Africa: a suggested reading list, compiled by Carol and Paul Philbin
Current Affairs
Title	Author	Comments
The Fate of Africa: From the Hopes of Freedom to the Heart of Despair	Martin Meredith	700+ pages of finely crafted, well documented, meticulously researched analysis on where Africa has been and where it may go – well worth the read.
The Graves Are Not Yet Full: Race, Tribe and Power in the Heart of Africa	Bill Berkeley	A reporter's view of despotism in Africa.
Long Walk to Freedom	Nelson Mandela	Mostly written while Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years on Robben Island by South Africa's apartheid regime.
Nelson Mandela: A Biography	Martin Meredith	A must to understand what Africa can be.
Once Intrepid Warriors: Gender, Ethnicity, and the Cultural Politics of Maasai Development	Dorothy Hodgson	Dorothy L. Hodgson teaches anthropology at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, and is affiliated with the Center for African Studies and the Women's Studies Program.
Our Guns, Our Votes: Robert Mugabe and the Tragedy of Zimbabwe	Martin Meredith	For those who mourn the destruction of this beautiful country.
The Past is Another Country: Rhodesia-UDI to Zimbabwe	Martin Meredith	Provides a good overview of the rise and fall of the Ian Smith government.
We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families	Phillip Gourevitch	A reporter's account of the genocide in Rwanda.
Historical Perspectives
Title	Author	Comments
The Africans	David Lamb	An excellent overview for an understanding modern-day Africa
King Leopold's Ghost	Adam Hochschild	A story of greed, terror and heroism in colonial Congo.
The Scramble for Africa : White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912	Thomas Pakenham	A sweeping narrative of European exploitation of Africa.
Zanzibar Chest	Aidan Hartley	Sub-Saharan history and colonialism.
Natural History
Title	Author	Comments
African Silences	Peter Matthiessen	Natural history.
Elephant Destiny: Biography of an Endangered Species in Africa	Martin Meredith
Travelogues
Title	Author	Comments
Dark Star Africa: Overland from Cairo to Cape town	Paul Theroux	As one who yearns to "contribute" to Africa in a positive way, this book has made me pause and do some serious soul-searching.
Sand Rivers	Peter Matthiessen	An account of a safari into the Selous in western Tanzania.
The Tree Where Man was Born	Peter Matthiessen	To be read before, during, or after your safari. If read after, Matthiessen will bring your entire experience back to life once back to your home country.