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
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
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Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
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