Anonymous
Posted March 9, 2006
It is an eminent review of what happenned in the continent in the pre-colonial and post-colonial periods. Although I don't concur with all his opinions, this is a well researhed book. It will be an engaging reading for anyone interested in the African continent.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 26, 2005
The US press has devoted over 90% of it coverage in the last 20 years to one country South Africa. What is going on in most of the rest is ignored. The overwhelming pattern is that Africa is dominated by corruption and dictators and the people appear to accept both and flounder.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I grew up and lived in Africa for 30 years of my life and Martin Meredith has done an unbelievable job in depicting the "African Way" in this book. The book is easy to read, factual and provide the reader an excellent insight into the workings and dealings of the African people, their struggle for independence and their failure to make it work. It also show the numerous problems the continent is facing and why it has not been successful in addressing any of them. <BR/><BR/>Growing up in Africa I cannot think of a more accurate picture of the state of the continent and why it struggles and will continue to struggle to find its way out of the gloom. This is a must read for people interested in understanding how Africa works, what drives it people and why the way of the west will not solve its problems. It is also a very goof factual history of the continent since its independence in the 1950s.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 14, 2005
Martin Meredith 'The Fate of Africa' provides a complete review of all the things that plague the continent today. It is a historical overview that brings together everything you ever knew or wish you knew about the continent.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.DPAULFENTON
Posted January 26, 2012
Both terrifying, sad and informative. The journey we take in this book exposes the absolute ruthless Post colonial governance of Africa and the sequence of events that Africans had to and still do endure. We think of Africa as a single state. It is not. It is an interwoven story of its relationship with Europe, China, USSR, Cuba , and itself. Even Che was involved for a few weeks. It seeks it's identity still. Best book I have read on the African continent. You find yourself pulling for the people along the way.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 25, 2013
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Posted April 16, 2009
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More About This Textbook
Overview
First published in 2005, The Fate of Africa was hailed by reviewers as “A masterpiece. . . The nonfiction book of the year” (The New York Post); “a magnificent achievement” (Weekly Standard); “a joy,” (Wall Street Journal) and “one of the decade’s most important works on Africa” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
Now Martin Meredith has revised this classic history to incorporate important recent developments, including the Darfur crisis in Sudan, Robert Mugabe’s continued destructive rule in Zimbabwe, controversies over Western aid and exploitation of Africa’s resources, the growing importance and influence of China, and the democratic movement roiling the North African countries of Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan.
Product Details
Related Subjects
Meet the Author
Martin Meredith is a journalist, biographer, and historian who has written extensively on Africa. His books include Mandela: A Biography; Mugabe; Diamonds, Gold and War; and, most recently, Born in Africa. He lives near Oxford, England.
Table of Contents
Maps viii
Author's Note xiii
Introduction 1
Part I
1 The Gold Coast Experiment 17
2 Revolt on the Nile 30
3 Land of the Setting Sun 44
4 L'Afrique Noire 58
5 Winds of Change 75
6 Heart of Darkness 93
7 The White South 116
Part II
8 The Birth of Nations 141
9 The First Dance of Freedom 162
10 Feet of Clay 179
11 A House Divided 193
12 Death of an Emperor 206
13 The Coming of Tyrants 218
14 In Search of Ujamaa 249
15 The Passing of the Old Guard 260
16 The Slippery Slope 275
17 The Great Plunderer 293
18 White Dominoes 309
Part III
19 Red Tears 331
20 Fault Lines 344
21 The Scourge of Aids 362
22 The Lost Decade 368
23 The Struggle for Democracy 378
24 A Time of Triumph 412
Part IV
25 In the Name of the Prophet 443
26 Black Hawk Down 464
27 The Graves are Not Yet Full 485
28 Where Vultures Fly 524
29 Blood Diamonds 545
30 No Condition is Permanent 574
31 The Honour of Living 588
32 Black Gold 602
33 A Degree in Violence 619
34 Somewhere Over the Rainbow 653
35 Out of Africa 686
Chapter Notes 705
Select Bibliography 723
Index 752