This book is an alarmingly biased view of White settler society in 1970s Rhodesia, during the time of the bush war. I have read it a couple of times since it first came out, and I can honestly say that its only saving grace is the evocative images and "atmosphere" conjured up by the author. But Caute writes in such a shockingly condescending, hateful, even racist way about the Rhodesians, that one simply can't rely on his account. His portrait of Robert Cecil is particularly misleading. The author seems to relish the innumerable stories of innocent white men, women, and children being butchered and mutililated by the black Marxist terrorists. It is primarily for this reason that I cannot recommend this book to anyone.

David Caute's "Under the Skin: The Death of White Rhodesia" is a difficult book to pin down. On the one hand, it is an exhaustive account of the most grim years of the Rhodesian war (1976-1980), and does a masterful job of chronicling white Rhodesia's violent, chaotic last days. The "feel" one gets from the book is go gripping and vivid that one's first inclination is to recommend this book as the definitive account of "the death of white Rhodesia."

Despite this great strength, however, "Under the Skin" is crippled by a terrible flaw: Caute's decidedly one-sided views and blatant distaste for Rhodesia's whites. He provides laundry-lists of whites killed by African guerillas with the non-chalance of someone who believes the whites got what they deserved; at one particularly ludicous point he refers to a white Rhodesian politician as "Herr" Hilary Squires. As a piece of journalism, then, "Under the Skin" is atrocious -- Caute makes no attempt to be the least bit impartial, and that undermines the credibility of his entire narrative.

So why the four stars? This rating is based on the assumption that most people who come across this book have a strong interest in / knowledge of southern Africa and can therefore cut through Caute's personal agenda to appreciate his otherwise deft handling of 1970s Rhodesia. If you are a newcomer to the subject, be warned: this is not an even-handed account, and you may do better elsewhere for starters.

Very vivid account of the War for Independence. A must read!

I recently had the opportunity to read the paperback version of Do You Know Me? After completing the story, I have very mixed feelings! I really enjoyed the character, Uncle Zeka. He was in my opinion, the strongest character in the book. His unintentional and well meaning antics kept the book interesting. I also liked the character Tapiwa and felt a great deal of empathy for her situation. These were in my opinion the strong points of the book. My disappointment comes within the remainder of the plot. I felt that there was an overuse of characters which made the book quite hard to follow and as a result I lost interest very quickly. I would have been unable to complete the book had it not been for Uncle Zeka and Tapiwa.

The story, Do You Know Me?, takes place in Africa where one brother living in a more modern community tries to help his older brother who has had to survive in the bush with only his wits to help him. Their ways of doing things clash and that's when the fun begins. Uncle Zeka and his antics had me laughing out loud! The characters in this story are ones you'll never forget. My favorite, Tapiwa, is a shy, intelligent girl who learns that the most valuable lessons are not always learned at school. This is an excellent book to read with your class, teachers!

This book deservedly stands as the most comprehensive treatment of Zimbabwean popular music in the latter half of the 20th century. Over the years Rhodesian and then Zimbabwean authorities maintained amazingly complete archives of recordings and various governmental initiatives, even regional festivals, so Turino could draw upon an enviable treasure trove of material. With such a wealth of information the author is able to precisely document productions and events too often dependent in other countries upon fading memories and contradictory stories of authorship, etc. While the book cannot offer an accompanying CD, much of the relevant music is fairly easily available.
Three important points a reader should keep in mind:
1.) The history is engrossing but the writing style is overly dense and turgid. General readers should not take this as a necessary evil of an in-depth research volume by a specialist. There are many examples of clear and engaging writing in ethnomusicology (like the equally comprehensive treatment of Bulgarian music by Tim Rice, May It Fill Your Soul, for ex.), so don't let this one alienate you from others.
2.) The relatively small but influential part of Zimbabwe's population that can be termed middle sectors (for ex., with at least some access to institutional western education) receive unfair treatment throughout the book, especially the accusations singled out for Thomas Mapfumo. Ron Zapolsky details some of this in his book review in the magazine The Beat, __ 2000. Turino, despite having lived several months in Zimbabwe, dismisses the very real threats on Mapfumo's life by the corrupt dictatorship of Mugabe; he goes so far as to ridicule Mapfumo's forced move into exile in the U.S. When one reads this one has to ask: and the author, Turino, isn't he in a nice safe university town in the same United Sates? Considering the violence that has only escalated against any opposition in Zimbabwe since this book was published, this chip-on-the-shoulder attitude against members of the middle class (broadly defined) is strange and, unfortunately, skews much of the data and analysis.
3.) For those familiar with the field of ethnomusicology this book confirms a regrettable pattern that has emerged in Turino's writings: a failure to acknowledge obvious intellectual precursors and give them their due.
a.) In his otherwise excellent first book, Moving Away from Silence (on the musical consequences of pan pipe playing when the rural tradition migrates into Peru's sprawling capital city), Turino plainly built upon the contributions of Americo Valencia. Dr. Valencia is one of Peru's foremost ethnomusicologists, who has carefully documented the same pan pipe tradition in many writings, including two books listed in Turino's bibliography. Peruvian ethnomusicologists who have studied here in the U.S. have pointedly criticized Turino's false self-portrayal of "trail blazing" that ignores work by "locals" (in the journal Latin American Music Review, fall/win 1999, and spr/summer 2001).
b.) Unfortunately, the problem is a bit more deeper than ignoring "native scholars." Turino wrote the extensive article on music of the Quechua-speaking people of the Andean highlands in The Garland Encyclopedia (ethnomusicology's first, and so far definitive reference work) where the essential contributions on exactly that topic by Andean expert John Schechter are inexplicably missing; Schechter doesn't even warrant a mention in the bibliography (which is specifically designed to be comprehensive for further research).
c.) Now in "Nationalist, Cosmopolitans...." the reader would imagine that Turino must be the first to elucidate such major issues as using music to create a pan-ethnic national identity and the key role of middle sectors in that project. There are several precursors in the field in this regard, most notably an article on music and nationalism in Ethnomusicology (the field's flagship journal) that appeared in 1999 just before Turino began writing his book (the article's examples drew on Nicaraguan history, written by ethnomusicologist T.M. Scruggs). This omission is so blatant that a joke has been circulating within ethnomusicology: Scruggs's article on music and nationalism is to Turino's book as the indie film "El Mariachi" is to the big Hollywood production "Desperado," that is, a large movie tycoon utilizes primary ideas of an underfunded indie film but doesn't acknowledge his debt to it.
Such problems at the level of an individual scholar's integrity might not appear to have much direct bearing on the average reader, yet they raise issues of a certain lack of control of the author's ego that does intersect with something important and relevant: this book's demeaning of some of Zimbabwe's most talented and courageous cultural figures. This unfortunate attitude will become apparent to readers of various backgrounds, and astute ones will be able to adjust accordingly and still appreciate the wealth of detail and historical documentation of what will probably remain the most complete book on the subject for many years to come.

