayler

Hailed by Bill Bryson and the New York Times Book Review as a rising star among travel writers, Jeffrey Tayler penetrates one of the most isolated, forbidding regions on earth--the Sahel. This lower expanse of the Sahara, which marks the southern limit of Islam’s reach in West and Central Africa, boasts such mythologized places as Mopti and Timbuktu, as well as Africa’s poorest countries, Chad and Niger. In parts of the Sahel, hard-line Sharia law rules and slaves are still traded. Racked by lethal harmattan winds, chronic civil wars, and grim Islamic fundamentalism, it is not the ideal place for a traveler with a U.S. passport. Tayler finds genuine danger in many guises, from drunken soldiers to a thieving teenage mob. But he also encounters patience and generosity of a sort found only in Africa.
Traveling overland by the same rickety means used by the local people--tottering, overfilled buses, bush taxis with holes in the floor, disgruntled camels--he uses his fluency in French and Arabic (the region’s lingua francas) to connect with them. Tayler is able to illuminate the roiling, enigmatic cultures of the Sahel as no other Western writer could.

Genres: Travel, Africa, Nonfiction, Biography, Islam, Senegal, Niger

252 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Jeffrey Tayler is a U.S.-born author and journalist. He is the Russia correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly and a contributor to several other magazines as well as to NPR's All Things Considered. He has written several non-fiction books about different regions of the world which include Facing the Congo, Siberian Dawn, Glory in a Camel's Eye, and Angry Wind, the latter being a portrait of a journey through the Muslim portion of black Africa. His most recent book, River of No Reprieve, is about a challenging raft trip down Russia's Lena River.

Tayler is an accomplished linguist; in addition to his native English, he is fluent in Russian, Arabic, French, and modern Greek, and has a functioning knowledge of Spanish and Turkish.

Reviews

[Weavre · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really glad that, occasionally, a talented journalist is willing to take a seriously exotic trip and write a book about it, which allows me to indulge the heartfelt desire of youth to experience the world in all its unmasked gritty reality ... without quite having to admit that the grown-up me really isn't interested in hunkering in a thin wool blanket against the cold night wind of the Sahel, or chewing gristly meat seasoned with sand. Besides, as a woman it just wouldn't be possible for me to undertake a real trip such as the one shared through the pages of this book.

The good news is that Angry Wind tells its story quite well, providing just enough political background to inform its setting without weighing down its grand adventure. Fantastic read!
---

Aw, my recommendation is too long again. Here it is:
I would recommend this book to Jack, although it's not the part of Africa he plans to visit, and to anyone else who loves travel but isn't so keen on the Sahel's dubious available accommodations

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know me well, you know I love books like this, that carry me to cultures and countries unfamiliar and inaccessible. This book is the epitome of that! I am unlikely to ever travel to the sub-Sahara and meet the people there, given the violence and natural dangers of the area. This area is largely Muslim, and so Tayler writing about his time there after the US was fighting in Afghanistan but had not yet toppled Saddam's regime there was a LOT of anit-US sentiment. I think for the first time I understood why Bush bore the weight of the blame for this, whether the people making the judgements were educated or not. It was in Bush's time that worldwide communication was widespread and for the first time, the people of Africa saw the US as furthering its own interests, as opposed to being the peaceable shining beacon of democracy for the entire world, as it had always been portrayed to be but never fully was.

[Vivek KuRa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to understand this author's tone through out the book. At times he sounds rational and understanding but mostly he is opinionated and judgemental about the traditions, beliefs and life style of Central/West Africans as done by most of the westerners normally. Mostly, his interest seems to be only to look at the problems of Central/West Africa through the religion in his travels. But I liked his argumentative conversations with the people/clergies/Imams about their misconstrued religious dogmas and practice. It shows his sincerity and effort to educate himself in a scholarly way. But he seems to lack the skills to understand the trails and tribulations of a common African . I felt that he grazed the tip of the grass and moved on from one country to another too soon like a migrating cattle. The book was a hasty snap shot of the lives of Africans in early 2000.

Nevertheless ,a travelogue to be read if you have interest in knowing the culture of rural Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Mali and Senegal.

[Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely well written and interesting but I'm being petty and knocking it to three because of the wildly vascilating tone throughout. Maybe I just don't like Tayler that much? I'm willing to give him another shot.

[liirogue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting stories, but the writing was uneven and the author was very quick to draw conclusions.

[P M E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Travel writers irk me. They have zero qualifications, yet travel somewhere, expect audiences with important people with other more important sh*t to do, have a few cursory experiences in a place, and then embellish them to make seem unique and insightful.

I shouldn't say "No qualifications". He touts his "experience with model trains" to write about the Senegalese train system. Gag.

So travel writers that go to absurdly dangerous places, put countless people's lives at risk, and then go on their merry way (obviously expecting State Dept and military to risk their lives to help him when he gets in a pickle), irk me the most.

