Review of 4 Daniel A Precolonial History and My Life History in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe

[João Ramos]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "4 Daniel A Precolonial History and My Life History in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe" by Edmund Katso.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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4 Daniel A Precolonial History and My Life History in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe by Edmund Katso is a non-fiction book that tells the story of a country of the same name since the precolonial period and even after the arrival of European colonizers. Unlike the most famous books on African history, the author used archaeological sources and the oral traditions of the indigenous people. As mentioned in the Amazon description, the book "was inspired by a strong desire to leave a legacy to my son who grew up in Germany."

What stands out most about the book is how the author tells his people's stories. Most similar books have a Eurocentric view, and Africans are seen in a disparaging light. Not only is the role of colonizers seen in a favorable light, but Africa, before the arrival of Europeans, is presented as a continent with no history at all. Edmund Katso provided an unbiased account of how Europeans acted in the past and a more realistic view of what life was like on the continent before the arrival of the white man.

Unfortunately, the book has some serious flaws. The first (and most serious) point that caught my attention was the incredible number of grammatical errors. The errors are mild, but they appear in excessive quantities. The most common mistakes are improperly spaced words, incorrectly written Portuguese names, lack of punctuation, and misuse of commas. I stopped counting after reaching ten, but the book has more than 50 grammatical errors.

Another problem with the book is that it becomes monotonous in some parts, with the author tiringly describing the succession of African leaders. Adding more figures at strategic points could minimize this problem. Still, even the current pictures in the book need to be modified, as some are so small that it is clear the book needs another round of editing.

Edmund Katso had a great idea when he thought about creating this work. Unfortunately, the work has severe defects that must be fixed in a second edition. As seen in the last two paragraphs, the problems are not superficial and prevent the work from being read with enthusiasm, even with its fascinating content. As there were several problems, I was still deciding whether to take 2 or 3 points off the final score, but I decided on the first option. Therefore, I rate 4 Daniel A Precolonial History and My Life History in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe 3 out of 5 stars.

I recommend this book to those who like African history, especially those who want to see it from an African perspective. As the book contains some racial slurs, anyone under 18 years of age should avoid it.

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4 Daniel A Precolonial History and My Life History in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe
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[Ifeanyi Nwokike]

A historical book that touched the African continent. The reviewer said errors and it's poorly edited work is a minus to the book. It will be fine if the book goes through another editing putting punctuation marks properly. Thanks for your sincere review.

[Gerry Steen]

This would indeed be an interesting book to read. Africa has such a rich history in precolonial times. I am interested in learning about the history of Rhodesia and Zimbabwe. The real historians are the indigenous people and their oral traditions. We can also learn a lot from archaeology. Thank you for pointing this out in your review. I am adding this book to my bookshelves. Thank you.