Dan Morrison (1)

I received this book as an ARC. It has taken me much longer to review it than I planned, mainly because I simply could not get interested.

Mostly, I found the book irritating. What could have been a really descriptive account of an exciting adventure was, in actual fact, a list of complaints about poor sanitation, poor people, a ravaged environment (caused, according to the author, almost entirely by the "bad" westerners), lack of a boat, lack of transport, lack of sanitation, etc.

My main show more questions are:

1. Who in their right mind departs for such a place as Sudan, etc., without HAVING THE RIGHT PAPERS for travel? Such a serious lapse makes me question how much experience the author had, notwithstanding his listed previous travel in difficult areas. Sheer stupidity. And to endanger his friend, even worse.

2. Why did he go with a friend who had limited time, no experience to speak of, and an attitude that the poverty of the people they encountered was mostly of their own making and due mainly to laziness? Given the complete lack of facilities and education available to these folks, is it odd they are depleting the forests and overfishing the lakes? What's the next choice? Starve? Hungry people in the present have difficulty understanding conservation, I imagine.

I could go on, but I hate to throw bricks at the author. Sufficient to say, I wouldn't go anywhere less civilized than Paris with him, given his obvious lack of preparation. For Heaven's sake, he at one point mentions that his maps are years out of date. Has he never heard of buying up to date maps, using Google earth to see where he was going, anything?

The miracle is that he wasn't killed through his ignorance.

I hoped to learn a lot about the Nile, an area of personal interest; sorry to say, I didn't. show less

If you love going to your brother-in-laws house to see his home movies from his last family vacation, you may be a candidate to enjoy this book. If you're among the people who would rather clean your sock drawer than endure the family travelogue, then this book may not be for you.
Part of the problem I had was the publishers "hook" in the subtitle, e.g., "One Man's Amazing Journey Through Peace and War...". I'm sure that was intended to move the book off the bookshelves in the stores, but show more the book didn't deliver in that regard. I found the sub-title false advertising. The book really was much more of the day-to-day problems of making a several months journey through Sudan to Egypt. But it wasn't much of a river journey as much as a bus, rental car, and truck ride from one little village to another in the general vicinity of the Nile. And the adventure promised isn't about wildlife, historical points of interest, or warring tribes, but more about how the author can find a ride, find a hotel or other place to sleep, or a decent meal.
The only salvation, for me, was the reminder of how fortunate we are as Americans. The Africans the author met were a mix of very poor or often corrupt political figures, and the lives they lead are very difficult indeed. Remembering that, and remembering to appreciate what we have, was the best thing I took from this book. show less

A journalist in need of a story decided to travel the Nile from Lake Victoria to the sea, covering Uganda, Sudan and Egypt, traveling as much by local means as possible. He sets out with an old friend by paddling a leaky boat despite almost no experience on the water. Although he has planned the trip, he seems remarkably both over-equipped and under-prepared, with a very outdated and inaccurate map.

His friend, Schon, seems like a very unlikely person to take on this journey, and his outlook show more on the trip is grumpy and judgmental. When he needs to return to the United States, Dan continues alone.

This is more than an travel adventure. It is a story of conflicting cultures, tribes, politics, economies, and religions. It was hard for me to keep all the tribes straight. At one point, the author is told that he can tell one tribe from another by seeing which teeth have been ceremonially removed.

Mr. Morrison's wasn't just an onlooker. He talked to all the local people that he could, stayed with local people when he could, and traveled in some really odd and unreliable vehicles. His observations ranged from the mundane, everyday life of the people, something I always enjoy reading, to history and politics.

“I don't understand politics,” he said.... “Like ten years ago, Egypt closed the border. Completely closed. All because of something in Ethiopia.”

“Dude, I think the something was that your government tried to kill Egypt's president.”
~~~~~~~
“I was here before God. When did you come here? I was here six thousand years. Before religion. Before God.”

(These quotes are from uncorrected proofs and may not be in the book as published.)

As the author reached Egypt and the more urbane cities, it seemed the story was going to fizzle out. End of journey = end of story. That sentence is true, but the last couple of paragraphs of the book were amazing.

The copy I read was an uncorrected proof. It had a map of the whole area that I referenced frequently. I believe the finished book will have additional maps. I am hoping that the finished book may also have some of the photographs that the author took. I found myself wanting to see some of the scenes and people he described and photographed. This is a great book for any readers of nonfiction who enjoy travel, politics, African history and cultures.

A copy of this book was provided to me for review. I would have loved it even if it hadn't been free.

Edit: I've learned that the finished book will contain about two dozen photographs. I'm going to have to get a copy. show less

learned a few things about African history and politics, but did not warm to the narrator and his friend/travel companion. Almost no humor , and few interesting incidents ( though I admit, I'm surprised he survived such a poorly planned trip) Just not my cup of tea