It is a very short book, I've probably read longer magazine articles, and I wish it had been longer. I did enjoy his descriptions of Kenya although I feel that in his attempt to be positive he must not have said a lot which is why to book is so short. Most of the humor comes from the descriptions of his fear of diseases, the train and the aircraft, but his compassion for the people of Kenya is felt in the more serious parts of the book. Not the usual Bill Bryson travel diary, it is, in the main, an endorsement for CARE.

Bryson is such a clever writer. So witty and entertaining.

This is a quick read about a short trip Bill Bryson took to Africa with the CARE charity organization. They approached him to write his specialty, a travelogue, with an emphasis on the impact CARE was having on poverty in Africa and what readers could do to get involved or help.
The section on the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya was especially poignant. Bryson writes "The camp has essentially become a city in the desert...a generation of children has grown into adult-hood without knowing any life other than bein behind razor wire...and a sense that all the world beyond this snug perimeter offers nothing but danger or indifference."
The section on the Kibera slum in Kenya was also eye-opening. One fifth or more of residents were HIV positive at the time of writing. Moreover, more than half of Nairobi's residents were living in similar conditions.
Also, the book made me REALLY want to visit the National Museum in Kenya, a museum with the finest collection of early human remains in existence, according to Bryson. I was also heartened to learn about Kenya's great track record with wildlife preservation.
The book compelled me to do some research to see how much conditions had changed in Africa since 2002, and in my dismay subsequently contribute microloans for mothers sending their kids to school in rural Africa (through Kiva).

I can not rate this book highly enough! He is already one of my favorite authors and this one tops them all. It's a short book. An easy read. Moving, funny, emotional, educational. Please if you have never read Bryson try him. And try this one. You won't be disappointed

short but sweet, will definitely make me pick up some more Bryson

I completed reading a travel book by another author. I then started reading this book. It was like a breath of fresh air. But sadly, the book is very short. I hope he travels to Africa again and writes a full length book. It's my favourite continent.

A random find at the library. This is doubtless the shortest book that I will read this year. It's probably shorter than the average Vanity Fair magazine article. In 2002, Bill Bryson was invited to travel to Kenya for eight days, to see the work that the charity CARE is doing in that country and this is his diary of the trip. While short, it contains a lot of his trademark humour and also makes some pertinent points about what charities can and cannot achieve in third world countries. I enjoyed it.

This short story was written to support CARE international. One, I wish I had bought it rather than borrowing. Two, I wish it was longer. Still- it was Africa with all the Bill Bryson charm.

Again,I felt gypped by this Bryson book.The title sounds exciting,Bill Bryson in the mysterious dark continent.Surely,there must be humour and adventure in such a setting.Sadly,that doesn't happen.

Don't expect safaris or sightings of big game.Bryson is on a sponsored tour and so he has lent his name to this book.

He really shouldn't have written this one.There is a certain quality and humour,which I have come to expect from his travel books.

This is much too short,and lacking anything of interest.He did spend eight days in Kenya.That is sufficient time to be able to write something,but that doesn't happen.

Unlike most people, I guess, I had no idea that this book was little more than a 49-page pamphlet for CARE, a group doing international aid work, including work with refugees and the poor in Kenya (the focus of this book/pamphlet). I placed the thing on hold sight unseen with my library, and only when I stopped by to check it out did I find a volume rather slimmer than I had expected.

Well, I'm a big Bill Bryson fan, so I hoped that it would at least be just under 50 pages of typical Bryson fun. Alas, even in that I was disappointed. He certainly has his moments here, but more than anything this is about CARE and it lacks the humor and insight and depth of narration that I would expect.

It's not like this couldn't have been longer. Bryson was in Kenya for 8 days, and he hints at a busy schedule over this time that certainly could have filled up a bit more written space. But all we get as readers is a fleeting glimpse of things. The most in-depth description of an experience has little to do with Kenya: instead it describes the harrowing landing of a small charter plane they took for one piece of the trip.

The brief glimpses of Bryson's signature style bumped this into a two-star affair. But I am rating this as a book, and not as a promotional pamphlet, and for that reason I can't give it any more stars than that. There's just not enough there.

Expected it to be a bit longer. But nonetheless, proceeds go to a worthy cause so it's worth reading about Bryson's crazy African adventure!

I think humanitarian efforts from organizations such as CARE have good intentions, but this book had parts that made me cringe because of the white savior attitude. I have spent time getting know people in Kenya, and they are so proud of the work that they do and the beautiful country that they live in. I felt that this book depicts it as fully corrupt, hopeless nation that we can read about to feel better about our lives as white people. The brief mention of the World Bank's role in poverty in Africa was put in a more positive and understated way than they deserve. That being said, using celebrity to bring a part of the world that is often ignored is a good thing that gave it two stars.