A Woman's Odyssey Into Africa: Tracks Across a Life

The courage of the author to undertake her adventure of traveling in Africa solo with a backpack at age 50 is indeed compelling. She is a natural storyteller, yet opens up to reveal her own inner struggles based on a difficult childhood with manipulative parents. Her reporting of the practice of "female circumcision" in parts of Africa is introduced in the book as she was doing research. However, as horrible a thing as this is, she helps the Westerner understand where it comes from and how it plays an integral part in that culture even today while at the same time she fights to abolish it. I didn't want this book to end. I would read another book by her in a nanosecond. She's inspiring, honest, and courageous.