House of Stone: The True Story of a Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe

Description

A powerful and intensely human insight into the civil war in Zimbabwe, focusing on a white farmer and his maid who find themselves on opposing sides. One bright morning Nigel Hough, one of the few remaining white farmers in Mugabe's Zimbabwe, received the news he was dreading - a crowd were at the gate demanding he surrender his home and land. To his horror, his family's much-loved nanny Aqui was at the head of the violent mob that then stole his homestead and imprisoned him in an outhouse By tracing the intertwined lives of Nigel and Aqui - rich and poor, white and black, master and maid - through intimate and moving interviews, Christina Lamb captures not just the source of a terrible conflict, but also her own conviction that there is still hope for one of Africa's most beautiful countries.

Christina Lamb is Foreign Affairs Correspondent for the Sunday Times. She was named Foreign Correspondent of the Year in all the British media awards in 2002 for her reporting on the war on terrorism. She has won numerous other awards starting with Young Journalist of the Year in the British Press Awards for her coverage of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan a country she has been reporting on since she was 21, News Reporter of the Year, Foreign Reporter of the Year in the British Press Awards and What the Papers Say Awards. Her knowledge of Afghanistan spans 16 years and her contacts in the region are unrivalled. She is the author of the best-selling The Africa House as well as Waiting For Allah - Pakistan's struggle for democracy, The Sewing Circles of Herat, My Afghan Years and House of Stone. A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and inveterate traveller, she was educated at Oxford University from which she holds a degree in politics, philosophy and economics. She is married with a young son and lives between London and Portugal.

'Lamb is a careful observer, and her anguished refrain is the terrible schizophrenia of people who fiercely love their land but do nothing to save it!the strength is in the storytelling!it is a good piece of reportage!her book deserves to be read.' Daily Telegraph 'Lamb's achievement is to present the modern story of Zimbabwe through convincing portraits from across the racial divide. It takes great insight and considerable imaginative powers to describe the unfolding story from both sides, but this she manages with complete conviction!consummate storyteller that she is, Lamb finds some ray of hope for her protagonists.' Sunday Times 'Riveting!Lamb's book tells a disaster story on a massive scale.' Daily Mail 'Compelling!Lamb has a remarkable pair of stories to tell, and does so extremely well.' The Spectator 'A perceptive account of Zimbabwean history since the colonial days.' Times Literary Supplement