Journey Without Maps by Graham Greene - 3 stars (Trim)

[Joy D]

Journey Without Maps by Graham Greene - 3* - My Review

Non-fiction about Graham Greene’s travel through Liberia and Sierra Leone in 1935. It took four weeks and included walking for 350-miles at a time when a map of these countries did not exist. He and a team of hired locals from various tribes trekked through forest paths and slept in a series of isolated villages. He was occasionally carried in a hammock but preferred to walk as much as his health allowed.

I read this book to find out what western Africa was like back then. This goal was only partially achieved, as its perspective is that of a British man of his era. While he comes across as more open-minded than many, it is still filled with anachronistic and condescending views regarding the people of Africa. It seems to alternate between ideas that would have been more compatible with 19th century colonial imperialism and those that reflect the difficult times of the 1930s.

It includes descriptions of diseases, insects, rats, weather, and other discomforts that made traveling through these remote areas so difficult. Apparently, drinking was required – lots of drinking. We meet a number of interesting local villagers, as well as an eccentric group of Europeans who have decided to abandon their previous lives. It is difficult to say I enjoyed this book. Greene’s outdated attitudes are almost painful to a modern reader. However, I did find it worthwhile from a historical perspective. As I read, I noticed that Greene was willing to reflect on his own prejudices and, through living and working together, finds a new appreciation for the African people.