Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood (2001) by Alexandra Fuller. From the age of two, Alexandra Fuller (of Scots-English ancestry) grew up in Africa -- first in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), then Malawi and Zambia. Fuller poetically evokes Africa -- the look, the feel, the smell of it -- in Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight. She also paints a picture of her family that is neither flattering nor damning, just honest. At the centre of the family's life, to my mind, is the tragic fact that Alexandra's mother Nicola had five children, only two of which survived infancy. It slowly drove Nicola mad, and added an immeasurable ration of sadness to Alexandra's life. But there is also much humor in this book, and it makes for a most enjoyable read. Grade: A