Book Notes: Club Members learn a lot about Zimbabwe from The Last Resort
In April the Book Club read The Last Resort: A Memoir of Zimbabwe by Douglas Rogers. Rogers tells how his parents adapted, survived, and even thrived during the chaotic events that took place in Zimbabwe during the reign of Robert Mugabe. Lyn and Rosalind Rogers owned and ran Drifters, a game farm, backpacker lodge, and well-known tourist destination written up in “The Lonely Planet.” The story begins when the author’s parents are totally upended in 2000 due to President Mugabe’s government’s granting veterans (from the country’s liberation war) the right to invade and take over white-owned farms. Rogers’ parents loved Zimbabwe and, unlike thousands of others, were determined to stay in the country. Rogers describes the amazing and often shocking ways they and others, both black and white, coped. The story ends at the time of the country’s 2008 elections, a time of mayhem and upheaval.
Comments from club members ranged from “the book blew me away” to “it was stranger than fiction” and “it shows the connections people make to survive.” Most members felt they learned a lot about the history and culture of Zimbabwe and were inspired to learn more. A couple members said the book was depressing and they didn’t like the author’s voice.
Rogers was gracious enough to reply to an email inquiring about the situation in Zimbabwe today. He wrote, “Things may finally be changing in ‘Zim’, thanks to the [2017] coup.” He is writing a new book about the uprising that led to Mugabe’s resignation from the presidency last year at the age of 93.
— Mary Jane Towle, Book Club member
Book Club to discuss The Last Resort at April Meeting
Fri, Apr 20 2018, 2pm
The UMRA Book Club will meet at 2 p.m., Friday, April 20, to discuss The Last Resort: A Memoir of Mischief and Mayhem on a Family Farm in Africa by Douglas Rogers. The discussion will be led by Mary Jane Towle. The Book Club meets on the third Friday of every month except December. Meetings are held at the 1666 Coffman Building, which is on Larpenteur Avenue near the St. Paul Campus. Newcomers are welcome! For more information contact Pat Tollefson at [email protected].
Upcoming Events
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.