Book Review: Mugabe and the White African

About Mugabe and the White African:

Ben Freeth has an extraordinary story to tell. Like that of many white farmers, his family's land was "reclaimed" for redistribution by Mugabe's government.

But Ben's family fought back. Appealing to international law, they instigated a suit against Mugabe's government in the SADC, the Southern African equivalent of NATO. The case was deferred time and again while Mugabe's men pulled strings. But after Freeth and his parents-in-law were abducted and beaten within inches of death in 2008, the SADC deemed any further delay to be an obstruction of justice. The case was heard, and was successful on all counts.

But the story doesn't end there. In 2009 the family farm was burned to the ground. The fight for justice in Zimbabwe is far from over--this book is for anyone who wants to see into the heart of one of today's hardest places and how human dignity flourishes even in the most adverse circumstances.

Read the press release for more: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs019/1101807863309/archive/1106690411054.html

The PBS debut of Mugabe and the White African, the award-winning documentary of the same name, was on July 26. Watch now at PBS: http://www.pbs.org/pov/mugabe/.

Link to buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/Mugabe-White-African-Ben-Freeth/dp/0745955460/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310054013&sr=sprightly-20

My thoughts on the book:

I had a little trouble staying interested in the book. Not because of subject matter, but because it seemed to repeat facts and dates and names that I couldn't keep up with. However, I did learn a lot about the plight of white farmers in Zimbabwe (and many of the problems throughout Africa). It is a shame that thes things are being ignored and the dictators are allowed to continue their corrupt tactics in the countries they control. We need more men like Ben Freeth and others in the book to stand up to these evil monsters.

(I received this book from LitFuse for review purposes. I received no monetary compensation for this review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.)

About the Author:

Ben Freeth, MBE, is a British-born Zimbabwean farmer. He has lived in Zimbabwe most of his life and is raising his three young children there, together with his wife Laura. Ben's story has already been the subject of an award-winning documentary which won Best Documentary 2009 (British Independent Film Awards), was nominated for the BAFTA Outstanding Debut Film 2010, and shortlisted for an Oscar in 2010.