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Both well-written. John Thaw (Morse) is an account in 2 different times,
(past and almost current) of their lives, careers and marriage and his death.
Those who enjoyed the Morse series on TV would enjoy this book I think. The
other is more serious in a sense (life and marriage and death are fairly serious
in their own right)!
It's about the 3 extraordinary (in more than 1 sense) women who studied 3
great apes and she takes it further, to the future of these apes. Sad and
thought-provoking at times.
From Caroline:
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Wayfinding by Michael Bond
With the subtitle, The Art and Science of How We Find and Lose Our Way, I was expecting this book to meander off on a mystical path, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that not once was ‘ley line’ mentioned. Plus there is a fair index and substantial explanatory notes – always a good sign. However I nearly had to put it down after a few pages because of a glaring mistake ...
... but decided to give it a second chance on Sue K's recommendation. Lucky for me I did.
Wayfinding, according to Wikipedia ‘encompasses all of the ways in which people orient themselves in physical space and navigate from place to place’ and the author comes at the word from all angels – from the psychological (losing our way – literarily), to the historical (famous navigators like Francis Chichester and Ernest Shacklteton, the Polynesians and the Inuit) and to the intricacies of brain science – cells lighting up or whatever they do when humans perform tasks like checking boundaries, working out where front and back or West and East are and visualising spaces. And, most scarily, what happens to us when we age and our entorhinal cortex and hippocampus cease to function? ‘Spatial lapses are amongst the very first symptoms’ of the dreaded Alzheimers.
So ditch the GPS and get out a map (Google Maps is fine) and concentrate on where you are going.
Score: 3½. (Would have been 4 if it weren't for that silly mistake.)
Land of my Ancestors by Botlhale Tema
While working on the UNESCO Slave Route project, Tema accidentally uncovered information about the origins of her family. This remarkable story begins with her grandfather who was captured and forced to work as a farm labourer in a form of slavery known as the farm apprenticeship or ‘inboekstelsel’. He was given an opportunity to leave, and joined forces with a missionary, eventually carving out a life for his family under colonialism, war, and finally Apartheid and land dispossession. Tema originally wrote the book as The People of Welgeval, with Welgeval being one of the farms that were incorporated into the Pilansberg Nature Reserve, and this edition of the book under a new name is updated and has more content and context.
I really enjoyed it, as would anyone with an interest in the history of our complex society. It is also written with a sincere belief that education and learning can uplift and empower.
I thought that she need not have tried to make it read like a novel, attributing words and feelings to the characters, but should have kept it as a serious biography.
Score: 4
