Africa from Above: West with the Night

West with the Night

by Beryl Markham

Beryl Markharm moved to Africa with her father when she was very young. Her memoir, West with the Night, is centered on her experiences as a pilot, one of the first in Africa, let alone one of the first female ones. The book is episodic, sharing memories of flying as a young woman, hunting as a young girl, training horses at the racetrack. Hers was an unconventional life.

The writing is magnificent. Of Africa, she wrote:

It is still the host of all my darkest fears, the cradle of all mysteries always intriguing, but never wholly solved. It is the remembrance of sunlight and green hills, cool water and the yellow warmth of bright mornings. It is as ruthless as any sea, more uncompromising than its own deserts. It is without temperance in its harshness or in its favours. It yields nothing, offering much to men of all races.

While once visiting a neighbor, she was attacked by their pet lion.

The sound of Paddy's roar in my ears will only be duplicated, I think, when the doors of hell slip their wobbly hinges, one day, and give voice and authenticity to the whole panorama of Dante's poetic nightmares. It was an immense roar that encompassed the world and dissolved me in it.

While some readers may be disturbed by the story, Beryl seems to have forgiven the lion.

Beryl speaks eloquently and, compared to many of her British contemporaries in Africa, respectfully of the Africans. She describes a Kikuyu dance:

They sang in voices that were so much a part of Africa, so quick to blend with the night and the tranquil veldt and the labyrinths of forest that made their background, that the music seemed without sound. It was like a voice upon another voice, each of the same timbre.

She scouted for elephants by plane for people who wanted to hunt them. In the book, she never directly addresses the morality of elephant hunting, which of course was legal in her time. She does hint at it's foolishness.

The essence of elephant-hunting is discomfort in such lavish proportions that only the wealthy can afford it. 

The writing blends humor amongst the beauty. For example, she relates how she and a friend were waylaid by Italian officials on a flight from East Africa to England, back at a time when frequent stops were required and you couldn't just avoid troublesome areas.

Minutes had begun to accumulate into an hour before still another machine arrived, complete with side-car, and out of which popped an officer draped in a long blue cloak that bore enough medals to afford about the same protection, during the heat of battle, as a bullet-proof vest. 

The book isn't a biography; it's a meandering memoir that touches only on the aspects Beryl wanted to share. The lack of personal details is an advantage for those of us who might be interested in a book set in Africa for high schoolers as her personal life was...let's say a bit shocking. It's rambling nature centers mostly on Africa and flying in Africa, but her transatlantic flight is the culmination though without a strong connection to the rest of the book.

For our Africa study in tenth grade (Level 5 Year 2 in the Mater Amabilis™ curriculum), I assigned Four Years in Paradise as our travel/adventure book. Then I gave First Son some options for his supplemental geography reading. For the first time, he could choose between:

• The Flame Trees of Thika
• Out of Africa
• In Ethiopia with a Mule

I will add West with the Night to that list for First Daughter. I think she'd find this book more adventurous than the first two and more light-hearted than the third. (Second term reading is Things Fall Apart; third term is Cry, the Beloved Country.)

I have received nothing in exchange for this honest post. The Amazon links are affiliate links. I first checked this book out from the library and then requested a copy of our own from PaperBackSwap.com (affiliate link).

A Charism of Challenge: Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa: An Authorized Biography

by Kathryn Spink

My book club read books about Mother Teresa last month. We each read what we had at home or what we could easily find. I had this one on my shelf. It is a thorough biography.

I am fascinated and awed by an order that remains true to its charism, even amidst a culture, society, and modern world that denies such a charism is possible. There is a great tension here, even in the smallest decisions. Early on, for example, the sisters did not wear gloves when caring for the poor because Mother Teresa did not want to put barriers between the sisters and the people. I have seen recent pictures in which sisters are wearing gloves, which seems wise given how diseases are spread. They protect not only the sisters, but all the other poor being treated. There are still, however, accusations by some people that gloves are not always worn or not changed after each patient.

