For many years war made Sierra Leone and Liberia too dangerous for outsiders to travel through. Facing down demons from his time in Africa as a journalist, Tim Butcher heads deep into this combat zone, encountering the devastation wrought by lawless militia, child soldiers, brutal violence, blood diamonds and masked figures who guard the spiritual secrets of remote jungle communities. On an epic journey that demands courage, doggedness and sheer luck, Butcher treks for 350 blistering miles through rainforest and malarial swamps to gain an extraordinary ground-level view of an overlooked region on the cusp of a remarkable recovery.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"An inspirational account of humanity's wonderful spirit to survive and proof that, in Tim Butcher, Africa has a worthy chronicler." Archbishop Desmond Tutu "...fascinating, exciting and superbly brought to life by the narrator, Nick McArdle." Choice "Another masterpiece from a writer of enviable skill." Dervla Murphy "Brilliant from start to finish." The Observer (audiobook review)"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Born in 1967, Tim Butcher was on the staff of the Daily Telegraph from 1990 to 2009 serving as chief war correspondent, Africa bureau chief and Middle East correspondent. His first book, Blood River, was a number one bestseller, a Richard & Judy Book Club selection and was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize. He is currently based in Cape Town with his family.
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More About the Author
Tim Butcher is an award-winning journalist, best-selling author and proud resident of Cape Town.
British-born, he has climbed mountains in New Zealand, learnt enough Albanian to smuggle himself into Kosovo during the 1999 war and survived four years living in Johannesburg.
His first book, Blood River - A Journey To Africa's Broken Heart, topped the Sunday Times best-seller list in 2008 and was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize, Britain's top non-fiction book award. Translated into six languages it was a Richard & Judy Book Club selection for 2008.
In the 2003 Gulf War he led the Daily Telegraph's award-winning reporting team in Iraq and was shortlisted for the prestigious Foreign Press Association reporter of the year award for his coverage of the 2006 Lebanon war. He is a regular contributor to the BBC's prestigious foreign affairs programme, From Our Own Correspondent.
Born in 1967 and educated at Magdalen College, Oxford, he was on the staff of the Telegraph from 1990 to 2009 and is is currently writing a book on Liberia called Chasing The Devil to be published in late 2010.
He has also contributed to a number of compilation books including:
From Joburg To Jozi, published in 2002 by Penguin, a collection of short stories on Johannesburg.
Soweto Inside Out, published in 2004 by Penguin, a collection of short stories on Soweto.
From Our Own Correspondent - a celebration of fifty years of the BBC Radio Programme, published in 2005 by Profile
Because I Am A Girl, published in 2010 by Vintage, a collection of pieces of writing designed to highlight the plight of girls in the developing world. Proceeds from the sale of the book go to Plan International, a leading humanitarian group specialising in children's rights around the world.
He lives in South Africa with his girlfriend and their two children, Kit and Tess.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
I enjoyed 'Chasing the Devil' even more than Butcher's first African adventure, 'Blood River' - perhaps because he meets and writes about such an extraordinary cast of characters as he treks through Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, following a trail blazed in the 1930s by Graham Greene. My favourite has to be the indomitable, if not positively bonkers, Lady Dorothy Mills, who 90 years ago bashed her way through the Liberian jungle on a diet of bananas and foie gras. The survival story of Butcher's fellow war correspondent Yannis Behrakis during an ambush in Sierra Leone in 2000 is in equal parts heartbreaking and astonishing. And Butcher's own journey - chasing not just the folkloric devils in the African bush, but some of his own internal demons too - makes for a page-turning read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
In 1935 the author Graham Greene and his cousin Barbara Greene set out on a walking tour from Sierra Leone through the unmapped interior of Liberia and parts of Guinea to the Liberian coast. Some 60 years later, after Liberia had recently emerged from two decades of civil war, Tim Butcher set out to re-create the Greenes' journey, and the story of his travels is told in the present book.
