AFRICAN MEMOIR II seemed like it would be a very interesting, informative book. It was the middle of a three-part series about all the countries in Africa presented alphabetically covering Libya through Senegal.
Mark G. Wentling, the author, worked for US-based agencies in Africa for several decades and decided to visit each country and write about each of them. Most of his traveling expenses were paid by other parties, primarily the US government.
Some of the chapters talked about the residents, occupations, politics, wars, and living conditions. Too much of it was name dropping without adding anything to the book.
The length of the chapters was very uneven. In some cases, they were only a couple pages long because he never actually got to visit much of the country because he never got out of the airport. Niger, on the other hand, had two chapters comprising almost half the book. It contains an example of the need for a competent editor. The first four sentences in the first chapter include “I feel impotent....” There is no way I can possibly do justice to communicating....” ‘I do not know where to begin....”
The interview with the author at the end includes some information about the project but the book uses initials for organizations that are not explained.
I tried very hard to read the entire book but finally gave up. While he had some interesting information, he desperately needed a good editor. I would be interested in reading a revision of this book, as well as the other two volumes, that was more organized and less wordy.

I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. ( )

Overall, the account was enjoyable. I found the scope of the book extensive and the coverage somewhat inconsistent; partially this is due to the real constraints of not spending enough time in a locale, as well as author's take on his experiences. The author relates personal accounts of his experiences as well as researched information. While some of the information is useful, the book can benefit from being pared down, which I hope the author takes into consideration, for subsequent volumes. ( )

A Peace Corps Volunteer writes about his experiences in many countries in Africa. He also gives a brief history of the countries as well as current information and statistics without bogging the book down with unnecessary information. I enjoyed learning about the countries and how they gained their independence, how the people survive, as well as current threat levels. Very interesting book. ( )

Good information, but it's obvious he isn't a skilled writer. This makes it more difficult to absorb the fascinating information he attempts to present. As a writer myself, I admit I tend to be more critical of the writing of others. However, I believe his reluctance to create a more concise text through being ruthless with how many words he used, and how he used them, makes the book less enjoyable to read. Which is why I gave him 3 out of 5 stars. There are free AI editors available online that would have immediately helped him with his final draft prior to publication. However, I did learn things about the continent I was not previously aware of. ( )

I picked this book because my knowledge of Africa is woefully limited, and I hoped to gain some insight into this vast continent. Mr. Wentling did not disappoint. For each country, there was a mix of personal accounts, brief histories, and current political and economic information. It's organized alphabetically, and this is the first of three volumes.

For me, there are two main criteria for deciding if a non-fiction book is good: 1) did it feel like reading a drab textbook? and 2) did I learn any information and retain it? This book does not feel like a textbook at all. The pages flew by, and I was surprised to find myself at the end so quickly. I have also already taken information I learned in this book and applied it to news articles I've read.

So yes, this is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it. I will definitely be reading volumes 2 and 3 in the future. ( )