Another great tension is the refusal to address poverty itself. The Missionaries of Charity serve the person of Christ in front of them. They offer water, food, cleanliness, and compassion. They provide education for the young, but purposefully not in a systematic way.

Invariably, however, her response was to seek immediate and practical ways to meet the need as she found it, rather than to condemn what might be seen as the causes of that need.

There are other orders, governments, and programs that should and do address the root causes of poverty. Those should continue, but Mother Teresa insisted that the person in front of her should not suffer while waiting for societal change.

Mother Teresa opened many homes in developed countries like the United States. Though people here do not suffer in the same way as the poorest of the poor in the slums of India, they do suffer from the same spiritual poverty of being unloved and unwanted, even amidst relative wealth

If God loved each person then every meeting with another person involved the unique discovery of that which was the object of God's love in him, of that which came to him from God. Such a discovery allowed no room for condescension or for moral judgments, and took no cognizance of the obsessive search for "concrete results". Mother Teresa called upon those who lived in a world caught up in the race to be rich, powerful, and effective, to be aware of their own poverty, to make themselves weak with the weak and not to see to do big things but only small things with great love.

Writing a big check is too easy. Mother Teresa encouraged and challenged everyone to greet Christ in person, acknowledging the humanity of the poor in a physical way.

Spink brings up some of the critics of Mother Teresa and her work. For example, there are those who said she should not alleviate individual needs because that decreased pressure on governments or local leaders to address the roots of the poverty in their communities. Spink responds to each of these as they come up, always supportive of Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity.

Spink has written an exhaustive biography of Mother Teresa, one that clearly demonstrates the charism of the Missionaries of Charity and the growth of the order through Mother Teresa's lifetime (and a little beyond). It is one that would probably appeal to people of all faiths. If you are looking for a book revealing the depths of Mother Teresa's spirituality, others would be better. I had wondered if I could put this on First Daughter's list for a Level 4 twentieth century saint biography, but I think it would not be as appealing to an eighth grader.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post of my honest opinion. I received this book from another member of PaperBackSwap.com (affiliate link). The link to Amazon above is also an affiliate link.

January 2020 Book Reports

Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen - This book tells the experiences of Audrey Hepburn under Nazi occupation for five formative years in the Netherlands. It's a fascinating description of life for the average person during the war and shows how Hepburn's feelings and actions during her adulthood as a Hollywood star and celebrity were shaped by that time. (library copy)

Food: A Cultural Culinary History (The Great Courses) by Ken Albala - link to my post (purchased from Audible)

Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland - This book of short stories highlights important moments in the "life" of a hidden Vermeer painting, moving backwards in time. Parts of it were lovely. (library copy)

Golden Gate by Valenti Angelo - This is a sequel to Nino. Nino travels with his mother and grandfather to join his father in California. I believe it's based on his own experiences as a child so there are some episodes that might seem jarring or inappropriate for children in today's culture. For example, Nino and his friend discover the body of a deceased Chinese man on his boat, a man they considered a friendly neighbor if not actually a friend. There are also many descriptions of Native Americans and immigrants that don't conform to modern standards. All that being said, I just love the voice of the story and the delightful illustrations. I would happily read it aloud to my children and will allow them to read it on their own. We have lots of discussions that would address anything inappropriate. (purchased copy)

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo - link to my post (library copy)

Burmese Days by George Orwell - link to my post (copy from Paperbackswap.com
PaperBackSwap.com)

Doomsday Book by Connis Willis - The young historian, Kivrin, is mistakenly sent back to the time of the Black Death in the environs of Oxford. Her experiences illuminate the extraordinary in ordinary lives. This was my second time reading it and it was just as wonderful (and sorrowful) as the first time. (library copy)

An Introduction to the Universe: The Big Ideas of Astronomy by Brother Guy Consolmagno - link to my post (purchased from Audible)

I have received nothing for this post. All opinions are honest and my own. Links to Amazon or PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.

