Customer Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable account from a traveller, for other travellers
Comment: I too could not put this book down. It is very engrossing and it keeps you entertained. I don't see why so many are affected/offended by its simplicity, as I don't think it was ever meant to compete with any in-depth literary accounts (The Little Prince is a simple story, yet still a thoughtful read). It is an honest tale from an innocent, often amusing, perspective. It strikes a particular chord with other travellers though. I have been to Africa but plan on doing a fairly similar, if more extensive, journey through the continent- yet, books like this one are often the only invaluable insight on street-smarts and dealings with locals. Granted it is dated, it still provides bits and glimpses into what these cultures entail. I only wish the author continued his story, with accounts of his explorations in Asia.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good reading
Comment: This book talks about the author's experience traveling through many parts of Africa. The style of writing was simple and fun. However, the writer could have made more of an effort to learn about the people who live at the places he visited. At times, I felt he was traveling just for the sake of traveling.
Customer Rating:
Summary: hm
Comment: I actually had the privelidge of meeting the author at a bookstore where he was handing out his john hancock.. I rather scared him I think... but then again I suppose it is odd for an 11 year old to come up to you and start talking about the time she mummified a chicken.. but no matter This book was fairly interesting, and though I don't remember the particulars, his journey through Africa was well described and worth reading if you are interesting in traversing the continent (I don't happen to be interested in doing so- but then again I'm not the traveling sort)
Customer Rating:
Summary: KERTSCHER GOT IT RIGHT!
Comment: If you've been there, you'll recognize some of your own fantastic experiences; if you haven't been, READ THIS FIRST.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Feeling Africa
Comment: Kevin Kertscher's Africa Solo is the account of the kind of trek that just cannot be undertaken right now, and so it's worth reading for both its historical and its sociological value. Although it is different from many travel books in that it focuses on individual experience rather than history or events, the book offers a different kind of education: a single person's insight and experience.In the late 1980s, Kertscher trekked - mostly by hitchhiking, with some walking and one plane trip - through West, Central, and East Africa, taking a winding path from Oran in Algeria to Nairobi in Kenya. He also traveled mostly alone, which gave him a lot more exposure to the continent, and put him in more danger as well. An average person like Kertscher probably could not duplicate this trip today; political instability and unrest have rendered many of the countries he visited more dangerous for foreigners, as well as altering the areas through which he traveled significantly since his journey. That change is one of the primary reasons why Kertscher's book is still worth reading - he provides an account of an older Africa the one that gave birth to the current one. His observations of Mobutu's Zaire, while not as detailed as Helen Winternitz's in East Along the Equator, explain a great deal about the current situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And his account of Rwanda during a break in its long history of conflict is surprising - he describes it as one of the most peaceful and progressive countries in Africa. The personal perspective of the book - the author's solo movement through the continent, relying mostly on others for transportation - is also valuable; I got a better sense of the regional differences in the people than I have from other Africa books. Kertscher also experienced much more than most travelers do of the kindness of strangers in Africa; in his sort of travel, he was forced to rely on others, and it impressed me how often those others came through for him. I can't say I'd travel the way he did, but the results were apparently better than I would have expected. All in all, this is an engrossing read that provides a personal perspective on one portion of a very large place. Africa Solo should not be used as a guidebook, because of the many changes in the area, but cultures do change more slowly than governments, so perhaps a person planning a trip to the area would still benefit from this book. Certainly armchair travelers will enjoy it.
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