Alexandra Fuller was born in England in 1969. In 1972 she moved with her family to a farm in Rhodesia. After that country’s civil war in 1981, the Fullers moved first to Malawi, then to Zambia. Fuller received a B.A. from Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada. In 1994, she moved to Wyoming, where she still lives. Fuller is the author of several memoirs, including Travel Light, Move Fast, Leaving Before the Rains Come, and Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness.
“This is not a book you read just once, but a tale of terrible
beauty to get lost in over and over.”—Newsweek
“By turns mischievous and openhearted, earthy and soaring . . .
hair-raising, horrific, and thrilling.”—The New Yorker
“The Africa of this beautiful book is not easy to forget. Despite,
or maybe even because of, the snakes, the leopards, the malaria and
the sheer craziness of its human inhabitants, often violent but
pulsing with life, it seems like a fine place to grow up, at least
if you are as strong, passionate, sharp and gifted as Alexandra
Fuller.”—Chicago Tribune
“Owning a great story doesn’t guarantee being able to tell it well.
That’s the individual mystery of talent, a gift with which
Alexandra Fuller is richly blessed, and with which she illuminates
her extraordinary memoir. . . . There’s flavor, aroma, humor,
patience . . . and pinpoint observational acuity.”—Entertainment
Weekly
“This is a joyously telling memoir that evokes Mary Karr’s The
Liars’ Club as much as it does Isak Dinesen’s Out of Africa.”—New
York Daily News
“Riveting . . . [full of] humor and compassion.”—O: The Oprah
Magazine
“The incredible story of an incredible childhood.”—The Providence
Journal
“Fuller’s look back at her early life in an English family at the
violent tail end of colonialism is sad and hilarious.”—USA Today
Adult/High School-Pining for Africa, Fuller's parents departed England in the early '70s while she was still a toddler. They knew well that their life as white farmers living in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia at the time) would be anything but glamorous. Living a crude, rural life, the author and her older sister contended with "itchy bums and worms and bites up their arms from fleas" and losing three siblings. Mum and Dad were freewheeling, free-drinking, and often careless. Yet they were made of tough stuff and there is little doubt of the affection among family members. On top of attempting to make a living, they faced natives who were trying to free themselves of British rule, and who were understandably not thrilled to see more white bwanas settling in. Fuller portrays bigotry (her own included), segregation, and deprivation. But judging by her vivid and effortless imagery, it is clear that the rich, pungent flora and fauna of Africa have settled deeply in her bones. Snapshots scattered throughout the book enhance the feeling of intimacy and adventure. A photo of the author's first day of boarding school seems ordinary enough- she's standing in front of the family's Land Rover, smiling with her mother and sister. Then the realization strikes that young Alexandra is holding an Uzi (which she had been trained to use) and the family car had been mine-proofed. This was no ordinary childhood, and it makes a riveting story thanks to an extraordinary telling.-Sheila Shoup, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
A classic is born in this tender, intensely moving and even delightful journey through a white African girl's childhood. Born in England and now living in Wyoming, Fuller was conceived and bred on African soil during the Rhodesian civil war (1971-1979), a world where children over five "learn[ed] how to load an FN rifle magazine, strip and clean all the guns in the house, and ultimately, shoot-to-kill." With a unique and subtle sensitivity to racial issues, Fuller describes her parents' racism and the wartime relationships between blacks and whites through a child's watchful eyes. Curfews and war, mosquitoes, land mines, ambushes and "an abundance of leopards" are the stuff of this childhood. "Dad has to go out into the bush... and find terrorists and fight them"; Mum saves the family from an Egyptian spitting cobra; they both fight "to keep one country in Africa white-run." The "A" schools ("with the best teachers and facilities") are for white children; "B" schools serve "children who are neither black nor white"; and "C" schools are for black children. Fuller's world is marked by sudden, drastic changes: the farm is taken away for "land redistribution"; one term at school, five white students are "left in the boarding house... among two hundred African students"; three of her four siblings die in infancy; the family constantly sets up house in hostile, desolate environments as they move from Rhodesia to Zambia to Malawi and back to Zambia. But Fuller's remarkable affection for her parents (who are racists) and her homeland (brutal under white and black rule) shines through. This affection, in spite of its subjects' prominent flaws, reveals their humanity and allows the reader direct entry into her world. Fuller's book has the promise of being widely read and remaining of interest for years to come. Photos not seen by PW. (On-sale Dec. 18) Forecast: Like Anne Frank's diary, this work captures the tone of a very young person caught up in her own small world as she witnesses a far larger historical event. It will appeal to those looking for a good story as well as anyone seeking firsthand reportage of white southern Africa. The quirky title and jacket will propel curious shoppers to pick it up. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
"This is not a book you read just once, but a tale of terrible
beauty to get lost in over and over."-Newsweek
"By turns mischievous and openhearted, earthy and soaring . . .
hair-raising, horrific, and thrilling."-The New Yorker
"The Africa of this beautiful book is not easy to forget. Despite,
or maybe even because of, the snakes, the leopards, the malaria and
the sheer craziness of its human inhabitants, often violent but
pulsing with life, it seems like a fine place to grow up, at least
if you are as strong, passionate, sharp and gifted as Alexandra
Fuller."-Chicago Tribune
"Owning a great story doesn't guarantee being able to tell it well.
That's the individual mystery of talent, a gift with which
Alexandra Fuller is richly blessed, and with which she illuminates
her extraordinary memoir. . . . There's flavor, aroma, humor,
patience . . . and pinpoint observational
acuity."-Entertainment Weekly
"This is a joyously telling memoir that evokes Mary Karr's The
Liars' Club as much as it does Isak Dinesen's Out of
Africa."-New York Daily News
"Riveting . . . [full of] humor and compassion."-O: The Oprah
Magazine
"The incredible story of an incredible childhood."-The
Providence Journal
"Fuller's look back at her early life in an English family at the
violent tail end of colonialism is sad and hilarious."-USA
Today
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