Begin by Looking Up: Introduction to Astronomy

An Introduction to the Universe: The Big Ideas of Astronomy

by Brother Guy Consolmagno

I recognized Brother Consolmagno's name from Brother Astronomer when I saw this audiobook and a few others in a recent Audible sale. This series of twelve audio lectures, each less than thirty minutes in length, begins with an exhortation to go outside and look at the sky, to document it over days, months, even a year.

It begins with wonder.

For Brother Guy, an astronomer with a degree from M.I.T. and a position at the Vatican Observatory, the night sky and the big ideas of astronomy connect directly to our Creator. He covers a wide range of astronomical topics in a conversational manner, none of them in the kind of detail you would encounter in an astronomy course, but all of them with delight. He also balances well the scientific rigor of the academic world with the rational exploration of how those academic facts and ideas inform our spiritual lives.

My husband is a Catholic theologian and I am a scientist by training (a biology degree many years in the past). This course includes many of the ideas and questions we want our children to consider. It will be, I think, a perfect "introduction" to a brief look at astronomy (currently planned for third term of junior year in high school; the last part of our earth sciences which will also include weather in ninth grade and geology in tenth grade). I do want to find something a little more academic to include as well, but this is where we'll start.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. I purchased this audiobook during an Audible sale. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.

A Dying Empire: Burmese Days

Burmese Days

by George Orwell

This novel explores the tensions in the British people of Burma as the Empire begins to waver. George Orwell writes beautifully of the people and environment of Burma. If he did not love it himself, he certainly understood how it could be loved. (He served with the Imperial Police in Burma.)

There was a stirring noise high up in the peepul tree, and a bubbling noise like pots boiling. A flock of green pigeons were up there, eating the berries. Flory gazed up into the great green dome of the tree, trying to distinguish the birds; they were invisible, they matched the leaves so perfectly, and yet the whole tree was alive with them, shimmering, as though the ghosts of birds were shaking it.

The main character, Flory, exquisitely portrays the struggle to discern and act on what is right in the midst of a ruling class established and supported by a questionable system. His education and experiences as an Englishman in Burma have prepared him only for indolence and dissipation and yet his soul yearns for more, for the love of a woman who will share his appreciation for the beauty of the Burma.

It is not the less bitter because it is perhaps one's own fault, to see oneself drifting, rotting, in dishonour and horrible futility, and all the while knowing that somewhere within one there is the possibility of a decent human being.

Flawed characters abound and, in the end, few are truly happy, and yet this is easily my favorite George Orwell novel.

I had, of course, considered including this book on our literature list for high school geography for Asia. I would hesitate, though, to give this to a younger high school student. (We usually cover Asia in 9th grade.) There's just too much depravity and despair.

I have received nothing in exchange for this honest post. I received this book from another member of PaperBackSwap.com. Links to Amazon and PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.

Life in a Mumbai Slum: Behind the Beautiful Forevers

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity

by Katherine Boo

Katherine Boo spent years visiting and immersing herself in one corner of a slum city, Annawadi, in Mumbai, talking with and interviewing residents through an interpreter. As a journalist, she scoured records and interviewed government officials and public employees to trace the all the facts, even though unknown or misunderstood by the people of Annawadi. The book is a haunting and moving portrayal of real people experiencing hardship and hope in the midst of corruption and garbage. Boo doesn't offer solutions, though some overarching themes are implied by the text.

At first, I thought this book might be a good option for our high school geography course on Asia. While it certainly shows at least one small neighborhood of Mumbia, India, it is a little too focused on the current political and cultural climate for our survey course. To be honest, it might also be a little depressing for ninth grade students. There's violence, death, conflict, and unresolved court cases. Though many of the residents remain hopeful of improving their lives, those of us reading may find it hard to imagine anything better for them. While it might be appropriate for older students particularly interested in India, I'm not going to include it on our lists.

I have received nothing in exchange for this honest review. I checked this book out from our library. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.

History, Geography, Culture...Life: Food: A Cultural Culinary History

Food: A Cultural Culinary History (The Great Courses)

by Ken Albala

Professor Albala attempts to cover all of human history through food. His focus is Western culture and Europe, but there are survey lectures for areas in Asia and Africa as well. In the later lectures, there is a definite bias toward local food and the kind of farm and table philosophy espoused by Wendell Berry and others, a bias that happens to coincide with my own. The last lecture, where Professor Albala predicts future movements in food, was my least favorite. Perhaps that's just because I don't want all his predictions to come to fruition.

