Small Press Book Review

Melinda Atwood went to Africa after her mother died and a legal battle over her will ensued between her and her brothers. She had been to Africa earlier in her life. "I noticed that when I was in Africa I liked me better. Everything felt clearer and cleaner to me, on the inside." But Atwood looks not only inside. She takes in the African world around her as well. "The colors of the Cherangani Hills at sunset, blue after blue after blue, one massive, granite ripple that faded into a hundred more shades of gray as they receded into infinite space...." The continual freshness and honesty of the author's clear-sighted look into herself and what surrounds her is reason enough to read her story from beginning to end. But there's more: Atwood is not in Africa simply as a tourist or because she is curious about its mysteries and foreign ways. Beyond this, the undeveloped land and the unknown aspects of Africa and its people and cultures are an environment in which she can grow. Africa draws out of her unique strengths, which are considerable. In Africa, she is a strong woman who grows stronger. But she talks freely about her vulnerabilities and disappointments and sorrows--giving this dimension to her story as well.

Henry Berry
Book Reviewer
The Small Press Book Review