Wonderful book in every way. I'm not sure how she did it, but Sue managed to write a book about hunting in Africa that I would be equally comfortable recommending to my hunting buddies or to my mother. Remarkable.
The narrative is compelling from start to finish, and it does a great job weaving the adventure in with explanations of the culture, history, the realities of wildlife and wildlife conflict, and putting a personal spin on everything both from her own side but also the Tanzanians from the hunting camp who make up a big part of the story.
There's tons of information in here that a lot of people are going to learn from the first time - whether it's the funding provided by hunting, the huge swaths of the African Continent that are not suitable for photo safaris, the complicated kind of protection that wildlife has had due to Tsetse flies, or any number of other things.
Tidwell’s perspective as a non-hunter is also a very valuable one. However solid the arguments for the North American or African models of wildlife conservation might be, when they come from hunters it's difficult for the public in general to avoid the perception that they're all just rationalizations. Coming from her, a lot of these concepts might find a wider audience.
Her descriptions of the local people will ring true to anyone who has spent time there. I lived in East Africa for about three and a half years, and I adore Tanzanians. They're warm, community oriented, welcoming, and often downright hilarious. It's a joy to be around them, and Sue’s obvious respect and affection for the people she encounters shines out from every page.
The book also does an excellent job highlighting the more precarious state of life that exists in that part of the world, the routine dangers people face, and the deeply human side of wildlife management. Getting to know the local people as individuals forces you to see the complexities of wildlife issues through a much different lens. Short of spending serious time over there, this book conveys that perspective in one of the best ways I’ve come across.
