This isn't a typical memoir, but rather almost an autobiography told in a series of snapshots of the author's growing up in Africa. There isn't a lot of introspection. She just presents things as they are/were, herself included. And although she and her family are white, and essentially colonizers continuing the incursion of the British Empire (until the African colonies won their various wars of independence), she is also a true child of Africa, having spent her entire childhood and young adulthood there. And although she and her family were better off than the local Africans, by any other standard they were living in squalid poverty.

The racism and colonialism come through loud and clear without Fuller having to make an issue of it, as does her mother's alcoholism and mental illness, but that's not really what this story is about. It's the story of a dysfunctional, unconventional family, made more so by their geographical and economic circumstances, and yet there was love and a strong familial bond. She doesn't apologize for her parents' and her own (learned) racism, but we do see her become more aware and responsible as she grows older.

In addition, it's an homage to a land, a love story to one of the harshest places on the planet. And perhaps it's growing up in such harsh circumstance that makes Fuller's life at that time so vivid and so alive, and why she loves it to this day. This memoir is a complex story told in a deceptively simple manner. There's a lot to unpack, and Fuller leaves most of that unpacking to the reader. ( )

This well-written memoir of a young white girl growing up in Africa (Zimbabwe, Malawi and the Zambia) was a treat. The author really brings to life the setting and culture of the place well. She captures the dialogue, the mentality of local workers and a bit of the political landscape. Her family lives through unstable and sometimes violent times, before and after independence. This contributed to the already harsh environment of hot and impoverished Africa. Though not well off, her whiteness sets her and her family apart as privileged compared to many of the locals. But the author begins to recognize this and the previously-not-questioned prejudice, as she matures. A notable aspect of the book is the issue of growing up with an alcoholic mother with mental health issues in the context of bereavement. ( )

Good memoir of a childhood in Africa. ( )

it was hard to know about this book. This was a bookclub book by Sherry for Sept 2014.
It was a bit depressing and in some parts gave a little bit of the South African history of the wars. ( )

Definitely a story worth telling--covers both the familiar "my crazy family" and "my life in ---" memoir staples with energy. Interesting to get the perspective of a white African family in post-colonial Africa, told bluntly and seemingly without much retrospective whitewashing. ( )