He did offer a few interesting insights about a region that, well, no one goes to. But next book about the Sahel I'll read something by a soldier, diplomat, ex-aid worker (or a local, fancy that) - people who had to make more difficult decisions than how to catch the next bus.

[Fred · Rating 1 out of 5]

He really wants you to know he's doing an amazing thing - but other than getting other people to drive him to war zones in the arse end of nowhere he doesn't seem to be doing a great deal. Oh and he can speak 3 languges which he's very proud of.

[Sandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2005, travel writer Jeffrey Tayler went to Africa and traveled the Sahel which is the lower half of the Sahara Desert. It is a barren, unwelcoming place and the people are mostly Muslim. There are areas that are quite fundamentalist with strict Sahari law and other places that are more relaxed. Regardless, in almost every place he went, the American government was disliked and scorned.

Tayler traveled as the native people did. He used taxis, moped, camels, small boats and cars with huge holes in the floors. The travel almost always took more time than he expected and he often had to pay extra at borders to get his passport stamped. The annual wind was blowing and there was constant dust and debris. Food was sometimes wonderful but often poverty level as he ate with those he traveled with.

One thing that was surprising was that he encountered slaves in several places. In some places, it was a remnant of slavery with two distinct classes, nobles and slaves who never intermarried even if the slavery was not in place anymore. In other areas, there was slavery where the people enslaved worked for those who were the masters. Although outlawed, in the rural areas there is no one to report it to and no one to enforce the laws against it and it endures.

Jeffrey Tayler was the Russian correspondent for The Atlantic for many years and also contributed to NPR's All Things Considered. He has written eight travel books, mainly focusing on Russia and Africa. In this book, he discusses the disparity between other countries and the bleak existence he encountered in these areas of Africa and how it is the foundation for an eventual uprising and revolution. This book is recommended for readers who enjoy travel writing.

[Jamieson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the winter of 2002/2003, travel writer Jeffrey Tayler traveled through the Sahel (a region just south of the Sahara in western Africa). The Sahel is the home to the great West African empires of Mali and the Songhai. The bulk of the book occurs in the countries of Chad and Nigeria followed by Mali and then Niger with Cameroon and Senegal being featured, but only briefly. It's good book that gives the reader a look into the locals' thoughts on Islam, Christianity, foreign aid, the war on terror, tradition vs progress and much more. Although it's taken a while to get through this time round (I've had other things I've been reading or just haven't felt like reading at times), it's a relatively easy read and flows at a rapid pace. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Africa, foreign views of America (though by this point they're a bit dated) or just plain anyone who has a desire to travel.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tayler traveled thru the Sahel. This is the lower part of the Sahara, where the ebb of Islam reached it's farthest point into West and Central Africa. It is a borderland between Christianity coming up from the south, a land of margins, of booming populations, government corruption and extreme poverty. Sweeping history, and bloody history meet in mythologized places as Mopti and Timbuktu, as well as Africa’s poorest countries, Chad and Niger.

Why I started this book: This book has been on my professional reading list for years... and I'm ready to check it off.

Why I finished it: This is part of the world that I have no ties to, and very little knowledge of. For that reason, this book was fascinating, horrifying and so enlightening. Tayler's desire and ability to see, communicate and embrace the common humanity that we share, while witnessing the kindness, hatred and extreme poverty is encouraging.

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bumped this up to a 3 star by factoring in the context of this book, written in the aftermath of 9/11, which I found often misogynistic and hyper focus on “the Islam vs west” conflict, which were products of the time, I suppose. The editorializing about cultural clashes, at times, were broadly thoughtful, and times unironically hypocritical. Also, in my opinion, needed a deeper edit for balance.
My review at 3 stars, then, has more to do with the tour of the Sahel and the lengths the author (mostly) went to to describe the many environments he traversed in fascinating imagery. As a resident of Dakar, I was pretty disappointed that his narrative ran out of steam, as he did on his quest, so did not spend the same effort on contextualizing his final city.

[Matthew Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

EXOTIC! I stumbled upon this book by chance at a second-hand bookstore online and decided to purchase it. Based on what I had read, this book had a very good grasp on society, culture and religion within the Sahel of Africa as writer Jeffrey Tayler was exploring the region. However, as a fan of non-fictional travelogues, I find issue with the more middle parts as it felt quite repetitive and uneventful which lead it to get quite boring as it tackled practically the same issues in society, with similar landmarks visited. Despite these not-so-fun parts, I was able to enjoy the book.

[Friends of the Brooklyn Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tinka: An American journalist's account of his travels through the Sahara just after the 9/11 incident.
1) The US/Muslim conflict in early 21st century - realistic, yet sympathetic.
2) The impact of Western colonization on a marginal population impacted by global economic realities in the historic (slavery/colonial borders) and current encroachment of the Sahara dessert due to global warming.
3) The tenacity of man to live + procreate notwithstanding dire circumstances such as poverty, war, corruption in all its forms.

