Imagine an awe-inspiring beautiful country filled with white sand beaches, a labyrinthine system of rivers, canyons, mountains, lush jungle, & desert.
What country comes to mind?
What if I added in 27 years of war in your life time, vast mineral & petroleum reserves, & noted an enclave was separated from the main land of this country by a 37-mile (60-km) wide strip of a completely different country? (An enclave that is also ethnically & linguistically separate from the rest of the country, & is far richer.)
If you still can’t guess, would it help or confuse you if I added in that its cuisine is heavily influenced by the Portuguese?
(I bet you’re now trying to picture Portugal on a map & remember what countries Portugal invaded.)
So What country are we reading next?
A West Coast country of South-central Africa: the Republic of Angola! (And that enclave is called Cabinda.)
In researching Angola, what moved me most was the powerful trailer below of a documentary detailing “four war veterans and former enemies of the South Africa/Angola conflict who journey back to past battlefields deep within the African interior in search of reconciliation, forgiveness, and possibly even atonement.”
From My Heart of Darkness (https://amzn.to/2VUU5xK): “We are all here for the same reason—driven by the need to understand…to set off on a frightening journey into the darkest of our hearts.”
Wow.
HAVE ANY BOOK CLUB SUGGESTIONS?
Just let us know your Angolan suggestions by Fri., March. 15 11PM ET. (That's NYC time. See this converted to your local time below.)
We'll use 2 suggestions from book club members, 2 suggestions from Mia (the book club co-founder), & 2 of my suggestions to compile a list of 6 books on which book club members will provide their thoughts. The book judged as best from the list will then be read.
Please note - We're specific in our books, they must:
Largely occur in the location specified unless the world described is an alternate reality
Be written by an author born there who has spent a good portion of their life there
Exist in paperback & ebook available on both Amazon & Kindle at least in the US & hopefully elsewhere