African Me & Satellite TV by @jorobinson176 #bookreview #Africa #wwwblogs

African Me & Satellite TV by Jo Robinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

African Me & Satellite TV is a contemporary novel set in Africa in the post Apartheid/ post dictatorship years of Zimbabwe. Suzette Hertzog is a white Afrikaan wife of Herman, together they live on an agricultural estate. Suzette is well aware of the gaps between the white and black people around her. Princess Sithole is the family cook and housekeeper, Christopher is their black gardener. Many of their friends are white couples linked to the estate and the local area. However they do have black friends too, Justine and David easily fit their group.

Suzette is an artist, but she stopped painting when she fully opened her eyes to the pain, anger and suffering of the African people. She chose not to see it, but her guilt sent her into depression, until she decided to take it no more.

The pivotal point came in the form of Peter and Alison Sherman, new estate employees who represented the worst of the white man in Africa with their racist views and actions. When Suzette chose to speak out about the unfair treatment of blacks, the Sherman’s tried to ridicule her, but the support she had from the rest of the community was moving.

Sadly the Sherman’s took retaliation to extremes and more than one person suffered from the consequences, whilst it brought others together in a show of strength.

This is a slow paced read, dealing with a moving subject matter, the last third of the book involves many entries from the diaries of Christopher the gardener and although interesting to a point, the large chunks of diary writing changed the flow of the book for me.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Beach Reads Blog Tour 2015 Day 1 #BeachBooks #MondayBlogs

Welcome to Day 1 of this two week Beach Reads Blog Tour.

With a heat wave forecast for this week, here in the UK, what better way to start this tour.

Come pull up a deck chair the view is great….we’ll take you on a virtual holiday of books.

Each day we’ll be hearing from  a guest telling us about their 5  chosen Beach Read books for 2015.

I’m kicking off the tour with my own holiday reads to share with you all.

My favourite destination would be an easy to get to British Beach with a pre-order of sunshine and warmth. I’m not a fan of a long stressful journey. So I might choose an out of the way spot in Dorset, Devon or Cornwall unless I could have a tailor made holiday with door to door private pick-up, priority through the airport, private staffed villa and private beach which I can arrive at all cool calm and collected.

While I’m digging my toes in the sand and soaking up the warmth wherever I may be, what shall I be reading?

My first choice is Sunrise by J.F Crane  based on the TV series Stargate – “When a Stargate malfunction throws Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Lt. Colonel Sam Carter, and Teal’c back in time, they only have minutes to live.”
I love that this is a thin paperback and I would start this on my holiday journey, it will easily slip into my hand luggage. I’ve only recently discovered these books and that one of my favourite TV series can now be read too is really exciting. It’s not a genre I usually read and I’m looking forward to meeting SG1 all over again. I know I’ll also pass it on to my husband afterwards. Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

My second choice is African Me & Satellite TV by Jo Robinson this book I’ve been meaning to read for ages. I previously bought it as a paperback gift for a friend, but I think I’d read it as an e-book on my Kindle. “Suzette manages very well to live her life without actually taking part in it. She avoids any possibility of pain by very carefully ignoring reality.” I like books about Africa there’s something about the age and knowledge of the continent that pulls me in and this book is highly recommended. Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

My third choice is Your Handwriting Can Change Your Life by Vimala Rodgers. This will be my easy read book, I’ll have this in paperback because I want to flip back and forth through it. I have handwriting which I’d like to improve and what better way than when I  have the time to practise the letters each day whilst I’m free from work and daily life. “When we purposefully change our handwriting, we introduce attitudes that can improve our relationships, give us the impetus to achieve and take risks, and simply bring out the best in us.” Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

I’m a big Nora Roberts fan, so this will be my next choice, Dark Witch by Nora Roberts is a book from one of my favourite genres, this book encompasses Ireland with a paranormal romance. I’ll read this in paperback so I can pass it on to my friends when I’ve finished as they also like Nora Roberts. “With indifferent parents, Iona Sheehan grew up craving devotion and acceptance. From her maternal grandmother, she learned where to find both: a land of lush forests, dazzling lakes, and centuries-old legends.” Can’t wait to read this. Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

 

My final choice is this book,  I Can Do It by Louise L Hay This is my self-help book to help me return from my holiday full of the mojo to get on with my life. I would buy the hardback copy because it comes with a CD for audio listening as well. “change and improve virtually every aspect of your life—by understanding and using affirmations correctly.” I’m always looking for ways to improve my life experience and this is the book for me, it’s up-lifting and positive and just the thing to set in motion whilst away, ready for my return home.

What will you be reading on your holiday? Come back tomorrow for more Beach read recommendations.

Rosie’s Avid Readers #RBRT African Me and Satellite TV by Jo Robinson

Rosie’s Avid readers are people who like reading and have a book to tell us about, they are the voice of a friend who says ” I just read this book….”

Avid Reader’s thoughts.

I shall never forget this book, so many points of view so wonderfully expressed.  It asks history should we have gone there? Should we try to put our values & customs onto people who have no idea what we are talking about? I think back to my childhood in Sunday school where we were told what wonderful work the missionaries were doing, but were they?  Exploitation is a terrible thing, it still goes on.

This book shows deeply that all peoples evolve at different rates and the cultural shock of suddenly finding yourself several century’s in the future among people who think that you should think like them regardless is a disaster. It reminds us that we have no patience and cannot wait for others to catch up, then we move on again.  Lessons from the book are that the world is there not only should we look after it but we should also look after the people & not interfere for our own selfish lives. Other cultures may well need help to understand our cultures but not at their expense.

Book description.

For many years Suzette has managed very well to live her life without actually taking part in it, avoiding any possibility of pain by very carefully ignoring reality. Until something happens. Something so terrible that she has no choice but to abandon her cocoon of safety.
After the brutal beating of an elderly domestic worker, Suzette takes her in, and sets off a chain of events that leads to devastating heartbreak. And an unexpected hero changes everything. Finally finding her voice, she speaks out, and her world explodes, culminating in the death of a very special man.
On her path to make amends, she discovers the story of his life, connects with the people of his past, and finds the chance to fully live her life once again if that’s what she chooses to.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

We welcome recommendations especially from non-authors for this feature, and would love to hear from anyone who would like to leave a comment and follow the blog.