by Petina Gappah
Reviewed by Linda:
Out of the darkness of Africa in the late nineteenth century was brought a shining light, explorer and missionary David Livingstone, his body carried by the faithful members of his final expedition. The Scottish traveler is immortalized in books and by statues throughout Southern Africa. The acclaimed Zimbabwean novelist Petina Gappah thought it was time to tell his story from a different perspective, that of the 69 Africans who bore his body over 1500 dangerous miles to the Indian Ocean so that it could be returned to his homeland. In her riveting telling, first through the voice of his sharp-tongued cook and then through his pious scribe, we learn surprising facts about Livingstone, the man, and even more about the diverse men, women, and children who for many different reasons trekked throughout the continent with him. Highly recommended for book groups!