An extraordinary life is a very appropriate title...what a life she has led. I'd known who Anne Glenconner is as I've always been interested in the hiAn extraordinary life is a very appropriate title...what a life she has led. I'd known who Anne Glenconner is as I've always been interested in the history/culture of the British Royals, but I'd never realized that she was also central in so many social movements and events through the 20th century. Fascinating reading- it's not a life that I'd want to live, and her family sorrows are horrendous, but it certainly makes for a great read. ...more
Very well-researched, especially from the policing point of view. I did find the author a bit credulous when it came to stores that Richard told him- Very well-researched, especially from the policing point of view. I did find the author a bit credulous when it came to stores that Richard told him- his cousin's murders in Vietnam, the whole Satanism schtick, etc. A lot of interesting material about the jury, and the police and legal teams involved- it's certainly a good introduction to Ramirez. ...more
I usually avoid reading American Revolutionary War books- While I do love history, it's difficult to read all of the "freedom for all" rhetoric (excepI usually avoid reading American Revolutionary War books- While I do love history, it's difficult to read all of the "freedom for all" rhetoric (except for African Americans of course)- I understand it, I just don't usually care to read about it. So I didn't know much at all about the Washingtons, or about how they treated their own enslaved people, which made this a good read for me. It was frustrating that so little is known of Ona, but I think that the author did a believable job of filling in the blanks. Reading about various free communities and how they assisted runaways at potentially great cost to themselves was very inspiring, while reading about how escaped enslaved people could expect their families to be punished for their escape was just awful. With the information that is available on Ona I think that the author did an outstanding job of at least giving us the possibilities of her life. Maybe it's not exactly what happened, but it does seem quite possible....more
I'm a huge fan of the Sheldrick Trust, and also very interested in conservation issues, so I'd been looking forward to reading this for quite a while.I'm a huge fan of the Sheldrick Trust, and also very interested in conservation issues, so I'd been looking forward to reading this for quite a while. It's so difficult to read about the horrible things that animals go through, and so heartening that so many people want to help. I certainly learned more about raising baby rhinos than I'd known before- I was already fairly familiar with baby elephants. I also found her life story to be very interesting- so different from mine, and it's always a treat to read about Africa. Her passion for wildlife can't be denied, and she's certainly created a lot of good in conservation. It was also a treat to read about her passion for her husband and her later lover- I admire women who are upfront about their passions.
I would have ranked it higher but the book was rather spoiled for me by the whole "colonial" theme...I certainly understand now why there's a movement for black Africans to control conservation/tourism/land management, as opposed to the white (former?) "ruling class" that have historically taken point. Reading about the "noble and caring British Empire that brought culture to the backwards Africans" (that's pretty much word for word) was jarring, to say the least, not to mention her horror that if Black Africans were given the vote, they'd be able to outvote white "settler" families. I'm hoping that she wasn't aware of British concentration camps for "rebel" Africans at the time of the Mau Mau uprising, but it seems likely that she would have been okay with that if she had known.
I read a lot of history so I'm used to encountering ideas and racism/classism, but it was jarring to read it in a contemporary book written by someone I'd considered somewhat of a heroine. I'm still very, very grateful for her work with endangered species, and with the love and care that she's shown in trying to save the animals of Africa, but I wish that I hadn't read the book. ...more
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