Review
African Achievements: Leaders, Civilizations and Cultures of Ancient Africa surveys highlights of Africa's past and tells in lively style about the real as well as the mythic and legendary leaders who stand out in the thrilling pageant of Africa that is still too little know. Lester Brooks tells with gusto of the black men and women who excelled through Africa's many millennia, from the dynasties of Egypt and Kush through the empires of ancient Ghana, Mali, Songhay and Kanem-Bornu. He relates the impact of Africa on European minds, as in the legends of Prester John and the Queen of Sheba. There are battle scenes and mysteries (such as Zimbabwe and Monomotapa) and descriptions of the life of rulers and commoners by Arab observers. Artistic accomplishments are heralded, such as those of Nok, Axum and Benin, and illustrated in 48 pages of annotated pictures. -- Midwest Book Review
