RED ROAD THROUGH AFRICA: an Adventurer's Account of Africa's Vanishing Wildlife

Mr. Thorne, why don't you write a book on wildlife conservation in Africa? There is great need for that kind of book--and thus misled, the author tells where he went, whom he talked to, what they said, what he learned. His lack of prior knowledge on the subject, which he acknowledges, leads to a lack of emphasis and organization; he strings along his experiences and gradually acquired information, sometimes in first-person narrative, sometimes in the form of bantering dialogue, sometimes in brief summaries of the characteristics of a particular park. The result is a rambling journey, featuring encounters with animals, wardens and poachers, which goes nowhere in particular, and the appended description of each of the animals and tribes mentioned is just so much extra baggage.