Crazy River by Richard Grant and East African Chapati
East African Chapati is basically fried bread (which is very similar in many cultures across the world). My chapati did not look like the recipe but it was still good.
Recipe: https://www.africanbites.com/east-african-chapati/
I have had this book for a few years and just now reading it. Many of you may recognize the name, Richard Grant, as the writer of Dispatches from Pluto. If you have not read Dispatches form Pluto yet, it is a must! I was very skeptical at first (what Southern wouldn’t be when you read about a New Yorker coming to live in the South, possibly to tell us how we are doing everything wrong). However, Grant gave a very insightful analysis to what plaques the Delta and the difficulties in “fixing” the problems (poor schools, poverty, etc.). I am sure I can safely say that Grant earned much respect from Southerns through the fairness in his writing. Also, it is HILARIOUS! After reading the book, some friends and I took a “Dispatches from Pluto” road trip, visiting many of the places mentioned in the book, even his home in Pluto, MS. A few months after this trip (maybe longer…I can’t remember), Richard Grant and Martha Foose (cookbook lady and his friend) spoke at St. Andrews school. A friend and I went to hear both of them. It was there that I bought Crazy River, signed of course by the author (oh…and one of Martha Foose’s cookbook signed by her as well). Anyway, I haven’t thought much about this book until now.
I LOVED this book! I will give a disclaimer: it does have some language every now and then (not consistent, though) and it does talk a lot prostitution. Thankfully, it does not give graphic details of prostitution (as in some historical fiction novels I have read) – just more the talk about how prevalent it is. Now…what made me love this book…
1) In a previous post, I mentioned one of my favorite World History units to teach is colonialism. This book gave many details on the history of colonialism and the effects it still has on African today.
2) He ties in so many economic aspects in the novel. Many of his examples are heartbreaking, though. For example, he discussed the market for albinos, who are seen as “lucky charms.” He explained how much a hand would go for or an entire “set.” Some details are not as heartbreaking but how other markets work or did work (he ties past and present).
3) He truly looked at details that face many countries, specifically Burundi and Rwanda. I love his insightful thoughts about what faces the countries today and how solving these issues is very complicated. For example, I didn’t realize Kagame in Rwanda was a dictator. I knew he was respected by many Western leaders, and how he turned the country around after the genocide (one of the better places to visit now). Burundi, on the other hand, is more democratic but will never be able to turn around because of the lack of vision and power by those in office. It is presented either you want this or that but not both.
4) It has been about 15 years since I taught Advanced World Geography. One of my favorite units to teach was Africa (we taught this course differently than many teach it today…it was project-based). One of the projects was choosing a social issue facing Africa and create an iMovie on that issue. This book not only expanded on those issues but even presented other ones I never thought about like the increase numbers of cattle grazing the land (it is not only killing the agricultural aspect but diminishing the wildlife as well).
5) He discusses the corruption in humanitarian aid sent to Africa. Nearly each year, half of all money sent to African nations can be located in Swiss banks. A point I never thought about, too, is how this aid makes them more dependent on foreigners and less willing to seek change in the status quo.
I could give MANY MORE reasons as to why I loved this book; however, I believe anyone who wants to visit East Africa should read this book in order to gain insight into the cultures and issues facing these regions. Also, it may seem like I told you all about the book. However, the real reason for the book was to explore a river that has rarely been explored (after all these years). It was through this exploration where he learned about what is these countries face, learning all this through friendships, interviews, and contact made with everyday people.
I would encourage you to read this book; however, if you haven’t read Dispatches from Pluto yet, read that one first! You will not regret it.
