Across African Sand: Journeys of a Witch-Doctor's Son-In-Law [Paperback]

Phil Deutschle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2000

The incredible story of a 3,000 mile bicycle trek across the world's largest stretch of sand--the Kalahari and Namib Deserts of Southern Africa. The author relates his fantastic experiences--stalked by lions, charged by a herd of elephants, and his encounters with poisonous snakes, to name a few. He also tells of his numerous observations and experiences in living and teaching in Botswana for three years. These include his marriage to the daughter of a local witch-doctor.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The author, an American-born teacher whose career has been primarily overseas, gives a lively recounting of nearly five years in southern Africa, in the village of Mapoka, Botswana. His stories provide an outsider's view of traditional African society and culture. A dangerous bicycle ride across the Kalahari and Namib deserts provides the framework for telling the story: as he bikes across 3000 miles of sand, dodging lions and elephants, Deutschle describes his life in Botswana through flashbacks. This method makes the book somewhat confusing and difficult to follow. Focusing more on life in Mapoka and less on the desert trip might have been better. Nonetheless this is recommended for public libraries with collections on travel and African culture.
-Mark L. Grover, Brigham Young Univ. Lib., Provo, UT
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A marvelous read for anyone fascinated by Africa, and an adventure book that will satisfy all armchair travelers. -- Matt Dickinson, Author of The Other Side of Everest

Across African Sand is more than a fascinating adventure story, it is a hero's journey. -- Al Siebert, Ph.D., Author of The Survivor Personality

The author, an American-born teacher whose career has been primarily overseas, gives a lively recounting of nearly five years in southern Africa, in the village of Mapoka, Botswana. His stories provide an outsiders view of traditional African society and culture. A dangerous bicycle ride across the Kalahari and Namib deserts provides the framework for telling the story: as he bikes across 3000 miles of sand, dodging lions and elephants, Deutschle describes his life in Botswana through flashbacks. This method makes the book somewhat confusing and difficult to follow. Focusing more on life in Mapoka and less on the desert trip might have been better. Nonetheless this is recommended for public libraries with collections on travel and African culture. -- Mark L. Grover, Brigham Young Univ. Lib., Provo, UT

Vivid descriptions of personal danger and physical endurance. An immensely rewarding book. --Hilary Bradt, publisher of Bradt Travel Guides

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 333 pages
• Publisher: DIMI Press; 1 edition (January 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0931625378
• ISBN-13: 978-0931625374
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,026,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Travel > Africa > Botswana

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "true" adventure., December 17, 2000

By 

Robert Swift (Flagstaff, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Across African Sand: Journeys of a Witch-Doctor's Son-in-Law (Paperback)

Across African Sand is a an excellent example of what true adventure books should be. I emphasize the word "true" not simply to point out that events in the book are factual but to distinguish this work from books describing stunts. (To me a stunt is a once-in-a-lifetime event, filled with harum-scarum that a more skilled traveler would have avoided and usually detailing a significant departure from the main stream of the writer's life.) By contrast, Across African Sand comes across as the logical continuation of Phil Deutschle's career as a teacher and introspective traveler. Prior to embarking on his solo bicycle ride across the Kalahari and Namib deserts, Deutschle has spent three years living and teaching in an out-of-the way village in Botswana. An accomplished linguist, he has become fluent-to-conversant with several local languages, including that of the !Kung (Bushman) people, and thus we learn more of African life and thought than we would at the mercy of a more casual traveler. Deutschle clearly enjoys the company of the various people he falls in with along the way but also relishes the solitude which is such a significant part of his journey. Part of the success of the book is its skillful interweaving of events in the course of his cycling trek with flashbacks to his life as a teacher in a traditional Botswana village. Dimi Press has done a creditable job of putting the book together and its illustrations are great. I wholeheartedly recommend this as an interesting and insightful story of travel and adventure.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Advernture for Armchair Reader, April 27, 2000

By 

Florence F. Hardesty (Salem, Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Across African Sand: Journeys of a Witch-Doctor's Son-in-Law (Paperback)

I bought this book for my husband. While he was reading it he kept interrupting my reading to tell me about what was happening in his book. In self defense, I picked it up as soon as he finished and immediately found myself transported to Africa. This book is much more than the story of the author's trip across the Kalahri on a bicycle. He writes about the people he meets and tells of their culture, the politics and economy of each group. He possesses interpersonal skills that allow him to relate to all sorts of people quickly and he writes about them with affection and respect. He describes plant and animal life along the way. Through flashbacks he tells of his earlier life and recent experience as a teacher in Africa. During the lonely stretches of his trip he wonders about his need to wander the globe. My husband said when he finished the book, "I've learned more about Africa from this book than all of the other books on the subject, put together" I agree, and I learned a great deal about life in general and men in particular from it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for bicycling enthuaists., June 5, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Across African Sand: Journeys of a Witch-Doctor's Son-in-Law (Paperback)

Across African Sand: Journey Of A Witch Doctor's Son-In-Law is the true life adventure story of Phil Deutschle's bicycle trip across 3,000 miles of African landscape. Along the way Phil was stalked by lions, charged by a herd of enraged elephants, fell in love with (and married) the daughter of a prominent witch doctor. Across African Sand is a compelling, engaging, fascinating biographical travelogue that relates an account of Phil's five years in Botswana (southern Africa) told in the form of flashbacks while he bicycles over the harsh Kalahari and Namib deserts, negotiating difficult African terrain, including soft sand and mud, during the course of his three month cycling adventure. Across African Sand is highly recommended for bicycling enthusiasts, armchair adventurers, and anyone who has ever yearned to travel the world, meet new people, and have adventures of their own!