Mark G. Wentling

Overall, the account was enjoyable. I found the scope of the book extensive and the coverage somewhat inconsistent; partially this is due to the real constraints of not spending enough time in a locale, as well as author's take on his experiences. The author relates personal accounts of his experiences as well as researched information. While some of the information is useful, the book can benefit from being pared down, which I hope the author takes into consideration, for subsequent volumes.
… (mer)

AFRICAN MEMOIR II seemed like it would be a very interesting, informative book. It was the middle of a three-part series about all the countries in Africa presented alphabetically covering Libya through Senegal.
Mark G. Wentling, the author, worked for US-based agencies in Africa for several decades and decided to visit each country and write about each of them. Most of his traveling expenses were paid by other parties, primarily the US government.
Some of the chapters talked about the residents, occupations, politics, wars, and living conditions. Too much of it was name dropping without adding anything to the book.
The length of the chapters was very uneven. In some cases, they were only a couple pages long because he never actually got to visit much of the country because he never got out of the airport. Niger, on the other hand, had two chapters comprising almost half the book. It contains an example of the need for a competent editor. The first four sentences in the first chapter include “I feel impotent....” There is no way I can possibly do justice to communicating....” ‘I do not know where to begin....”
The interview with the author at the end includes some information about the project but the book uses initials for organizations that are not explained.
I tried very hard to read the entire book but finally gave up. While he had some interesting information, he desperately needed a good editor. I would be interested in reading a revision of this book, as well as the other two volumes, that was more organized and less wordy.

I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.… (mer)

I was excited to win this book since I had won and greatly enjoyed Volume 1. And Volume 2 did not disappoint. For those who haven't read the previous volume, this book is organized into chapters by country. The author describes his experiences there and usually provides some basic information about the country's history. for some countries, the author only had a brief chapter because his stay was confined to the airport for a layover. Other chapters were lengthy due to his being assigned there long-term.

If you're looking for a scholarly work about life in Africa post-colonialism, this book probably isn't for you. It also isn't a travel guide. But if, like me, you just want to learn more about the often overlooked continent, then this book is for you. It interesting and entertaining, but also informative, all without putting you to sleep.… (mer)