Reading Through Southern Africa

Chanda’s Secrets by Allan Stratton. YA fiction set in a fictional country in southern Africa. Sequel: Chanda’s Wars.

Botswana (Republic of Botswana)
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. (and all its sequels)

Lesotho (Kingdom of Lesotho)

Madagascar (Republic of Madagascar)
Voices from Madagascar, edited by Jacques Bourgeacq and Liliane Ramarosoa. Reviewed at A Year of Reading the World.

Malawi (Republic of Malawi)
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. Reviewed at Capricious Reader. Semicolon review here.
Laugh With the Moon by Shana Burg. Reviewed at The Fourth Musketeer.

Mozambique (Republic of Mozambique)
Dolphin Song by Lauren St. John. The young female protagonist of this novel lives in South Africa, but most of the action in this second volume of a series takes place off the west coast of South Africa near Mozambique. Semicolon review here.
A Treacherous Paradise by Henning Mankell, reviewed at Reading the Past.

Namibia (Republic of Namibia)
African Acrostics: A Word in Edgeways by Avis Harley, photographs by Deborah Noyes.

South Africa (Republic of South Africa)
Ah, But Your Land Is Beautiful by Alan Paton. Still more about Alan Paton and his writing.
Come Sunday by Isla Morley. Recommended at Dairy of an Eccentric
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. More about Mr. Paton and this book.
Devil’s Peak by Deon Meyer. Reviewed by Yvonne.
The Good Doctor by Damon Galgut. Reviewed at My Book Year.
The Imposter by Damon Galgut. Reviewed at ANZ LitLovers LitBlog.
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman.
Tales from an African Vet by Dr. Roy Aronson. Reviewed at Library Hospital.
Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer. Reviewed by Yvonne.
Too Late the Phalarope by Alan Paton.
The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John. Semicolon review here. Sequels are: Dolphin Song,The Last Leopard,The Elephant’s Tale.

Alec Russell: Five Best History Books about South Africa.
Kevin Bloom: Five Best Books about Post-Apartheid South Africa.

Swaziland (Kingdom of Swaziland)

Zambia (Republic of Zambia)
The Africa House by Christina Lamb
Bitterness by Malama Katulwende
The Eye of the Elephant: An Epic Adventure in the African Wilderness by Mark & Cordelia Owens
Glimmers of Hope: A Memoir of Zambia by Mark Burke. Semicolon review here.
Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone by Martin Dugard
Like a River Glorious by Gavin Barnett
Ndotolu: The Life Stories of Walter and Anna Fisher by W. Singleton Fisher
Salaula: The World of Secondhand Clothing and Zambia by Karen Tranberg Hansen
Sikulu & Harabe by the Zambezi River; An African Version of the Good Samaritan Story by Kunle Oguneye; Illustrated by Bruce McCorkindale.
Take Your Best Shot by Austin Gutwein. Recommended at Book Journey.
To Africa With Love by James Foulkes
The Unheard: A Memoir of Deafness and Africa by Josh Swiller
Warrior Princess: Fighting for Life with Courage and Hope by Princess Kasune Zulu
With Sword and Chain in Lusaka: A Londoner’s Life in Zambia 1948-1972 by Richard Sampson

Zimbabwe (Republic of Zimbabwe)
Akimbo and the Elephants by Alexander McCall Smith. Actually the country is unspecified in these easy reading chapter books about a boy who lives near a game reserve in southern Africa.
Akimbo and the Lions.
Akimbo and the Snakes.
Akimbo and the Baboons.
Akimbo and the Crocodile Man.
Cartwheeeling in Thunderstorms by Katherine RUndell. Reviewed at Log Cabin Library.
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller.
The Fear: Robert Mugabe and the Martyrdom of Zimbabwe by Peter Godwin. Semicolon review here.
The Grass Is Singing by Doris Lessing.
Love in the Driest Season by Neely Tucker. Recommended by Barbara Curtis.
Mugabe and the White African by Ben Freeth.
Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga. Recommended by Dani Torres.
Out of the Black Shadows by Anne Coomes.
Scribbling the Cat by Alexandra Fuller. Recommended by Kailana at the Written Word.
A Story Like the Wind and its sequel A Far-Off Place by Laurens van der Post.
Georgina Godwin: The Five Best Memoirs from Zimbabwe.

2 Comments

2 thoughts on “Reading Through Southern Africa

  1. Oh, I’d never heard of the Akimbo books! I’ve just ordered the first one from the library. Thank you so much for compiling this list!

  2. Malawi: Sugar Cane With Salt and Golimoto and Lower River by Paul Theroux.

    Superb lists! I adore the books of Buchi Emecheta about Nigeria and her expat experience in London.

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