When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa

Overview

Acclaimed by reviewers as "powerful," "haunting," and "a tour de force of personal journalism," WHEN A CROCODILE EATS THE SUN is the unforgettable story of one man's struggle to discover his past and come to terms with his present. Peter Godwin writes with pathos and intimacy about Zimbabwe's spiral into chaos and, along with it, his own family's gradual decline. This dramatic memoir is a searing portrait of unspeakable tragedy and exile, but it also offers vivid proof of the profound strength of the human spirit and the enduring power of love.

Editorial Reviews

PUBLISHER WEEKLY : In this exquisitely written, deeply moving account of the death of a father played out against the backdrop of the collapse of the southern African nation of Zimbabwe, seasoned journalist Godwin has produced a memoir that effortlessly manages to be almost unbearably personal while simultaneously laying bare the cruel regime of longstanding president Robert Mugabe. In 1996 when his father suffers a heart attack, Godwin returns to Africa and sparks the central revelation of the book--the father is Jewish and has hidden it from Godwin and his siblings. As his father's health deteriorates, so does Zimbabwe. Mugabe, self-proclaimed president for life, institutes a series of ill-conceived land reforms that throw the white farmers off the land they've cultivated for generations and consequently throws the country's economy into free fall. There's sadness throughout--for the death of the father, for the suffering of everyone in Zimbabwe (black and white alike) and for the way that human beings invariably treat each other with casual disregard. Godwin's narrative flows seamlessly across the decades, creating a searing portrait of a family and a nation collectively coming to terms with death. This is a tour de force of personal journalism and not to be missed. (Apr.)
Copyright (c) Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.

Author Information

Bio of Peter Godwin

Peter Godwin is an award winning author and journalist. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, he studied law and international relations at Cambridge and Oxford. He worked as a foreign correspondent in Africa and Eastern Europe for The Sunday Times of London. He was founding presenter and writer of Assignment/Correspondent, BBC TV's premier foreign affairs program. He now lives in Manhattan and contributes regularly to National Geographic, New York Times magazine, and BBC Radio, among others

Customer Reviews

• Yet another holocaust book - in disguise..

  Posted September 22, 2009 by Dave, Revelstoke

  Hoped for a great book set in Africa and about African people. Turns out to be a book about Jews being singled out during the holocaust. I was so bored at one point near the middle of the book that I began flipping forward page after page until it got interesting but it never did so I gave up. The boring bit was an endless chronological history of the protagonists father, not at all interesting to me.
  I guess I have been spoiled by great books about Africa like "Power of One" by Bryce Courtney.
  

Additional Info

Imprint

Back Bay

Filesize

745.53 KB

Number of Pages

368

eBook ISBN

0316032093

Awards

• American Library Association Notable Books
• Original Voices Award