Recommended Titles

Lonely Planet South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland

Cosmopolitan Cape Town and exuberant Soweto, rugged coastlines and Drakensberg peaks, Winelands and grassy velds - discover the manifold delights of South Africa and the mountain kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland with this inspiring guide. Buy

Labels: South Africa, Travel Guide

Estes, Richard D. and Daniel Otte (illustrator). The Safari Companion: A Guide to Watching African Mammals

Estes, who is affiliated with Harvard University and the Smithsonian Institute as a research associate, spent over eight years doing fieldwork in Africa and over 17 years leading safaris. His qualifications as an expert on the social ecology of African mammals are reflected in the text, which describes approximately 86 species of African mammals. Buy

Labels: Environment, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Travel Guide

Meredith, Martin. The Fate of Africa: From the Hopes of Freedom to the Heart of Despair

The value of Meredith's towering history of modern Africa rests not so much in its incisive analysis, or its original insights; it is the sheer readability of the project, combined with a notable lack of pedantry, which makes it one of the decade's most important works on Africa. Spanning the entire continent, and covering the major upheavals more or less chronologically...from the promising era of independence to the most recent spate of infamies...Meredith brings us on a journey that is as illuminating as it is gruelling. Buy

Labels: Ghana, History, Kenya, Politics, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda

Ngcobo, Lauretta. And They Didn't Die

"And They Didn't Die brilliantly chronicles the untold predicaments of women caught between custom, white law, and the migrant system. Much of its power lies in Ngcobo's talent for complication and nuance, and for her refusal of dogma. . . . It explores what happens when women start asking questions: about cattle and the land, about female power, about tradition, about violence, about sex."--Anne McClintock, Voice Literary Supplement. Buy

Labels: Literature, South Africa, Women

Nolen, Stephanie. 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa

Nolen puts a very human face on HIV/AIDS in Africa, verbally and visually. A photograph accompanies each of the book's 28 personal histories (one subject stands for one million infected people in sub-Saharan Africa). The faces in the photos appear no different than faces of everyday Americans, but that appearance belies the horrific reality of lives shredded by devastating disease.

Labels: Biography, Ghana, Health, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda

Paton, Alan. Cry, the Beloved Country

Cry, the Beloved Country is a beautifully told and profoundly compassionate story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son Absalom, set in the troubled and changing South Africa of the 1940s. The book is written with such keen empathy and understanding that to read it is to share fully in the gravity of the characters' situations. It both touches your heart deeply and inspires a renewed faith in the dignity of mankind. Buy

Labels: Literature, South Africa

Shomon, Joseph James. Wild Edens: Africa's Premier Game Parks and Their Wildlife

Africa has more parks, reserves, and sanctuaries than any other continent, and despite extreme poverty and tremendous population burdens, many countries are committed to wildlife conservation and protection. Shomon, the director of American Conservation Planning Associates, has written a guided tour of Africa that blends natural history with travel and personal experience. Buy

Labels: Environment, South Africa

The Rough Guide to South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland 4

Now in its 4th edition this Rough Guide has been fully updated and revised. Its 16-page full-colour section introduces the author's highlights, from the mysterious Drakensberg mountains to the winelands of the western cape, to whale watching on the southern Cape Coast and pony trekking in Lesotho. Buy

Labels: South Africa, Travel Guide

Theroux, Paul. Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown

The wittily observant and endearingly irascible Paul Theroux takes readers the length of Africa by rattletrap bus, dugout canoe, cattle truck, armed convoy, ferry, and train. In the course of his epic and enlightening journey, he endures danger, delay, and dismaying circumstances. Gauging the state of affairs, he talks to Africans, aid workers, missionaries, and tourists. What results is an insightful meditation on the history, politics, and beauty of Africa and its people. Buy

Labels: Armchair Travel, South Africa

Thompson, Leonard. A History of South Africa (Third Edition)

A penetrative probe into South Africa's memorable history. Beginning with the earliest aborigines of the area and concluding with the up-to-date happenings, Thompson examines primarily the encounters of blacks. The text is basic for any reader who wishes to comprehend the historical patterns that preface the struggles that seethe and boil in this country. Buy

Labels: History, South Africa

Tsotsi (DVD 2005)

Captivating audiences worldwide, this compelling story of crime and redemption has earned countless awards around the globe. On the edges of Johannesburg, Tsotsi's life has no meaning beyond survival. One night, in desperation, Tsotsi steals a woman's car. But as he is driving off, he makes a shocking discovery in the backseat. In one moment his life takes a sharp turn and leads him down an unexpected path to redemption ... giving him hope for a future he never could have imagined. Buy

Labels: South Africa

Bechky, Allen. Adventuring in Southern Africa: The Great Safaris and Wildlife Parks of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Malawi, Leso

Adventuring in Southern Africa is a comprehensive guide to the geography, culture, natural history, and adventure opportunities in these eight countries. Buy

Labels: Environment, South Africa, Travel Guide