Africa
Altered States, Ordinary Miracles
PublicAffairs · Print & ebook · December 16, 2008
After a lifetime's close observation of the continent, one of the world's finest Africa correspondents has penned a landmark book on life and death in modern Africa.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- A patient, atmospheric account of modern Africa and its historical change.
- Genres
- African Studies, African Politics, African History
- Published
- PublicAffairs, December 16, 2008
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.
In the Footsteps of Mr. KurtzMichela Wrong58% matchShares African Politics
African LaughterDoris Lessing53% match
The Fate of AfricaMartin Meredith62% matchShares African Politics and African History
A Fistful of ShellsToby Green56% match
Looking for TranswonderlandNoo Saro-Wiwa59% match
Dancing in the Glory of MonstersJason K. Stearns53% matchShares African Politics
For younger readers: A Pride of African Tales, The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay, Africa (rookie Read-about Geography: Continents)
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
After a lifetime's close observation of the continent, one of the world's finest Africa correspondents has penned a landmark book on life and death in modern Africa. It takes a guide as observant, experienced, and patient as Richard Dowden to reveal its truths.
Continue reading
Dowden combines a novelist's gift for atmosphere with the scholar's grasp of historical change as he spins tales of cults and commerce in Senegal and traditional spirituality in Sierra Leone; analyzes the impact of oil and the internet on Nigeria and aid on Sudan; and examines what has gone so badly wrong in Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Congo. Dowden's master work is an attempt to explain why Africa is the way it is, and enables its readers to see and understand this miraculous continent as a place of inspiration and tremendous humanity. Read more
History in Motion
A patient, atmospheric account of modern Africa and its historical change.
Come here for
- Historical shifts alongside oil, aid, commerce, and the internet
- A view balancing political analysis with human texture
Expect
- Perspectives spanning Senegal, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Sudan
- Attention to spirituality, politics, and ordinary humanity
Where it sits
| African Politics | 41% |
|---|---|
| African Studies | 36% |
| African History | 31% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- 20th-Century History
- Global Black Studies
- Africa Travel
- Authors
- Richard Dowden
- Publisher
- PublicAffairs
- Published
- December 16, 2008
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- 20th-Century History