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Antonia Saw the Oryx First

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Traditional African powers and imposed western ideas are juxtaposed in this complex and interesting story. If you liked Barbara Kingsolver's "Poisonwood Bible", chances are you will like this book too. In Antonia Saw the Oryx First we meet characters through the eyes of an American doctor who has been in Africa long enough to feel more African than American, yet her perspective is a mixture of both cultures. The characters are complex and very different from each other. Each character seems to represent a different face of Africa - the precolonial, the traditional, the colonized desperate to reclaim his roots, the native-born colonist, and the reincarnated new Africa.

Early in the story, a young woman - Esther - is brought to the doctor's clinic near death from a violent, upsetting episode with a sailor. It took me a while to find the courage to return to the book after that, but the return was worth it. We witness Esther's remarkable rebirth and her gradual transformation to a healer of a more traditional sort. We are thrust(along with the doctor) between the world of traditional African medicine and western medicine, often wondering which really has the greatest power and will prevail in the constantly changing African world. Who belongs in Africa, and who can rightfully find their own place there? The answers will have you thinking a long time!