In the video version of this series, he makes a few recipes. These are less interesting on audio, though they tended to be small parts of the lectures. I think all of the recipes are included in the PDF of the course guidebook. (These seem to be available on only some phones or apps, but they should always show up in your library on the actual Audible website.)

As I was listening, I found many connections and relationships with the high school coursework we are using, including that from Mater Amabilis™. I think a high school student (there are some references to mature themes, though none I remember being central to the ideas) could listen to this course from beginning to end as part of a high school course. It's a little short by itself to be an elective, not quite enough hours even for a quarter-credit.

Many of the lectures, however, would be a fun addition or supplement to other courses. Here are some ideas I had while listening.

European History - Many of these would be enjoyable and give a welcome respite from the heavy reading of Europe: A History.

• LECTURE 2: What Early Agriculturalists Ate
• LECTURE 3: Egypt and the Gift of the Nile
• LECTURE 5: Classical Greece—Wine, Olive Oil, and Trade
• LECTURE 6: The Alexandrian Exchange and the Four Humors
• LECTURE 9: Dining in Republican and Imperial Rome
• LECTURE 11: Europe’s Dark Ages and Charlemagne
• LECTURE 13: Carnival in the High Middle Ages
• LECTURE 15: A Renaissance in the Kitchen
• LECTURE 17: 1492—Globalization and Fusion Cuisines
• LECTURE 18: 16th-Century Manners and Reformation Diets
• LECTURE 19: Papal Rome and the Spanish Golden Age
• LECTURE 20: The Birth of French Haute Cuisine
• LECTURE 21: Elizabethan England, Puritans, Country Food
• LECTURE 22: Dutch Treat—Coffee, Tea, Sugar, Tobacco
• LECTURE 26: Eating in the Early Industrial Revolution

British History

• LECTURE 21: Elizabethan England, Puritans, Country Food
• LECTURE 25: Colonial Cookery in North America (or American History)
• LECTURE 26: Eating in the Early Industrial Revolution
• LECTURE 30: Food Imperialism around the World

Geography of Africa

• LECTURE 3: Egypt and the Gift of the Nile
• LECTURE 23: African and Aboriginal Cuisines

Geography of Asia

• LECTURE 4: Ancient Judea—From Eden to Kosher Laws
• LECTURE 7: Ancient India—Sacred Cows and Ayurveda
• LECTURE 8: Yin and Yang of Classical Chinese Cuisine
• LECTURE 12: Islam—A Thousand and One Nights of Cooking
• LECTURE 24: Edo, Japan—Samurai Dining and Zen Aesthetics

Geography of the Americas

• LECTURE 16: Aztecs and the Roots of Mexican Cooking
• LECTURE 25: Colonial Cookery in North America

Geography of Australasia

• LECTURE 23: African and Aboriginal Cuisines

Health

• LECTURE 27: Romantics, Vegetarians, Utopians
• LECTURE 29: Big Business and the Homogenization of Food
• LECTURE 32: War, Nutritionism, and the Great Depression
• LECTURE 33: World War II and the Advent of Fast Food

Economics

• LECTURE 29: Big Business and the Homogenization of Food
• LECTURE 32: War, Nutritionism, and the Great Depression

I have received nothing in exchange for this post of my honest opinions. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. I purchased this audiobook from Audible.

