An Affair with Africa: Expeditions And Adventures Across A Continent [Hardcover]

Alzada Carlisle Kistner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1998

In June 1960, a young faculty wife named Alzada Kistner and her husband David, a promising entomologist, left their 18-month old daughter in the care of relatives and began what was to be a four month scientific expedition in the Belgian Congo. Three weeks after their arrival, the country was gripped by a violent revolution trapping the Kistners in its midst. Despite having to find their way out of numerous life-threatening situations, the Kistners were not to be dissuaded. An emergency airlift by the United States Air Force brought them to safety in Kenya where they continued their field work.Thus began three decades of adventures in science. In "An Affair with Africa," Alzada Kistner describes her family's African experience -- the five expeditions they took beginning with the trip to the Belgian Congo in 1960 and ending in 1972-73 with a nine-month excursion across southern Africa. From hunching over columns of ants for hours on end while seven months pregnant to eating dinner next to Idi Amin, Kistner provides a lively and humor-filled account of the human side of scientific discovery. Her wonderfully detailed stories clearly show why, despite hardship and danger -- and contrary to all of society's expectations -- she could not forsake accompanying her husband on his expeditions, and, to this day, continues to find the world "endlessly beckoning, a lively bubbling cauldron of questions and intrigue."In the spirit of Beryl Markham's "West with the Night" and Isak Dinesen's "Out of Africa," "An Affair with Africa" shares with readers the thoughts and experiences of a remarkable woman, one whose unquenchable thirst for adventure led her into a series of almost unimaginable situations.Readers -- from armchair travelers fascinated by stories of Africa to scientists familiar with the Kistners's work but unaware of the lengths to which they went to gather their data -- will find "An Affair with Africa" a rare treasure.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A self-declared reluctant writer and amateur scientist, Kistner sets out to record her hair-raising experiences in Africa between 1960 and 1973 as the wife and assistant of entomologist David Kistner. She dwells too much on hours spent over anthillsAher husband eventually uncovers more than 500 new species of beetlesAbut the wealth of this narrative is its many fascinating anecdotes in a land where danger is a constant companion. In 1960, the couple is airlifted out of the Belgian Congo as that country descends into chaos. They watch unrest develop in Angola and make a hasty exit from a restaurant in Uganda where an entourage led by future leader Idi AminAthen a military generalAcreates an intimidating scene. Kistner is swarmed by ants, stalked by a poisonous mamba and held at gunpoint by drunken soldiers. Most valuable, however, are her descriptions of European and African characters at the twilight of the continent's colonial era. The couple meets with prominent researchers of their dayALouis Leakey among themAbut also with a European crocodile poacher who keeps peace with various tribes in his hunting grounds by marrying their women and fathering dozens of children in scattered villages. Kistner's storytelling lacks pizzazz and authorityARedmond O'Hanlon or Lyall Watson, for instance, describe science and travel in Africa with more entertaining resultsAbut her astounding encounters with a world now receded into history make this an involving personal memoir. Photos.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Associate editor of the journal Sociobiology, Kistner relates her experiences living in the Belgian Congo while she and her husband researched a species of beetles that live with army ants. The result is a humorous tale detailing her five African expeditions from 1960 to 1973?a tumultuous time in African history. From images of her "hunching over ant columns while seven months pregnant" to the surprised feeling of waking up next to a slumbering lion, Kistner captivates readers with her anecdotes and descriptions of Africa. The book also provides an excellent account of the politics of the country at the time. Both history buffs and armchair travelers will enjoy this story. Recommended for all public libraries.?Stephanie Papa, Baltimore Cty. Circuit Court Law Lib., Towson, MD
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 262 pages
• Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559635312
• ISBN-13: 978-1559635318
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,334,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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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 Great in many ways, great for my African curiosity, January 21, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Affair with Africa: Expeditions And Adventures Across A Continent (Hardcover)

I have always been greatly intriqued by Africa, this book made me love it even more, as it was one I picked out to give me wings to travel in my mind without having the means. Spectacular Book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating true-life adventures in Africa in turmoil., June 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: An Affair with Africa: Expeditions And Adventures Across A Continent (Hardcover)

Many themes run through this book about a remarkable and admirable family of scientists, including scientific ferver, compassion and love, concern and terror for Africa on the cusp of change, fascination for Africa's variety of life, adventure, and protection of the family's well-being. The Kistners' adaptability is amazing. They went through continuous and diverse challenges with aplomb. A matter of hours could find them moving from dirt-groveling scientific search for tiny insects in disease infested and personally threatening environments, to high society, twelve-course dinner parties . They spent unbelievably long hours and days of sustained scientific hard work in rain forests, deserts, and plains. A glimpse into the multitude of challenges required to mount a scientific expedition leaves the reader awe-struck. Mrs. Kistner's adaptablility and resourcefulness is truly inspiring. (It's an exciting tale and now that I've finished reading the book, I can finally get some sleep!) Kudos to the editor, publisher, and printer for a very attractive book, beautiful, readable format and print, CLEAR maps, (which is quite unusual) and pictures, and a comfortable size for carrying about. The presentation is a lovely invitation to read about this "Affair With Africa."

Hurry, get this on talking books so that my blind parents can read (hear) it! .

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Experience of a Naturalist in Africa, January 14, 2009

By 

Lynn Ellingwood "The ESOL Teacher" (Webster, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Affair with Africa: Expeditions And Adventures Across A Continent (Hardcover)

This book turned out to be a gold mine for me. I of course downloaded it because it was about an experience in Africa during the 1960s and 1970s and was intruging for me. The author turned out to be much more interesting and I learned about researchers in the field. The author worked with her husband who was a naturalist specializing in insects and traveled on several expedidtions to Africa looking for beatle species who mimic the scent of African ants and termites so that they can live them relatively unscathed. On expeditions to Anglola, the Belgian Congo, South Africa, Guinea and Rhodesia, the author, her husband, and her children traveled with other researchers on trips across the continent. As they research and study insects, the background exposes a changing world where colonial rulers and independence movements make for an uncertain present and past. The author is able to portray the world pretty clearly and apparently accurately. I was captivated by the book and really enjoyed it. I listened to the audiobook and it was excellent. The only thing I lacked were diagrams, photographs and explainations of the scentific research that would have helped me understand them better. Wonderful.