Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart

by Tim Butcher 

A Do or Die Adventure

Two centuries after Henry Morton Stanley made an expedition, another brave man attempted to penetrate the jungles of the Congo. His name is Tim Butcher, the author of Blood River: A Journey to Africa’s Broken Heart. This non-fiction book is a chronicle of Tim Butcher’s journey to the African country and across the massive Congo River.

But unlike Stanley, however, Butcher takes the journey to the Congo alone. 

The Journey

It’s the 21st century.

Tim Butcher decides he wants to retrace the journey that his fellow Daily Telegraph correspondent did in the 19th century. Is it curiosity? A journalist’s obsession? Or, a sense of adventure that leads him to do what he did? Only the author knows the answer to these questions. But, whatever his ulterior motives are, Butcher’s trip to the Congo is truly a do-or-die adventure of a lifetime. 

And so, after making the necessary preparations, Tim finally flew from Johannesburg to the Congo in August 2004. His overland journey begins in Kalemie. He then travels on a motorbike to the west to reach the Congo River. From this point, Tim is set to make the 2,500-kilometer descent. His final goal is close to the area where the Congo River drains into the Atlantic Ocean. To accomplish this journey, however, would spell several challenges and unimaginable dangers. And, the author is well aware of all these.

Some of the minor challenges he must face are the terrain and transport. The roads, if he’s lucky to follow even one, are full of potholes, and they're extremely dusty. Otherwise, he needs to create his own track to reach his destination. Not to mention the possibility of getting sick from malaria and other diseases along the way.

On the other hand, Tim needs to prepare himself for the major challenges, too. Being a white man in the Congo is extremely dangerous. His skin color is the most hated or feared by the Congolese. Lawless elements are everywhere, and he’s likely to encounter some of them somewhere. One of the most dangerous routes he needs to take is the Katanga province. This is a region where constant fighting is the ‘norm’. For several decades, violent attacks have occurred at any time, and nobody can even pinpoint who attacks whom. Another dangerous region in his route is Maniema province, which is notorious for cannibalism.

With all these dangers before him, will Tim Butcher buckle down? Will he finish his quest to follow the flow of the Congo River? Read Blood River: A Journey to Africa’s Broken Heart and discover the mystery for yourself.

The Book and the Author 

For people who know little or nothing about the history of the Congo, Blood River serves as an eye-opener. There is a profound wound underneath this troubled African nation. It is unwise for outsiders to conclude that the country is a land of savagery. Tim Butcher writes the reality of the Congo without prejudice. He describes the extreme poverty in the land of plenty and the greed of the elite. He also points out the widespread corruption in the government, and the lust for power of the colonizers.

Tim Butcher is an excellent writer, journalist, and investigative reporter. In Blood River, he presents the facts without biases for skin color and nationality. His descriptions of each scene and situation are vivid. He brings readers on a wild ride through the jungles of Africa amid the threats of cannibalism and savagery. 

Moreover, I’m impressed at how the author organizes his narrative. He sees to it that readers get a clearer picture of the regions and the terrain of the Congo. 

The Technical Side of Blood River

Blood River: A Journey to Africa’s Broken Heart is well-proofread. I didn’t see any typographical or grammatical errors in the book. Or, if there had been any, it must be negligible to affect the story. The author also ties the loose ends in the epilogue. 

Therefore, I give Blood River a rating of 5 out 5 stars. I also recommend it to all readers, especially those interested in history. I also suggest this book to educators that they may help raise awareness on the plight of the Congo people.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rise and Fall of the Fourth Reich - Book Review

Image
The Rise and Fall of the Fourth Reich by Neal Owens Adolf Hitler may be long dead, but his spirit lives on. Prominent party members of Nazi Germany’s totalitarian government who escaped to Spain wanted to establish the Führer’s legacy in America. I've just read Neal Owens' The Rise and Fall of the Fourth Reich. The book is set in the post-World War II period and explores the idea of what might have happened if the remnants of Nazi Germany's government had tried to establish a Fourth Reich in America. The story follows a group of former SS, Gestapo, and Nazi intelligence officers who fled to Spain after the war. The CIA approached them, through their leader, Heinrich Dorfmeister, and was offered a deal to work as consultants and spies for the Americans. Dorfmeister agrees to the contract and moves to the US with his family under new identities. In the US, Dorfmeister and his group align themselves with the America First Coalition and manipulate their way into positions of po...
Read more

Home for the Bewildered - Book Review

Image
  Home for the Bewildered by Michelle Tobin As much as she tries to, Dorothy finds it difficult to separate her personal struggles from her patients' experiences. How she dealt with such difficulty may resonate among other practitioners in the field of mental health. Home for the Bewildered  follows the struggles of Dr. Dorothy Morrissey, a psychologist at St. Lawrence Asylum. She handles a handful of patients whose issues somehow resonate with her own personal experiences.  Born and raised a Catholic, Dorothy is torn between adhering to her family's strict conservative lifestyle and adopting to her Protestant boyfriend's outlook. Dorothy's struggles do not end here. She. must also deal with her family's dynamics. While people in the mental health discipline call her a doctor, her family does not acknowledge it as a real profession. Dorothy.also feels her patients' individual conditions reflect her personal struggles. The Book and the Author Michelle...
Read more

Out Front the Following Sea - Book Review

Image
Out Front the Following Sea by Leah Angstman Out Front the Following Sea is a tragic story of Ruth Miner. In a culture that frowns upon independent and unmarried women, she needs to stand strong on her principles. Out Front the Following Sea  is a historical fiction set in the 17th century. The year is 1689, the beginning of King William’s War between the French and the English settlers in New England. The story opens with Ruth Miner trying to buy some crops from the market. Sadly, all of the vendors are not keen on selling their goods to her. Every person in town scoffs at her for being a thief, a liar, and a witch. One man even chases her with a stick. Luckily, though, a sailor arrives in time to rescue her. The sailor’s name is Owen, an old friend of Ruth. He escorts and helps the lady get some goods. Ruth goes home to a wooden house in the clearing and takes care of her ailing grandmother. But, one day, a serious incident happens in the two women’s lives. It’s a defining moment...
Read more