December 2019 Book Reports

The Confessions by Saint Augustine, translated by Maria Boulding, O.S.B. - link to my review (Kansas Dad's copy)

Wild Coast: Travels on South American's Untamed Edge by John Gilmette - link to my review (library copy)

Children of Summer: Henri Fabre's Insects by Margaret J. Anderson - link to my review (library copy)

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah - link to my review (library copy)

The History of Science: 1700-1900 (The Great Courses) by Frederick Gregory - This series of lectures was not as good as The Rise and Fall of the British Empire, but I'm a biologist by training who has always enjoyed the history of science. I appreciated the even-handedness of the professor when discussing the relationship between faith and science. He included frequent reminders that most of the scientists in this time were devout (or lukewarm) Christians and that the apparent separation of faith and reason as understood in modern times really didn't develop at all until later. In fact, he specifically refers to the Scopes trial in the American South. (purchased copy in an Audible sale)

A Man of the Beatitudes: Pier Giorgio Frassati by Luciana Frassati - link to my review (parish library copy)

The Man Who Knew the Way to the Moon by Todd Zwillich - This short audiobook is like an extended NPR segment. It follows the story of one man who championed the use of a lunar module for the Apollo moon landing, in the course of which it explores the history of science, the sometimes contentious relationships of scientists, and the most interesting question of whether we'd be farther along in space travel if President Kennedy had not made a moon landing a political deadline. (one of the free Audible offerings for members in an earlier month)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - This book is presented as a series of letters, which I found a bit annoying at first. I find it difficult to keep track of who is writing when the narrator bounces around so much. After a while, though, I was able to enjoy it. The people of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands between France and England, remain hopeful amid the harsh conditions of the German occupation during World War II. (library copy)

The Sea-Hawk by Rafael Sabatini - link to my post (purchased used)

Antarctica's Lost Aviator: The Epic Adventure to Explore the Last Frontier on Earth by Jeff Maynard - This book focuses on Lincoln Ellsworth who was one of a two-man team to first fly across Antarctica and who must surely rank among the most incompetent successful explorers. It seems to be exceptionally well-researched. In addition, the description of the flight was exciting. Overall, though, I just didn't find Ellsworth inspiring and will look for another option for our high school geography course on Antarctica. (library copy)

Alone Across the Arctic: One Woman's Epic Journey by Dog Team by Pam Flowers with Ann Dixon - link to my post (library copy)

I have received nothing for this post. All opinions are honest and my own. Links to Amazon or PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.

Another Arctic Option: Alone Across the Arctic

Alone Across the Arctic: One Woman's Epic Journey by Dog Team

by Pam Flowers with Ann Dixon

Pam quit her job and invested her savings in following her dream - dogsledding in the Arctic. This book for young readers tells about her training, preparation, and journey. It's overflowing with information on dogsledding and surviving in the Arctic, a perfect companion to Mater Amabilis™Level 1A Year 2 (third grade) which includes reading on the Arctic for Earth Studies.

If you have trouble finding a copy of By Truck to the North, this would also be an acceptable substitute. While the writing is not as literary as I prefer and the message of following your dream is a little overdone, it's still a good option. Students who love dogs, like my daughter, would be especially pleased with this book.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post of my honest opinions. Links to Amazon are affiliate links. I read a library copy.

Pirates and Treachery: The Sea-Hawk

The Sea-Hawk

by Rafael Sabatini

Sir Oliver Tressilian is a nobleman of Elizabethan England who makes his fortune as a pirate for the Queen. In proper swash-buckling romance fashion, he is accused of murdering his fiance's brother who was actually killed in a duel by Sir Oliver's brother. The brother, weak-minded and fearing his brother is as weak-willed as himself, arranges for him to be kidnapped. Years later, we find him a converted Muslim and high in the ranks of the Barbary pirates.

Not high literature, but tremendously fun. I told my twelve year old daughter she could read it but probably would have waited another year or two if I had read it first. There are allusions to harems and rapes, though these are mostly away from the action. The Christians, Jews, and Muslims all are portrayed committing actions inconsistent with their faith, but not necessarily inconsistent with history.

I've added it to our optional historical fiction list for high school (Mater Amabilis™ Level 5 Year 2, 10th grade, to coincide with British history readings of Churchill).

I have an edition reprinted by The American Reprint Company, an old library copy. Many of the available copies on Amazon look like poor quality reprints, so be wary. It is also available free for the Kindle.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. I purchased the book used from a seller on Facebook. Links to Amazon above are affiliate links.