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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 916.60432
EAN num: 9780871133618
ISBN number: 087113361X
Label: Atlantic Monthly Press
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 236
Printing Date: January 13, 1994
Publishing house: Atlantic Monthly Press
Sale Popularity Level: 551315
Studio: Atlantic Monthly Press
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Malaria Dreams is a tale of high adventure across Africa, recounted with the wit and humour that delighted readers of Night Train to Turkistan, Stuart Stevens' highly praised very first book. 'A rollicking, off-beat African odyssey'.--Publishing houses Weekly.
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Rated by buyers 
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Loved this story of a cross-continent trek through Africa. I enjoyed the humour and the sense of reality of the account. The author weaves in political and cultural details bringing to light the different flavors of the countries the travelling pair crosses. I heard it as a book on tape very first which I highly recommend. It really puts you on the road with the travellers. When I had to return that to the library I got the book to finish it.
Rated by buyers -
I find it amusing that many people feel this book is biased. They obviously have never expreienced very first hand what Africa has become two generations out from liberation.
I found Malaria Dreams to be an accurate portrayal of the petty and amusing way of life, at least in Central Africa. I was particularly surprised to be able to actually identify real people in Bangui based on the characters in this book, ranging from ministers to Embassy employees. I was in Bangui for two years and faced with petty bureaucracy -- the customs agent who demanded tax be paid on a $10,000 part the German Government DONATED in an endeavor to make the country's electric turbine operational for more than an hour a day, the tax official who held up clearance of diplomatic goods until the Embassy threatened to cancel the shrimp order for the 4th of July reception (the minister's wife had the monopoly on shrim imports).
WHat Malaria dreams shows is that in the wake of colonialism, Africa is decending back into a patchwork of tribal areas and tribal thinking, with the few "Big Men" presiding over tyranny and misery, as in Zimbabwe.
Rated by buyers -
I truly enjoyed reading this book. Mr. Stevens does a fantastic job of focusing on what is entertaining and interesting. He does not dwell on useless facts that typically bog a book down; instead he tells witty little stories of his experience. I received this book on a Saturday and finished it by Sunday it was a quick highly enjoyable read.
Rated by buyers -
After reading some of the other comments, I can only conclude that there is a serious humour deficit amongst some segments of the Amazon book reviewing population. Only the hypersensitive or the irredeemably politically correct could possibly fail to enjoy this book.
The naysayers make a big deal about the author poking fun at the native Africans, but fail to notice the amount of self-depreciation he also engages in. Ultimately, you get the sense of an inexperienced but well-meaning traveller who was completely unprepared for Africa but who realises it and sees the funny side of his own naivete. He is poking fun at himself as much as anyone else. And assuming that the tales he tells of African bureaucracy are true - and having experienced it myself, I'm inclined to believe them - why on earth should he not have a laugh about them?
As a storyteller, the author has a real gift and I found the book difficult to put down.
One star subtracted only because of the abrupt and wholly unsatisfying ending.
Rated by buyers -
This book, very first of all, is not the typical "vacation book" one may purchase to motivate themselves with tales of lovely places and experiences to relish on your long awaited exotic South African adventure.
It should be acknowledged that this is a tongue in cheek review of either an ignorant gentleman, or an educated travel writer delivering just what the reader loves to read. Taken too seriously, the book is offensive. Taken too literally, one can barely believe anyone so STUPID would undertake an assignment such as the author does with no preparation whatsoever. Taken modestly, with appreciation for the genuine spirit of all people, one can easily see the unique capacity the African people have to live life and share generously with strangers passing by.
The endemic frustrations of travel are mirrored constantly by Mr. Stevens. In comic reproductions, it is recalled for the benefit of the reader, of course. The stories are hilarious and bittersweet. Many times I relished the fact that I was home and not experiencing the agony he was. Many more times, I assured myself that I would never subject myself to such unprepared punishment. But, this is what titillates a travel reader, experiencing a travel writer's life in the insured lounger of one's insured home. I appreciate those that cast their fate to the winds, and allow their adventures to take shape according to chance. It was just such opportunities that the author encountered. Unexpectantly, and often at times of great distress, he and his companion were invited into the townspeople's homes. Later, after being fed, bathed and liquored, solid friendships formed, and the true spirit of traveling in Central Africa was appreciated.
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