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Title: Ciao Asmara: A Classic Account of Contemporary Africa
ISBN: 0349117748
Author:
Justin Hill
Publicate Date: 2004-04-01
Publish: 2004-04-01
List Price: $14.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $12.17
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $7.30
Amazon Merchant Price: $12.60
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| Customer Review: |
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1: 30 years of war: the Aftermath + more war
Looking at a map of Africa, this country with so much coast line should be prime real estate. There should be harbors, hotels and snorkeling galore. Unfortunately, what it has had has been war. Maybe even more to come.
Last year I read Michela Wong's "I Didn't Do It For You" which details Eritrea's very sad history. Justin Hill's "Ciao Asmara" brings the country much more to life. His light prose style belies strong content and incisive observations.
Through his experiences teaching (teachers chase the students into the classrooms with sticks; class size may be 75 students; with only a few rooms schools have 2 shifts) making friends among the those from "The Field" (who seem to have something like a post partum depression) and meeting various long and short term travelers (from those studying rare fish to those seeking a retirement home), you learn what it is like in the aftermath of a 30 year war. Not only have the people been physically and emotionally damaged, education is hard to come by, and even if you have it, with the economy in shambles, you can't use it. Those who are best off are those with relatives abroad and the veterans who have managed to secure gov't jobs.
The book has some photos that leave you wanting more. You can get more elsewhere on the net (esp. the Art Deco buildings) by searching Eritrea.
The description of Hill's evacuation is great ("Don't jerk me around!" "Fill out the BLUE FORMS!" "I can't deal with this.") and how luggage maximums are reduced by the hour.
If, like me, you're like "travel" books that introduce you to different people more than the food or sites, this book is for you. Other good reads describing day to day life include South of the Clouds (China), The Califf's House (Casablanca) and Es Cuba.
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2: An interesting find
I noticed this book by chance on a library shelf while searching specifically for something else; it looked interesting, so I got it out as well. Pretty comprehensive look at post-independence Eritrea at a grasp-able level, including photos. Would make a great book to take along while traveling, etc.
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