Angry Wind by Jeffrey Tayler
Posted: 26 Aug 2013, 14:23
The following is a review of Angry Wind: Through Muslim Black Africa by Truck, Bus, Boat, and Camel by Jeffrey Tayler
Set in 2003, Jeffrey Tayler takes you on a journey from Chad through Mali, Niger, Nigeria into the North African region known as The Sahel. It is the type of page-turning book that is hard to put down. A must read for those that like to be taken to far off lands, that exist on the map without having to travel to them.
Tayler's writing style was hard at first to grasp onto, but once you get a chapter into it, I found myself along for the ride. As the title suggests, he travels by bus, boat and camels to interact and bring the reader along for the ride. Illegal checkpoints, crude locals and bribery became a normal thing throughout the book, but also the occassional bright spot through hospitality without even speaking the same language.
One area that I did not like was his constant reference to other travels he had been on and how it compared to this journey. The timing of this trip (2003) and being an American, allowed for some prejudice in how he was received and treated versus his previous trips across other parts of Africa. That being said, Tayler stopped short at times with fully embracing the culture that he was visiting, merely due to his nationality and the events of 9/11.
Overall I would give the book 3 out of 4 stars for its ability to take you on an adventure in places that are rarely heard of, but falling short in full cultural immersion. Excellent read if you are interested in learning about a part of the world rarely spoken about from first hand observations.
Set in 2003, Jeffrey Tayler takes you on a journey from Chad through Mali, Niger, Nigeria into the North African region known as The Sahel. It is the type of page-turning book that is hard to put down. A must read for those that like to be taken to far off lands, that exist on the map without having to travel to them.
Tayler's writing style was hard at first to grasp onto, but once you get a chapter into it, I found myself along for the ride. As the title suggests, he travels by bus, boat and camels to interact and bring the reader along for the ride. Illegal checkpoints, crude locals and bribery became a normal thing throughout the book, but also the occassional bright spot through hospitality without even speaking the same language.
One area that I did not like was his constant reference to other travels he had been on and how it compared to this journey. The timing of this trip (2003) and being an American, allowed for some prejudice in how he was received and treated versus his previous trips across other parts of Africa. That being said, Tayler stopped short at times with fully embracing the culture that he was visiting, merely due to his nationality and the events of 9/11.
Overall I would give the book 3 out of 4 stars for its ability to take you on an adventure in places that are rarely heard of, but falling short in full cultural immersion. Excellent read if you are interested in learning about a part of the world rarely spoken about from first hand observations.