I borrowed this book. The title appealed to me. Well it is interesting and seems important : the importance of true African music (instead of white, alien soul-killing stuff). But it is too cold, only white thinking, the man has no feeling for the black soul, it is a white who writes for whites, and sees African things from far, his own soul not being in touch with the African soul. I could not finish the book, was too boring. I hope to find a book on this subject written by a brother.

This book is a waste of time, a waste of space, and a waste of money. Demonstrates amazing ignorance about the places and people she visits, and arrogantly assumes the right to make judgements about things she clearly does not understand. People who've lived in the areas she bikes through, especially those who've done any work relating to AIDS or women's issues, have an involuntary gagging reflex whenever someone mentions this book.

This is an unusually well-written and consistently interesting travel narrative. The author does come across as a tough old crow at times. (I can't imagine why she feels entitled to sneer at hikers who use the Lonely Planet guide.) But who else would have braved such an arduous journey in the first place? I can understand that her opinions about women's issues and the AIDS epidemic might be irritatingly opposed to yours. But isn't one of the points of traveling to meet people who aren't like ourselves?

A couple of years after reading The Ukimwe Road, which I found to be excellent reporting, I was surprised to find so many negative and emotional views posted here. I have repeatedly recommended this and other Murphy books to friends as good entertainment and the most unbiased sources of on-the-ground information in print. Where Dervla Murphy has gone, we can learn truth that is seldom found in more conventional sources.

The picture she painted of the seriousness and extent of the AIDS problem in Africa was well supported by her first-hand (if anecdotal) evidence. Subsequent developments have shown that her alarming portrayal was accurate, and hers was in print *years* before the authorities began to recognise the scope of the problem. She did an excellent job of illustrating the wide range of psychological devices used to deny or minimise the problem.

Her portrait of the plight of a well-informed woman who despaired of protecting herself against AIDS, saying "You just don't know what it means to be a woman in Africa" still haunts my memory.

Official accounts, however alarming, have not yet caught up with Murphy's detailing of the cultural and social situations that have made the present disaster inevitable. Slowly and belatedly, news accounts are reflecting what she told us years ago. She can hardly be faulted for failing to suggest a solution, when any solution must involve massive cultural change: iconceivable to the locals as well as to western liberals.

This is not a cheerful read, like some of her other books, but it may be one of her most important.

Bias note: I have read and enjoyed almost all of Dervla Murphy's books, and bought a couple. I'll buy the rest for my permanent library when cheaper paperbacks appear. I do not share her political views (which I believe are far to the left of mine), but I do not find that this has made her observations any less valuable. She has my respect.

I could recommend this book to every aspiring travel writer as an example of what not to do. I was totally uninterested as to what wine the writer ate with his dinner, the quality of his seat on the airplane, or any other of the zillions of details he insisted on providing. I was interested to know his impressions of the people and cultures he found in those very interesting lands he visited. I did not find out. This book was written for readers of the Ladies Home Companion, I reckon.

Thisbook does not worth reading it. It was supposed to be for children but I don't think it is good for children at all.
My daughter borrowed this book from her Indian friend and after I quickly looked at it, I found it very scary. This not a good book for children and I suggested to be collected form market so no one go through what my daughter went through. I think this book should be collected from market. It does not worth reading and spending money on it

Dr. Mufuka provides interesting insights into the realities of life in Zimbabwe through fictionalized accounts of actual events, but the book's good points end there. The editing is remarkably bad. If Dr. Mufuka were a student, the book would not pass English 101 on grammar mistakes alone. While his charming personality may make him a popular instructor, his books, like his lectures, contain questionable content and seem almost haphazard in construction.