Last Resort : A Memoir of Mischief and Mayhem on a Family Farm in Africa

English

ISBN: 0307407985

EAN: 9780307407986

Category: Reference / Genealogy & Heraldry/History / Africa / South / General/Travel / Resorts & Spas/

Publisher: Crown Publishing Group

Release Date: 09/07/2010

Synopsis: Thrilling, heartbreaking, and, at times, absurdly funny,The Last Resortis a remarkable true story about one family in a country under siege and a testament to the love, perseverance, and resilience of the human spirit. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Douglas Rogers is the son of white farmers living through that countrys long and tense transition from postcolonial rule. He escaped the dull future mapped out for him by his parents for one of adventure and excitement in Europe and the United States. But when Zimbabwes president Robert Mugabe launched his violent program to reclaim white-owned land and Rogerss parents were caught in the cross fire, everything changed. Lyn and Ros, the owners of Driftersa famous game farm and backpacker lodge in the eastern mountains that was one of the most popular budget resorts in the countryfound their home and resort under siege, their friends and neighbors expelled, and their lives in danger. But instead of leaving, as their son pleads with them to do, they haul out a shotgun and decide to stay. On returning to the country of his birth, Rogers finds his once orderly and progressive home transformed into something resembling a Marx Brothers romp crossed withHeart of Darkness: pot has supplanted maize in the fields; hookers have replaced college kids as guests; and soldiers, spies, and teenage diamond dealers guzzle beer at the bar. And yet, in spite of it all, Rogerss parentswith the help of friends, farmworkers, lodge guests, and residentsamong them black political dissidents and white refugee farmerscontinue to hold on. But can they survive to the end? In the midst of a nation stuck between its stubborn past and an impatient future, Rogers soon begins to see his parents in a new light: unbowed, with passions and purpose renewed, even heroic. And, in the process, he learns that the big story he had relentlessly pursued his entire adult life as a roving journalist and travel writer was actually happening in his own backyard. Evoking elements ofThe Tender BarandAbsurdistan, The Last Resortis an inspiring, coming-of-age tale about home, love, hope, responsibility, and redemption. An edgy, roller-coaster adventure, it is also a deeply moving story about how to survive a corrupt Third World dictatorship with a little innovation, humor, bribery, and brothel management.

Excerpt: Unknown Property Excerpt

Last Resort : A Memoir of Mischief and Mayhem on a Family Farm in Africa

Illustrated: No

Format: Paperback

Height: 0.68 inches

Width: 5.15 inches

Length: 8.0 inches

Weight: 8.99 oz

Pages: 336