Antony Thomas

The Boer War attracted me to this book as I tried, once again, to understand why a particular war took place that didn't seem to need to take place, if you get my drift. Mr. Cecil Rhodes was the colossal figure behind Great Britain's grab for land and power in South Africa, and he established the nation of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) through cunning, illicit means, and the type of outright land grabbing that would make the Americans of Manifest Destiny cringe in horror.

His story is extraordinary. After suffering illness as a teenager (a literal hole in the heart), Rhodes realized he had but one short life to live and he set out to become a Great Man. He chose the Cape Colony and soon was a multimillionaire, thanks to hard work and ferocious business dealings in diamonds and gold. Rhodes tricked the Matabele into losing their land and their king, while he dreamed of a British Empire running from Capetown to Nairobi.

I walked between earth and sky, and when I looked down I said, 'This earth should be English,' and when I looked up, I said, 'The English should rule the earth'.

The Boer War actually comes toward the end of the book and one does not feel sorry for either side, as the Afrikaners and the British both took that which did not belong to them. I feel the book did its duty and portrayed a man in depth, but the author puts the full blame for the later system of apartheid on to Rhodes' shoulders, which is a bit of a reach. Yes, he changed from a man who felt everyone should have the same opportunity to a man focused on empire-building, but the Boers were far more obsessed with racial superiority than Rhodes seemed to be. South Africa produced Rhodes and Mandela, two incredible bookends. Smashing country.

One imagines how Rhodes would have fit into the world of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg, or Jeff Bezos. I think he would have been a Tech Titan with a private space fleet and a hankering for the colonization of Mars.

Book Season = Spring (when the winds blow fresh across the Cape)

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NCLA Review - INSIDE THE KORAN is a documentary on one of the most influential texts in the world. There are over a billion followers of Islam and the Koran is at the center of its faith. It is a holy book orally given to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel. As with all faiths, there are divisions within its foundations. In eleven chapters, a narrator guides the viewer thru the striking differences between Shiites, Sunnis, Sufis and the extremist interpretation of the Koran practiced in the petroleum rich countries of Saudi Arabia and Iran. These differences include interpretations about peace, violence, punishment, forgiveness and the status of women, which affect not only religious life but existence itself. Interviews with professors, ayatollahs, imams and women are interwoven with narrations describing the history and current state of Islam in the 21st century. This is an excellent introduction to Islam and a great addition to all church libraries. It could also be used as an adult class. Rating: 4 —BS… (más)