Africa: A Biography of the Continent Paperback – September 7, 1999

_Africa: A Biography of the Continent_ by John Reader is a very well-named book, a through and engaging look at the epic story of this land, from its geological origins to its most recent political struggles. Though a thick book at 682 pages (plus appendices, endnotes, and bibliography), it is a wonderful read.The introductory section laments that Africa has been "woefully misunderstood and misused by the rest of the world," and that humanity does not properly "recognize its debts and obligations to Africa." A question the author asks, and returns to again and again in the book, is why did the population of humans that left Africa 100,000 years ago grew at much faster rate, or conversely, what prevented the Africans from growing at a similar rate?Part one was four chapters detailing the geological and paleontological history of Africa, the author noting that the search for missing links is a tradition in African paleontology ("an icon...hunted with fervor bordering on the zealous"), whether the links between reptiles and mammals, lower and higher primates, or hominids and modern humans.Part two was fantastic, devoted to the origins of the hominids. Hominids he noted arose in an ecological diverse setting (there was no abrupt replacement of forest by savanna when they arose 7 million years ago) and that apes were preadapted for bipedalism (apes carry 60% of their weight on their hind legs, contrasting with 40% for most quadrupeds). Hominids may have evolved to become nomadic, to take advantage of an unexploited food resource, the natural deaths that occurred in the great east African game herds (research has shown that as much as 70% of all carcasses found in the region died from other than predation and are largely unexploited by the highly territorial carnivores). He also cited such researchers as Peter Wheeler, who concluded that "thermoregulation is at the root of all things human," that being bipedal gave hominids additional advantages (walking upright exposed less body surface to direct rays of the sun and allowed for more heat to be removed from the skin by convection by taking advantage of the cooling effects of being higher above ground) that allowed them to remain active in temperatures that would drive a quadruped to heat stroke.Part three looked at the origins of modern humans civilization, spending a good deal of time on the importance of language and the increasing evidence that sophisticated modern behavior did not arise first 30,000-40,000 years ago among humans that had left Africa for Eurasia, but instead had occurred in Africa some 35,000 years earlier than that, the author providing accounts of the manufacture of sophisticated tools and early attempts at agricultural practices. A fascinating chapter was devoted to the spread of the iron-using Bantu-speaking peoples, who in less than 3,000 years expanded from their homes in modern Nigeria and Cameroon to colonize virtually all of sub-Saharan Africa, "an event unmatched in world history."Part four was an immensely interesting section, detailing many interesting African civilizations, including the Aksum of Ethiopia (whose influences at its height extended into Arabia and developed Africa's only indigenous written script, Ge'ez) and Jenne-jeno (an urban civilization of the inland Niger delta in Mali that was not hierarchical and lacked centralized control yet was quite prosperous). The history of African agriculture is well-covered, noting the importance of bananas and plantains to the diet, the differing practices of raising cattle for milk versus beef (surprisingly interesting), and the fact that elephants were a real impediment to African agricultural development until comparatively recent times. Slavery is also covered, as the author stated that between 30-60% of all Africans were slaves during historic times, far exceeding the number taken from the continent by the slave trade, these being slaves used within Africa.Part five examined early European exploration of Africa and the origins of the Atlantic slave trade and also delved into many aspects of African political and economic development, noting how various factors, such as unpredictable climate, disease, problems of food production, the need to maintain voluntary and cooperative trade links, and the age-set system of rule mitigated against the development of powerful, densely-settled African states (and the disadvantage this would put the Africans at when facing Europeans). Reader also spent a good deal of time noting just how profoundly four centuries of slave-trading "seized the entire social and cultural ethos" of Africa, leading to destruction of some peoples, the creation of others, and the commercialization of African economies (sadly, even after the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade indigenous slavery not only continued to exist but actually expanded).Part six largely dealt with the history of South Africa. Surprisingly, the Zulu state owes is existence less to the rise of Shaka than popularly thought, as it was "squeezed into being" between spreading white settlers in the west and the disruptive activities of slave traders to the east. Early established labor practices for African workers in the Kimberly diamond fields and Witwaterstrand gold mines would have profound implications and influence on Africa, firmly establishing Africans not as true employees but something to be exploited.Part seven looked at the European scramble for Africa, the horror of King Leopold's Congo and its "carnival of massacre," some of the political legacies of European colonies (177 different ethnic groups according to one study are divided by European-established national boundaries), why Africans accepted the "the thin white line" that was colonial administration, and the profound impacts of the rinderpest plague, which killed a staggering 90-95% of all cattle in Africa between 1889 and the early 1900s, leading to a disruption in agricultural practices and the return of the tsetse fly to large swaths of land (many famous game parks such as the Serengeti exist today largely thanks to this plague).Part eight examined the genocide in Rwanda and Burundi, the causes of Africa's frequent coups, and why prosperous, stable democracies are virtually unheard of in sub-Saharan Africa (the author examined the "Botswana exception").

The book is obviously, and necessarily, very long, but hugely informative and very, very well written. I cannot imagine the work that went into the writing, from first steps to publication. But the reading goes very easily, and it's a page-turner. For anybody with any interest at all in Africa, this is a must-read book. Take the plunge!

This book is exactly what I’ve been looking for: a comprehensive, in-depth discussion of all things Africa. The book is so diverse in scope that the first half taught me eye-opening things about geology, anthropology, scientific methods, agriculture, language, iron smelting, evolution, and more. It really is a fascinating read.Another reviewer mentioned that this isn’t a “curl up and read all night” kind of book and I agree. The writing style is clear and readable, but the amount of information in just a single short chapter is so dense that it takes me one or two days to digest it and consider it. I read 2-3 chapters a week, usually. I am not quite finished with the book but it’s probably the best non-fiction book I’ve ever read, and I recommend it to anyone with a curious mind.

Africa is a huge continent with diverse geography and peoples, so any effort to encompass the entire history of the continent in one volume will, by necessity, either omit or minimize some aspects of that history. For example, much of the history of Africa north of the Sahara is missing, as is the impact of Islam on the continent and the slave trade. Note that the book ends in 1999, thereby giving only a brief summary of the effect Nelson Mandela had on South Africa or more recent political developments.To be fair, each chapter in this well written book could have developed into a book of its own if everything known was to be included. So, accept that this book, despite its length, is merely a summary and guideline of Africa’s history. Nonetheless, it is a valuable read for anyone wishing to embark on exploring Africa’s vast geography and history.Recently returned from a long trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe, I wanted to delve more into Africa’s history in order to better understand what I had seen and learned from numerous personal interviews with white and black, old and young citizens of those two countries. I was specifically interested in how slavery developed, how a small colonial population both exploited and controlled a larger indigenous population, how racial separation came to be the norm, and why numerous post-colonial African nation governments failed miserably. Fortunately, these are the book’s strongest areas. Now I have a framework for future detailed reading.Most readers will find that many of their pre-conceived notions about African “tribes,” non-European African history, and African nation states will be wrong, as much of what Westerners have learned is framed by a European outlook and tradition. This book illuminates and details these and other subjects from a relatively un-biased historical perspective. [Yes, some will quibble over a few statements by the author, but that’s to be expected of any book of this sweeping nature.]It would have been helpful if some maps were included in the book to assist in defining various geographic areas with changing borders and names. These could have been placed at the beginning of many of the chapters to refresh the reader on locations. Overall, however, I am glad I read this book.