Shebeen Tales: Messages from Harare

I learned of this book through reading Mr. Hove's editorials in the Zimbabwe Weekly Standard online. He is an outstanding writer and this book is a series of essays on Zimbabwean life in the 1990s. For anyone who is interested in what is happening there now, the book provides essential background. The country's problems are not new. It is often difficult for American readers to find books by contemporary African authors, and I highly recommend this one. I also recommend checking out Zimbabwe's independent papers on the Web: The Standard, the Daily News, the Independent, and the Financial Gazette. Congress is now pushing through major legislation on Zimbabwe, and the U.S. press barely mentions the country. The British press focuses on limited aspects of the situation. Read what this author has to say, he knows what he's talking about.

I read this after I left Zimbabwe, and it brought back so many memories of that beautiful country, full of resourceful people. This book is a snapshot of Zimbabwe in the 1990's, that examines so many aspects of the richly vibrant capital of Zimbabwe, Harare.