Audiobook10 hours
The Black Nile: One Man's Amazing Journey Through Peace and War on the World's Longest River
Written by Dan Morrison
Narrated by Sean Runnette
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
Investigative journalist Dan Morrison hired a boat builder, summoned a childhood buddy, and set out paddling from Jinja, Uganda, down the White Nile toward Cairo. Four thousand miles, two companions, and several other means of local conveyance later, he emerged on the Mediterranean. The story Morrison tells of this spectacular-and spectacularly harrowing-journey is a mash-up of narrative travel writing, investigative reportage, and current history, resulting in a thoughtful, funny, and frightful trip across a region whose people are trying to claw their way from war and poverty to something better.
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Reviews for The Black Nile
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
4/5
4 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Some interesting looks into the African/Eqypt/Arab part of the world. Sudan is a world I never knew much about so interesting. Here is a quote that stuck with me "why when millions here are killed does no one report on it while in Palestine if a chicken gets killed it gets reported"
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is a very difficult review for me to write. I was disappointed in the The Black Nile. It was a struggle for me to get through the first three fourths of the book. I read and then could not remember what I read. The pace was very slow and there were things that might have been better edited out because they interrupted the flow of the book. Maybe this book was just not for me. There were spots of humor and some interesting facts about the different cultures he encountered but not enough. Also there seemed to be times where more transition would have helped. I wished for more explanation of the non English words either in the narrative or in the glossary in the back. I wished for more depth of feeling during some of the remarkable experiences. In the last fourth of the book, it had a faster and easier pace. I was familiar with what was going on the areas that he explores I was not aware that the governments were so non-communicative. I had already been aware of the politics of the region but not so much the culture. The information about the cultures added a richness to the book. If the whole book had been like the last fourth I would given it a 5 star rating.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A journalist in need of a story decided to travel the Nile from Lake Victoria to the sea, covering Uganda, Sudan and Egypt, traveling as much by local means as possible. He sets out with an old friend by paddling a leaky boat despite almost no experience on the water. Although he has planned the trip, he seems remarkably both over-equipped and under-prepared, with a very outdated and inaccurate map.His friend, Schon, seems like a very unlikely person to take on this journey, and his outlook on the trip is grumpy and judgmental. When he needs to return to the United States, Dan continues alone.This is more than an travel adventure. It is a story of conflicting cultures, tribes, politics, economies, and religions. It was hard for me to keep all the tribes straight. At one point, the author is told that he can tell one tribe from another by seeing which teeth have been ceremonially removed.Mr. Morrison's wasn't just an onlooker. He talked to all the local people that he could, stayed with local people when he could, and traveled in some really odd and unreliable vehicles. His observations ranged from the mundane, everyday life of the people, something I always enjoy reading, to history and politics.“I don't understand politics,” he said.... “Like ten years ago, Egypt closed the border. Completely closed. All because of something in Ethiopia.”“Dude, I think the something was that your government tried to kill Egypt's president.”~~~~~~~“I was here before God. When did you come here? I was here six thousand years. Before religion. Before God.”(These quotes are from uncorrected proofs and may not be in the book as published.)As the author reached Egypt and the more urbane cities, it seemed the story was going to fizzle out. End of journey = end of story. That sentence is true, but the last couple of paragraphs of the book were amazing.The copy I read was an uncorrected proof. It had a map of the whole area that I referenced frequently. I believe the finished book will have additional maps. I am hoping that the finished book may also have some of the photographs that the author took. I found myself wanting to see some of the scenes and people he described and photographed. This is a great book for any readers of nonfiction who enjoy travel, politics, African history and cultures.A copy of this book was provided to me for review. I would have loved it even if it hadn't been free.Edit: I've learned that the finished book will contain about two dozen photographs. I'm going to have to get a copy.