Around the World in 80 Books discussion

'Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight' by Alexandra Fuller
I enjoy reading about everyday people who are caught up in extraordinary circumstances. In this case, the book is a true account of a white British family who chose to go and farm in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during the years of civil war which followed Rhodesia’s unilateral declaration of independence from the UK. The author gives full play to her family’s disapproval of the ascendancy of blacks in Africa and in doing so ignores political correctness in favor of the facts. She also gives a vivid and unvarnished picture of her life growing up in the African bush. You can feel her love for the sights and smells and sounds of the bush as well as her shock at its unforgiving harshness. The members of Fuller’s family, who are not only truly eccentric but also truly inebriated most of the time, are more interesting company than many characters you can find in the pages of fiction. If you want to be transported to another place and time and point of view you should read this book.

I loved this book. The author's writing is so vivid and uncompromising.

My book club just read Tales of Habib the Hoaxter, and for the first time everyone finished the book! It gave us a great discussion about the culture and time in which the stories are set, as well as about the different types of humor in the tales. Each member said which story was their favorite. Choices included "Habib and the Beggar," "Habib Buys a Donkey," "Habib and the Five Coins," and several others. The winner was "Habib and the Soup," hurt your stomach laughing funny! We all recommend this book!
Tales of Habib the Hoaxter: Sometimes Hoaxed, Always Good for a Laugh