This next book was interesting in many ways as it is a memoir but in the form of a few dozen, slightly disjointed, short stories. Out Of Africa was written by Isak Dinesen between 1914 and 1931 while the author ran a coffee plantation near Nairobi in Kenya. In it she describes her years there and the people and events that populated it. These include her adventures in diplomacy as she navigated a dispute over an accidental death amongst the native Kikuyu who worked on the plantation, and her sojourn ferrying supplies during the war. It starts with some of her earliest adventures in training Kamante, a Kikuyu, to be a chef and he accidental acquiring of a gazelle they named Lulu. She describes her plantation and the typical behavior of the Kikuyu natives who live there as well as the various interactions with their neighbors, the Masai which was another group of natives who lives on a neighboring reserve. There are also stories detailing her adventures out hunting, both on the plantation and on safari and both with natives and with fellow Europeans.
I have to admit that I had no idea what to expect when I opened this book. The only thing I really knew about it was the title and the author. My copy had an extremely short blurb which did very little to prepare me for the book. That being said, I did enjoy the book and definitely understand why it is frequently classified as a modern classic. Not only was it well written and easily readable but it also provides a first-hand account of the European colonization of Africa. It was interesting and rather compelling to hear the author’s description and account of the country and the natives, especially the Kikuyu as they seem to be the ones they had the most interaction with. At the same time though I had to be careful when reading it because of that perspective. Unfortunately, Dinesen was a product of her time and had a tendency to look down in the natives. This attitude and viewpoint was fairly prevalent in the book but I genuinely think Dinesen was not aware of this or did not see an issue with this way of thinking. Another thing I did not necessarily like was the lack of continuity. The book is presented as a recollection of the author’s time in Africa and to an extent that is exactly what it is. However, the stories are all mostly disconnected, though they are somewhat organized around her certain themes such as the gazelle or her mediation attempts within the Kikuyu, but there few relative indicators to explain which events happened earlier or later or how far apart in time they were. This makes it slightly difficult to follow the narrative. There is also a slight tendency for the author to get distracted and off topic before coming back which is also distracting. It is in no way a bad book but it can be slightly difficult and confusing at first while you adjust to the author’s style. I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Overall, it was a good book and paints a compelling picture of what life was like for Europeans in Africa during this time frame. However, I recommend that you make sure to go into it with an open mind and take the descriptions of the native Kikuyu with a grain of salt. I think this is the kind of book that a lot of people should consider reading at least once in order to help broaden their horizons. Yes, I’m one of those people, the people who think you should read something even if you don’t enjoy it purely because it will make you think. I will say that even thinking that, this book should probably only be read by adults or young adults, older teens at best, because they need to be able to go into it with an open mind and recognize the biases present in the author’s viewpoint. Consider sharing your thoughts on this in the comments. I am curious what your motivations may be in regards to what you read.