House of Stone: The True Story of a Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe

I re-read this book recently as the news from Zimbabwe continues to get worse and worse -- and as I write this, a cholera epidemic has gripped the country. Christina Lamb has done readers a great service by telling the story of Zimbabwe's recent history through the eyes of two individuals, the African maid Aqui, who once dreamed of becoming a nurse and now struggles to feed her family, and Nigel, a white farmer whose family once employed Aqui as a nurse. Only by looking at the complete collapse of the country from both perspectives can the outsider begin to understand the ways in which the swings of history have led to the current dire situation. Like South Africa, the country formerly known as Rhodesia was governed by whites, with black Africans largely disenfranchised. The farms -- the backbone of the economy -- were owned by wealthy white families. Unlike South Africa, however, armed insurrection led by Robert Mugabe and others contributed heavily to the demise of Ian Smith's regime and the arrival of majority rule in the 1970s. But within what looked like a triumph for democracy and human rights lay the seeds of the current conflict, which has caught both blacks and whites in a cycle of violence and death. Majority rule didn't change the balance of economic power -- white families still controled the economy. Ultimately, frustration on the part of black Africans desperate for some land played into the hands of megalomaniac Mugabe, who, in a blatant attempt to distract his constituents from his own corruption and mismanagement, encouraged "veterans" of the independence wars to seize the farms from their previous owners. That was often only accomplished with violence, and many white Zimbabweans fled. (I do know some of these individuals.) Nigel has hung on, however, and Lamb explores his determination to hang on to his family's heritage even as Aqui struggles to build some kind of life for her own family. It's the inability of the Zimbabwean regime to even begin to accomodate both of these sets of interests that is at the heart of Lamb's narrative. Nigel is seeking security; Aqui, opportunity. Meanwhile, both -- and the groups they represent in Zimbabwe -- are being manipulated cynically by Mugabe's regime. The tragedy is that the history of inequities under first the white regime of Ian Smith and now the black regime of Mugabe has produced the current state of affairs, one where Nigel the farmer can finally acknowledge his racist attitudes -- even as Aqui reacts to decades of suppression by becoming "racist" in her turn and telling her former employer to leave his farm or the occupying force of 'veterans' she has joined will kill him and his family. "There is no place for whites in this country." Lamb is to be commended for having tackled such a difficult topic in an even-handed manner, and for persisting in reporting this tale, a dangerous thing to do in a country that has banned foreign reporters and has a track record of complete suppre

I found this book while browsing for another one and I have to say, it is fantastic!! I couldn't stop reading, I had to continue chapter after chapter. It is a shocking story about the rise of Mugabe, told from two different point of views, a black girl and on the other side a white boy, both growing up in their worlds in Zimbabwe. This book makes great reading and is shocking at the same time. A must read for anyone concerned about racism and the african history/colonialism. I can highle recommend this book!!!!

I enjoyed reading the Rhodesian story from both the black and white african perspective. I thought this was a well written book from beginning to end. As a white ex-Rhodesian, I find the story terribly sad and look at what has happened to this beautiful country a crime to both black and white africans. Mugabe has a lot to answer for and will go down in history as one of Africa's great criminals together with Idi Amin. It's a shame someone hasn't had the courage to make him disappear.

Great view of the current situation of people's personal experiences. I pre-ordered the book and could not put it down once I received it. Very well written and easy to understand even if it is the first book you read on southern Africa and its people. It is also a sad story, but information is important and reflect's on Mrs. Lamb's skill as a journalist. My only hope is that Mrs. Lamb has a follow up in a few years as events continue to unfold in Zimbabwe each day.

For anyone wanting to read a clear, concise and elegantly written account of the story of Zimbabwe, this book must not be overlooked. Christina Lamb is a British jounalist who brings us this dramatic account of the country, as seen through the eyes of a typical white Rhodesian/Zimbabwean farmer, who finally loses his farm, and an equally typical black Zimbabwean woman, who ends up working for his family. The book is a riveting page-turner with a surprising ending. I highly recommend it. (Just after reading the book, I happened to visit this tragic country, which was once truly one of the jewels of Africa and is now a place of so much dispair. House of Stone made it all the more meaningfull for me.)