About:
River of the Gods: Genius, Courage and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard tells of the search for the origins of the longest river in the world. Ms. Millard is a writer, editor and journalist.
- 368 pages
- Publisher : Doubleday
- Language : English
- ISBN-10 : 0385543107
My rating for River of the Gods — 5
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Thoughts:
The book mainly tells of two Brits, Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke that were sent by the Royal Geographical Society to find the source of the Nile. Mr. Burton was already a famous explorer, army officer, writer, orientalist who spoke 29 (YES, twenty-nine) languages. Mr. Speke was an aristocratic Army officer who wanted to make his mark.
Ms. Millard goes on to tell about the explorers who weren’t English, which history seemed to have ignored. Among them is Sidi Mubarak Bombay was enslaved as a boy, and shipped from East Africa to India. He was freed when his owner died, joined the Sultan’s Army and found his way back to Africa making a living as a local guide due to his knowledge of Languages. Without Mr. Bombay, the English explorers of the era, not only Burton and Speke, wouldn’t have even come close to find out where the Nile originates, and many probably wouldn’t have survived.
River of the Gods by Candice Millard explorers the relationship between Burton, Speke, and Bombay as well as their expeditions and adventures. Each one of them is unique and had biographies written about them. Richard Burton, who was the most famous due to his daring dues, probably had the most written about him, and even made it to popular-culture, but the other two also deserve much recognition. Even Richard Burton admited that Sidi Mubarak is “The gem of the party.
I’ve read several books by Candice Millard, she’s an engaging writer that has the ability to paint with words. She tells of the East African slave trade, which held Mr. Bombay captive and his efforts to end it along with other side stories which have little to do with finding the origins of the White Nile, and more with the dynamics of English explorers. Nevertheless, I enjoyed those little tidbits, especially the one about Henry Morton Stanley who hired Mr. Bombay on his expedition to find the source of the White Nile and maybe Dr. David Livingstone who got lost in Africa.
Side quests aside, this is an exciting and engaging book, even though the expedition in the title is, to be honest, a small part of it. But like everyone who ever went on a long trip knows, pre-planning, funding, and buy-ins are a major factor just like the adventure itself.
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More Books by Candice Millard*
Zohar — Man of la Book
Disclaimer: I bought this book.
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