A New Travel Classic -- for women

books:


	• Somebody's Heart Is Burning: A Woman Wanderer in Africa Tanya Shaffer Vintage, 2003 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 16 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Interesting travel read

I've actually read this twice already and thoroughly enjoyed it each time. I travel a lot as well (for work and for fun) and hearing Tanya's retelling of her experiences in some of the same countries where I have traveled was very interesting. I could relate to many things yet she had some entirely new and different takes on things, which I enjoyed reading.

Engrossing and well-written

I first came across Tanya's writing in a Best Travel Writing anthology (Traveller's Tale 2007). That particular piece, The Girl Who Drank Petrol, was easily the most enjoyable in the entire book.

This book is unique because although it's a personal memoir based on Tanya's year of voluntary work in western Africa, she was also able to skillfully convey a strong sense of each of the places she went. As such you can read this as a sort of anthology of travel writings about countries such as Ghana, Mali etc. Regrettably though, this book is a bit short and i ended up wanting more.

You may want to check out excerpts from this book at [...] and see if her writing's your cup of tea.

for more information click here

A New Travel Classic -- for women

Tanya's honesty and openess in sharing real emotions and internal conflicts makes her so human to me. With each new picture (chapter), I felt as if she pulled up a chair beside me and brought the story sparked by the picture to life. I am a captive audience and will revisit the stories at leisure to gather more of their richness of content and language.

Very Accurate...

For anyone who plans on spending time in West Africa, this is a must read. Shaffer does a near-perfect job describing the everyday humor and frustrations of traveling in the region, down to the most subtle details that would go overlooked by someone who hadn't spent significant time there. For those who have experienced real Ghana, her stories will bring back familiar memories of waiting for tro-tros to fill, and calls of "obruni!" An accurate account, though somewhat lacking a climax or tension that would have made it into a page turner.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

?It's my life, and if I want to run from it I can,? quips Tanya Shaffer. An incorrigible wanderer, Shaffer has a habit of fleeing domesticity for the joys and rigors of the open road. This time her destination is Ghana, and what results is a transformative year spent roaming the African continent. Eager to transcend the limitations of tourism, Shaffer works as a volunteer, building schools and hospitals in remote villages. At the heart of her tale are the profound, complex, often challenging relationships she forms with those she meets along the way.

Whether recounting a perilous boat trip to Timbuktu, a night of impassioned political debate in Ghana, or a fumbled romance in Burkina Faso, Shaffer portrays the collision of African and North American cultures with self-deprecating humor and clear-eyed compassion. Filled with warmth, candor, and an exuberant sense of adventure, Somebody?s Heart is Burning raises provocative questions about privilege, wealth, and the true meaning of friendship.

for more information click here

hot