Book critique “The Last Resort: A Memoir of Mischief and Mayhem on a Family Farm in Africa” Essay

Updated: Apr 1st, 2019

The Last Resort: A Memoir of Mischief and Mayhem on a Family Farm in Africa is a book that takes us through a family in Africa, the joys and the struggles they had to go through each and every day. The book is a humorous piece of literature offering numerous lessons and insights about the mayhem faced in Africa. The author has taken us back when some of the fertile lands in Africa had been misappropriated by the whites.

After independence, the farms, which were occupied by white settlers, were taken over by some enlightened members of the society. As it can be noted from the book, the author’s family was one of the beneficiaries of such farms. Despite the fact that they had almost everything they needed, they faced lots of challenges than the other people in the society (Rogers, 2010).

They could not escape from the fact that they were living in an environment that was dominated by poor and illiterate people. Coping with issues in the underdeveloped country is what motivated the author to come up write the book and explore the kind of life in the contemporary African society. He gives us a feel of what it means to be African, the joy and the challenges that come from a continent that is considered backward by many developed nations.

The ‘Last Resort’ is a book with an African setting that seeks to reveal several issues that are overlooked especially by foreigners. Contrary to expectations that those in power in Africa do not face challenges, the author examines the challenges faced by the rich members of the society. We realize that those endowed with power in Africa have their own challenges that are slightly different from what other developed countries face.

The author reveals more about the poverty situation in Africa affects both those in authority and the normal citizens (Rogers, 2010). Despite the efforts of those in authority to work hard and obtain money, by the very reason of them being among the poor and illiterate they will also have to face the challenges that come with living in such an environment.

Living as if they have everything does not prevent them from empathizing with the situation around them; they aim at inspiring their fellow compatriots that they can also make it in their lives by working harder. The author reveals to the audience some of the challenges that hinder African nations from developing at a similar rate with others in the west.

After reading the work, it is observed that it can be biased based on the perspective in which the information is derived. It is debatable whether the information and revelations presented in the work present the right situations faced in the African continent.

The work also offers less reliable resources on the study topic. What the author has done is empathizing with the situation in his perfective as a son of a white farm settler. Most events about poverty and inequality as faced in Africa could be more or less theoretical to the author than practical. This is because the author was brought up in a well-up family.

The information is also based on what he felt about his environment rather than what the real situation is. The rich and those who are in authority in Africa are perceived to be unsympathetic about the poor and consider them lazy people who have become complacent about their situation.

They overlook some of their challenges, which include illiteracy and poverty from their backgrounds. They may not have had the opportunity to advance their studies or get the exposure that requires them to take up certain responsibilities.

The author’s family may have landed on a fortune that enabled them get the needed exposure to be in leadership position. They were endowed with the responsibility of maintaining it. Coming from such a background, the author may be biased with his portrayal of the poor peasants in Africa who are mainly concerned about what their families will have for the day (Rogers, 2010).

The challenges they face on a daily basis do not give them room to think about investments. It takes quite some time and generations for their attitudes to change from simply having daily bread to investing into larger business units. It should be noted that there are different levels of development and as much as a lower class of people in the society is despised, we realize that they have their own benefits.

They take up responsibilities that people in upper classes will not take. It is hence appropriate to appreciate the different levels rather than condemn them. In fact, it is by knowing where you have come from that will make one appreciate where they are.

The last resort highlights Africa on a rich man’s son perspective. The book should therefore be read and interpreted considering from such point of view. This also implies that what has been displayed in the book is just a shadow of what Africa has been and how the people of the land react to the changes and challenges they face on a daily basis.

It will be encouraging to know that what most people are told and know about Africa is contrary to the truth (Rogers, 2010). A person will give a description of something basing on the knowledge and experience they have heard. Their perspective has to do with the attitude of the narrator and how they choose to display what they have seen from their experiences.

The most appropriate thing the author has managed to convince his audience it to get their own experience and derive their own conclusion rather than waiting to be told.

Reference

Rogers, D. (2010). The Last Resort: A Memoir of Mischief and Mayhem on a Family Farm in Africa. New York: Crown Publishing Group.

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