Coming of Age in Botswana

COMING OF AGE IN BOTSWANA continues the story of an English family in Africa. Nigeria's verdant Mandara Mountains in the author's previous memoir are exchanged for Botswana's vast landscape of desert, forests and abundant wildlife.

From 1979 to 1985 Heather and Adrian Rosser lived with their young daughters, first in Mochudi then Francistown. Their educational work took them the length and breadth of the country at a time when there were few paved roads. They also witnessed the independence of Zimbabwe and problems of apartheid South Africa.

The author has skilfully woven incidents from her diaries and family letters to describe their life in Botswana. She also gives a fascinating insight into the joys and occasional heartbreaks of bringing up children far from home.

This well-written and engaging memoir recounts the experience of an English family living in Southern Africa in the 1970s and 80s. Replete with humour, warmth and telling detail, it is an informative and engaging read. Barbara Lorna Hudson. Social Studies Lecturer and Novelist.