Crossing the Heart of Africa: An Odyssey of Love and Adventure

The basis for “Crossing into the Heart of Africa” was a historic odyssey from Cape Town to Cairo at the end of the 19th century. This author’s decision to replicate Ewart Grogan’s journey seemed contrived. Overall, Julien Smith’s language about his contemporary journey lacked the engagement and poetry that characterizes a classic that prompts a reader to hang onto a book, reread it, pass along to friends. I wound up reading the whole book largely because I have lived in Africa and been to many of the sites this journey traverses. Otherwise, I would have stopped much sooner. The book might appeal to readers who have not been—or who spent limited time—in Africa, and who do not seek an artistic recounting of the experience.