The Last Resort: A Memoir of Zimbabwe in Around the World in 80 Books

Dec 09, 2015 Jim rated it it was amazing

Shelves: craziness, africa, non-fiction

Zimbabwe is an excellent example of what happens when a group of countries stick their collective nose in another nation's affairs. Back in the day the breakaway state of Rhodesia was a flawed but functioning entity. It's true that there was an uneven distribution of wealth, with whites generally more wealthy than blacks, but this would not not have been a permanent state. The western press naturally had to sensationalize the situation, because that's how you get subscribers...there is no money Zimbabwe is an excellent example of what happens when a group of countries stick their collective nose in another nation's affairs. Back in the day the breakaway state of Rhodesia was a flawed but functioning entity. It's true that there was an uneven distribution of wealth, with whites generally more wealthy than blacks, but this would not not have been a permanent state. The western press naturally had to sensationalize the situation, because that's how you get subscribers...there is no money to be made by reporting that things are getting better. So Rhodesia was sanctioned to death by countries that should have known better. Elections were held at a time when the people were just not ready...the result being that the country, while nominally a democracy, is actually a functioning dictatorship run by a madman. Tens of thousands have been murdered, thousands have had their property taken without compensation, and the Zimbabwean currency is deflated to the point that a suitcase is now called a "Zimbabwean wallet."

Mr Rogers' book will take you into a remote area of this nuthouse state where his parents have managed to hang on to their backpacking and tourist resort, once a flourishing business but now at risk of appropriation by any "veteran" (former communist-backed guerilla) who can convince the state to give it to him. It is a very engaging tale of resilience, of survival and of adaptation to rapidly changing circumstances. The reader will probably find that the Zimbabwean situation has been very selectively reported...few know, for example, that black farmers can also be evicted from their lands if they are suspected of not supporting the current "democratic" regime. If you go by what the western media reported, you would probably be surprised to learn that there was such a thing as a black farmer in Zimbabwe. You will also learn that, when an eviction occurs, the people who were employed on the farm are usually also out of work, resulting in a large population of unemployed people with really nowhere to go.

Rogers will also introduce you to a salty cast of characters, survivors, hanging on to what was theirs when any rational person would have thrown in the towel. You change and adapt: work for an NGO, become a black market dealer in goods or currency, turn your resort into a brothel. There is no racism here, just people of varying races helping each other out and looking out for each other in the face of the excesses of a lunatic and non-functioning government.

My only criticism of this book is that it has no photographs: surely Rogers must have a few shots of the resort and the principal characters that he could have included to augment the narrative. Otherwise, this is the best book I've read this year. ...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Andrea rated it really liked it

Shelves: africa, zimbabwe

Quite a few white Zimbabweans have published memoirs and commentaries in the last few years. Many, like Rogers, are no longer living their, but experience it through their parents and their childhood friends. What makes Rogers' book stand out, in my opinion, is his journalist's understanding of the importance of objective facts and research to examine the compelling stories of white and black Zimbabweans, and his balanced and nuanced attention to the current political situation. This is not a "g ...more

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Mar 25, 2010 Susan rated it really liked it

Wonderful and true account of the past 10 years of life and strife in Zimbabwe, as Mugabe sends the country into ruin. The author's parents own "Drifters", a resort/lodge and he visits them off and on, learning about their struggles. ...more

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