This 40-page, 8-day mini-diary is a patched-together litany of worries and complaints about his discomforts and largely imagined hazards of being in East Africa. It focuses on the author's fragile Northeastern US sensibilities and. ultimately, on his inability to understand any culture so fdifferent from the bubble he lives in. Skip this.

This was a very short book, but since I always enjoy reading anything Bill Bryson writes I bought it. This little book actually impacted my life as I learned that all the proceeds from the sale of the book went directly to an agency called CARE.
From the book: "CARE is one of the world's leading international poverty-fighting organizations....
CARE is an effective and efficient steward of your investment. We direct 90% of our expended resources toward an array of poverty-fighting programs. And on average, for every $1 in private support raised, CARE can leverage another $5 in support from public resources. To learn more about CARE and how to join our efforts to overcome poverty, please visit CARE's global homepage, www.care.org

Bryson wrote this book as a fund-raiser for CARE in Africa. It's very short, only 50 pages, with wonderful photos by Jenny Matthews, but Bryson can say more in 50 pages than most writers can in 500. You will get a good overview, for example, of the complexities of helping the very poor in Kenya. You will also never get on a light-weight airplane. Ever! Buy the book, even if you have no interest in reading it. All proceeds go to CARE, a worthwhile organization which certainly can use them.

I love this book. It's funny, classic Bryson, with a bit of reading this book is helping people be better people with more knowledge. All the profits from both Bryson and his publisher went to charity. I plan to give the book to everyone I know. I also plan to donate to care and google search what happened to the young aspiring palentologist.

Bill Brysonがアフリカの援助施設へ訪問したときの旅行記です。
滞在が短く本も薄いです。短いですが、いつものBill Bryson節は健在です。
売り上げの全ては援助団体に寄付されるそうです。
とてもおもしろかったです。

Mr. Bryson is a terrific writer.  He is funny, entertaining, and informative all in one.  I read two so far and bought four others.  Don't usually do that with a writer I just met.  You will be glad you read any of is books

I just came back from Tanzania, and couldn't take photos of my trip for fear of getting my phone/camera stolen.  Instead I bought 10 copies of this book and told my friends that this is an accurate portrayal of Eastern Africa - both Kenya and Tanzania.  Only one of my favorite authors could find humor in such dire circumstances of these people.  And Bill's a gifted and generous man, because all of the money generated from this book goes to charity.  Everyone wins!

Easy read very funny and proceeds to a worthy cause

I love Bryson's books; that's why I was so disappointed with this slender volume.

On a Kindle, the actual diary takes up only 50%; the rest of the book is taken up with an excerpt from one of his other books, a book I had already read.

I am glad I got this book for only $1.99; I don't mind the proceeds going to CARE.  I celebrate that, and that's the only reason I'm not returning it.

Now, how could it have been better??  He traveled with a photographer.  Why were there no photos in this book?  Include some photos of his travels through Africa with the CARE organization.  Now THAT would've made this book even better.  A chronological journey of words and photos through Africa.

Last of all, it ended so abruptly, with a, "Well, that's the end of this diary..."  Very disappointing.

So, if you can get it at the reduced price, go for it, or if you don't mind making a larger contribution to CARE, buy it at the full price.

Hmmm....I wonder if I can write this off as a tax deduction as a charitable contribution.

LOL and JK, everyone.

Let me start by telling you that I am a huge Bryson fan. This book is a brief diary of some travels in Africa where he was working along with some representatives of CARE. Like all of his travel books, it is informative, funny, and poignant. His description of a nearly ill-fated trip in a light plane is hilarious and terrifying at the same time. Reading this book will give you an accurate sense of the problems encountered by Africans in their efforts to improve their lives.  There is an added benefit to this book: the royalties are donated to CARE for sensible development programs in Africa. Buy this book and read it.

Kurt E. Johnson, PhD
Washington DC

Once again, Brill Bryson has brought to life an area most of us will never see. And in this case, heartbreakingly brought to life. This is a small book – too small – I would have liked it to be at the very least twice the size it is – but it’s large enough to give the reader an idea of what life is like for our fellow earthlings in a part of the country much in need of help, of people just like you and me who are hopeful and love life even though it might be a life most of us would consider harsh and unreal. The proceeds from this book go directly to Care International, not to a government agency inhabited by people with empty pockets who are more than willing to fill them with money meant to help others live a better life,  money meant to help people work toward making their village and their lives work better for them. Buy this book. Read this book and then buy more copies. Give them away or put them away and advise others to buy copies. To think every cent from this book goes to help an actual, honest organization dedicated to helping people make their own lives better is beyond admirable.  Just think, you can be entertained, educated and helpful all in one fell swoop.

The book is typical Bryson, a lot of fun to read, but I did not realize that it was only 47 pages long.