Escape to Africa

By: Henri Diamant

Narrated by: Henri Diamant

Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Henri lived only a few short years in Europe before the family moved to the Belgian Congo, a country deep in the heart of Africa. These were the early 1900s at a time when the colonial era was in full swing. The White Man ruled the native population with undisputed authority and many parts of the country were totally uncivilized. Henri adapted easily to his new surroundings and the memoir chronicles his unique experiences with surprising verve and stirring prose. The listener's imagination will be gripped by the account of witchcraft, superstition, strange rites, exotic animals, and life in a remote post.

©2011 Henri Diamant (P)2016 Henri Diamant

Interesting memoir

This book is about a Jewish family who flee the Nazis in 1939. The father had obtained a transfer from the Czechoslovakian shoe company he worked to the Belgian Congo and emigrated there with his family. This shoe company did everything it could to transfer all its Jewish work force out of Europe.

The colonial era in Africa was at its peak. Many parts of the Congo were uninhabited by the whites and were considered uncivilized. The author tells stories about witchcraft and native rites and superstitions. Diamant describes not only what life was like in the Congo in the 1940s and 50s but the culture, flora and fauna of the land. He also includes the politics and history of the Congo and surrounding countries.

The memoir is well written. The author tells of his childhood and the sights he encountered in the Congo. He describes the wildlife as well as the native inhabitants and what it was like to be a young boy in the wilds of Africa. Diamant says the reason he decided to write the story of his family was to answer the question of his granddaughter. Diamant said the majority of both his parent’s families were lost in the Holocaust.

The author narrated his own book. It would have been better with a trained experienced professional narrator. The only thing that saved the narration was his accent.

insight of colonial congo life

Would you consider the audio edition of Escape to Africa to be better than the print version?

yes the authors rendition makes it authentic and amusing

What other book might you compare Escape to Africa to and why?

a fortunate life

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

the narrators commentary was amusing and there are a wealth of comic incidental comments

Any additional comments?

informative on the whole and totally honest. my favourite audio so far