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Something of Value Robert Ruark 9780241906125 Books

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Something of Value Robert Ruark 9780241906125 Books

One of the books that made a lasting impression on me, first read fifty years ago, written by a man who actually experienced life in Africa, and more particularly, Kenya, firsthand. His narrative of the lives of two childhood friends, one a white Englishman and one a native black Kikuyu, tells the story of the violent Mau Mau uprising against provincial English rule in the mid-1950s. It is not a book for the faint of heart or the squeamish, but from other accounts I have read of Africa from the same period, it is quite accurate. As one would expect, the two main characters cannot and do not remain friends -- one will not survive -- but the main thrust of the story is not really about the two individuals but rather about the clash of two cultures, both old and well-established, without regard or apology for the shortcomings of either.


Tags : Something of Value [Robert Ruark] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Something of Value is a novel based on events that took place in Kenya Colony during the violent Mau Mau insurrection of the 1950s,Robert Ruark,Something of Value,Hamish Hamilton Ltd,0241906121,Literature & Fiction

Something of Value Robert Ruark 9780241906125 Books Reviews

Probably Ruark's best novel. Great insight in the situation in Kenya before and during the Mau mau uprising and the traditions of the Kikuyu. Being married to a Kikuyu, grand daughter of a Mau mau fighter makes it even more interesting for me.
This is more than a story of hunting. It relates the conflict of man/animal/land in a social, political, and environmental. It describes an un-bias humanity and inhumanity of both white and black in Africa, telling the story from all sides. Like the jewel Africa is, she has many faces and facets.
I'm familiar with the story, this book is replacing an earlier copy that I accidently donated with other books prior to moving here. The book is fine well constructed but the print is too small for me until I get my new glasses. Ruark was a good author. I can also recommend his books about his boyhood, "the Old Man and the Boy" and "the Old Man's Boy Grows Older" as excellent and clean books for adolescents.
Historical fictions are my favorite form of reading and they don't get better than "Something of Value". It is an extremely well written and historically accurate story; something all historical fictions should seek to be.
It takes place in Africa (Kenya), just after WWII, when the whole face of Africa was changing, after the British colonial period was losing its grip on the region. The relationship between the white colonials and the native Africans, which had developed an uncomfortable peace and even some affection between them, was about to become completely undone by the influences of internal resentment and discontent and external political rivals vying for regional power. It culminates in one of the bloodiest massacres called the Mau Mau Rising.
The characters in Robert Ruark's book are realistically portrayed; some are compassionate and kind, some cruel beyond all abilities of human understanding. His weaving of the familie's stories and the events of the time presents a realistic, poignant, and tragic story that offers a true understanding of a calamity that one would not otherwise be able to comprehend.
A magnificent, sprawling achievement that remains the definitive work on the Mau Mau uprising in old East Africa. A classic!
Some people compare Robert Ruark as a latter day Ernest Hemingway. I was not a literature major in college so I won't venture an opinion - but suffice it to say he is a very good writer. Something of Value is one of Ruark's best books and given the contemporary chaos of todays Africa this book provides an interesting (if fictional) historical context and perspective.
This book is hard to find because it is out of print. I read it as a young person and fell in love with Africa. It affected me so much that I eventually did go on safari to the very land the book speaks of.

The publisher needs to release this book once more so others may enjoy the ride.
One of the books that made a lasting impression on me, first read fifty years ago, written by a man who actually experienced life in Africa, and more particularly, Kenya, firsthand. His narrative of the lives of two childhood friends, one a white Englishman and one a native black Kikuyu, tells the story of the violent Mau Mau uprising against provincial English rule in the mid-1950s. It is not a book for the faint of heart or the squeamish, but from other accounts I have read of Africa from the same period, it is quite accurate. As one would expect, the two main characters cannot and do not remain friends -- one will not survive -- but the main thrust of the story is not really about the two individuals but rather about the clash of two cultures, both old and well-established, without regard or apology for the shortcomings of either.