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.
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I was excited to win this book since I had won and greatly enjoyed Volume 1. And Volume 2 did not disappoint. For those who haven't read the previous volume, this book is organized into chapters by country. The author describes his experiences there and usually provides some basic information about the country's history. for some countries, the author only had a brief chapter because his stay was confined to the airport for a layover. Other chapters were lengthy due to his being assigned there long-term.

If you're looking for a scholarly work about life in Africa post-colonialism, this book probably isn't for you. It also isn't a travel guide. But if, like me, you just want to learn more about the often overlooked continent, then this book is for you. It interesting and entertaining, but also informative, all without putting you to sleep. ( )

This book was a struggle to read. Although interesting, its dialog is from one man’s anecdotal experiences and includes little global reference. Non-described initials were frequently used to refer to non-government agencies causing reading delays while I took time to look them up. Being prohibited from doing so, the author, Mark Wentling, never left the one country’s capital airport. Wentling’s opinions about that country were formed based on one conversation with an airport worker.

Some books just flow. So much so that I’ve completed a 500-page book and wished the story hadn’t ended. Book two of ‘Africa Memoir: 50 Years, 54 Countries, One American Life’ was not one of those. At half that length, it took me over two weeks to read as I just couldn’t motivate myself to repeatedly pick it up. Now that it’s finished, I can write my review and move on to something better. ( )

I was lucky to get volume two because I had reviewed volume one:

I go to Library Thing to broaden my horizons and read about things I would not find otherwise. In that regard, this book did not disappoint. What is the best about this book? It was written by a person who actually lived in or visited each of the countries. What better view point than from Wentling? As a peace corps volunteer, he has seen it all, and give a personal account of each country. These countries are listed in the most judicious way possible: by alphabet. Yet it was surprising, after learning of the poverty and corruption in many of the countries [really, what I was expecting, and hoping to learn an unbiased, first hand, objective account about], it was quite an eye opener to see some of the worst toward the Ks and Ls toward the end of this volume. I so loved this book because of its educational value, but have to "take a break" before moving on to volume 2 or 3.

Volume two:

I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I was selected as a winner for the volume two. Yeah, sure, I could have simply BOUGHT volume two, but I feel honored to be selected. Wentling does an equally impressive job with this volume. The chapter on Niger was way more than one could take [I had to take many breaks between the mind numbing details in this chapter]. Most chapters are fun to read brief synopses that are informative. The Niger chapter was very heavy. Enjoyed the book, and very grateful to have received it. Will definitely look forward to volume three!!!! ( )

The strength of this memoir lies in its breadth, not its depth or skilled writing. It is a jumble of memories about various countries he visited, some for work and some for pleasure. The chapters vary greatly in length depending on how much experience he has with that particular country (or if he had a particularly memorable trip, I suppose). He's very up front about the fact that he only spent a day or even a few hours in some countries, and he doesn't feign expertise about them. Most entries include very brief historical tidbits and some cultural insights.

Some of the weaker aspects include the uneven style. Also, this is the second volume, and because it apparently assumes that you've read the first volume or are familiar with the author, it starts abruptly with no introduction to who the author is or why he's writing this. He is an American who lived and worked in Africa for several decades and made it a goal to visit as many African countries as possible.

One strange aspect is that the author continually brings up how you might have to pay money to visit some countries or that he didn't have to pay. His travel was paid for because it was for work (the US Dept. of State, it would seem), but it almost feels like he's bragging all the time about how he saw Africa for free. It just a weird vibe to add to a memoir. If it wasn't his intent to brag, it's difficult to see what the point of including this tidbit so often could be. Surely he would realize that the vast majority of travelers do have to pay for their trips?

Overall, it's a nice overview of many different countries from the perspective of an older American. I really appreciated that it includes lesser-visited countries, such as São Tomé and Príncipe, and not just the "big" African countries (Nigeria, Morocco, etc.). I probably won't seek out the other volumes, but I consider the time I spent reading it time well spent. ( )