[Tom Leland · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, it was like having a completely like-minded person explore a region I never will. I related to his every reaction and observation, sure that in the same circumstance they would be virtually identical to my own. I learned so much -- perhaps the most valuable being the clear evidence that the country names of Muslim Black Africa are next to meaningless, in a vast land where no linguistic or ethnic territories correspond to national frontiers.

[Jorge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

A great travel book by one of the best travel writers out there. Gives a human, balanced and very interesting perspective of the Sahel, one of the least known regions in the world.

[Ben O · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. It was okay.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had some tremendous words. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, the only complaint I have is his writing of black women (ebony shoulders, sensuous hips, chestnut brown skin, etc).

[Vari Lemur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe the best analysis of the contemporary situation in the Sahel Zone. A sad truth told of what happened and happens there to this day.

[Christopher Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hats off to Tayler for even thinking up this crazy idea; a bonus hats off for how he managed it, switching between English, French and Arabic as he traveled through Saharan Africa. Brilliant.

[Francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-

[Jemima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read. Interesting - an area of the world I knew nothing about previously. The last few pages felt a bit incongruous with the rest of the book though - a fast descent into pessimism.

[PJ Ebbrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visiting West Africa has fallen off any list of places for me to travel to now, after reading this book.

[Jules · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much of the white man in Africa tourism. Not enough of the lost kingdoms and their history.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think of Mr. Tayler as the deathwish traveler. This is the third book of his that I have read and in this one he puts himself in even more danger than in the first two.

Tayler does a good job of describing his travels through places I will never see and giving enough background to give some context without bogging the narrative down. His observations on the likely future of this region, the Sahel, aren't very hopeful but likely realistic. He doesn't shy from discussing difficult topics with people he meets, such as female circumcision - and what he reports that they say is worth reading.

This is not a fun travel book (having a blurb from Bryson, the quintessential fun travel guy, seems strange in that respect) but it's engaging and thought provoking.

I think Tayler is writing better than his earlier books. I still a newer book of his about Russia to read - good!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tells a bit of history at the beginning of each new region he enters - kind of dry. Religion, Tayler's and those of the people he meets in the Sahel region, is a common theme. His descriptions of his interactions with locals is absorbing, with moments of laugh out loud humor, made even more amusing by their unexpectedness and dry, slightly sardonic tone. Seems to have a penchant for expounding on the night sky. He also goes into detail about the environment of his surroundings, making the reader glad he's not in the wind/sand/duststorms. Ties it all together at the end with his views and thoughts about the region's past, present and future in one bloc, but placement of the ending is abrupt. I would recommend it to find out more about the different peoples living in the Sahel. He does a good job of introducing everyone and everything.

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angry wind was a good book .The author Jeffrey Tayler travelled across the Sahel from Chad to Dakar, Senegal.This lower expanse of the Sahara forms the old trade route and is mainly muslim countries. It is also a very poor section of Africa with increasing drought and population increases that are putting even more pressure on an already afflicted land.This book was published in 2005 duing the Bush presidency when America was invading Iraq. The author talked with men along the route who looked at America as anti muslim and the author also commented on the lives of women in this area.The average life expectancy in a number of these countries is forty odd years and a caste system exists which predetermines the lives of many.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Details the authors journey through western Africa in 2002 just after 9/11 and just before the US invaded Iraq. This is predominately Muslim area, and the author details peoples' attitudes towards the US government and Americans. He also details the regions colonial history and the varying ethnicities and relationships between them. A fascinating first had account of travel through a region that most people will never see. It doesn't read as easily as The River of No Reprieve but is well worth the effort.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who's never travelled to Africa it was very interesting to read a first hand account of travels through such an oft-overlooked sliver of it. I was aware of the division between ethnic/tribal groups and Christians and Muslims, but didn't realize some groups still refered to others as "you're my slave" when they met on the street. The lack of roads and delays caused by trasportation (rail, overloaded desert-worthy trucks, etc) surprised me. I can't imagine living with such everyday inconvience. I guess if you live it everyday you just learn to accept it and plan accordingly.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a trip I would only have taken by book. Tayler travels to the sub-Sahara region of Africa, an area I knew little about. During his travels, he meets ignorance and tradition head on. Poverty, disease, and filth abound. And Tayler seems little reason to hope for a better future. All in all, a grim journey. Told compellingly, however…I am now off to find Tayler’s earlier book, a book in which he travels to north Africa.

[Elie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was crap. I'm sorry to say so, because I'll quite probably run into the author at the bar I run and have to explain myself. But seriously, Taylor's cultural paradigm is so set that there is no joy to his travel or his writing. He suffers all through the desert of North and West Africa, resenting that the runs of caravan kingdoms that remain aren't cool enough. And he keeps making anchorless references to Al Qaeda, as if his editor post 9-11 made him put that in there. Lame.