In certain areas of Liberia there exist secret societies for men and women, known as Poro and Sande respectively. These societies are connected with the use of masks, initiation ceremonies and animistic beliefs. Charles Taylor, the man who led a rebel movement in the bloody civil war and subsequently became president, is said to have taken advantage of such animistic beliefs, and the civil war featured many stories of ritualistic killing, cannibalism, and the use of bizarre and terrifying costumes. The "Devil" in the book's title is a reference to members of the Poro society who are appointed to a witchdoctor-type office and perform dances while wearing a full-body mask.
If you want to learn about the local people and culture in Africa, then an extended walking tour is a good way to come into contact with a lot of different people. If you want to add a bit of colour and adventure to your journey, choosing a country which is recovering from an unspeakably brutal war will certainly do that for you. Tim Butcher's book is disturbing in parts, moving in others, but all in all a captivating adventure.
In certain areas of Liberia there exist secret societies for men and women, known as Poro and Sande respectively. These societies are connected with the use of masks, initiation ceremonies and animistic beliefs. Charles Taylor, the man who led a rebel movement in the bloody civil war and subsequently became president, is said to have taken advantage of such animistic beliefs, and the civil war featured many stories of ritualistic killing, cannibalism, and the use of bizarre and terrifying costumes. The "Devil" in the book's title is a reference to members of the Poro society who are appointed to a witchdoctor-type office and perform dances while wearing a full-body mask.
If you want to learn about the local people and culture in Africa, then an extended walking tour is a good way to come into contact with a lot of different people. If you want to add a bit of colour and adventure to your journey, choosing a country which is recovering from an unspeakably brutal war will certainly do that for you. Tim Butcher's book is disturbing in parts, moving in others, but all in all a captivating adventure.
Format:Paperback
When Tim first called me some time back in 2008 to introduce himself and tell me he was planning on re-walking Graham Greens Journey Without Maps I remember thinking "how cool". Tim was looking for maps for Nimba County in Liberia and it was only after a good few months of chatting back and forth that I clicked that this was the same guy who had written Blood River; a book I had received numerous copies of the year before for Christmas because so many thought his journey through the Congo sounded like what I was up to in Liberia.
After his journey I waited with excitement for the release of the book - still nameless at that stage, I think, and then when Chasing The Devil came out I devoured it on release; it's very nice to read something you've been a tiny part of. It is an excellent read, and if you are in any way interested in West Africa, even Africa old and new then this is a book to get and absorb. Tim accurately depicts life in the wilds of Liberia, accurately depicts the sad, but true and therefore horrific, power of the devil and as a result touches on the root cause of so much regional conflict,violence, horror and debilitation. Thank God Liberia is back on track and overcoming an abundance of obstacles. Let it last.
It's now just over a year since I first read Chasing the Devil and I've just re-read it again. This time off the back of re-reading Graham Greens Journey without Maps (first edition, 1935), and this is the way I recommend reading Tim's book; it is admirable to see the tenacity that the guys displayed in making sure that the authentic route was followed and fascinating to see how very little has changed in just under a century in the interior of Liberia.
Well done Timbo and l look forward to seeing your next adventure in print. Chantal.
After his journey I waited with excitement for the release of the book - still nameless at that stage, I think, and then when Chasing The Devil came out I devoured it on release; it's very nice to read something you've been a tiny part of. It is an excellent read, and if you are in any way interested in West Africa, even Africa old and new then this is a book to get and absorb. Tim accurately depicts life in the wilds of Liberia, accurately depicts the sad, but true and therefore horrific, power of the devil and as a result touches on the root cause of so much regional conflict,violence, horror and debilitation. Thank God Liberia is back on track and overcoming an abundance of obstacles. Let it last.
It's now just over a year since I first read Chasing the Devil and I've just re-read it again. This time off the back of re-reading Graham Greens Journey without Maps (first edition, 1935), and this is the way I recommend reading Tim's book; it is admirable to see the tenacity that the guys displayed in making sure that the authentic route was followed and fascinating to see how very little has changed in just under a century in the interior of Liberia.
Well done Timbo and l look forward to seeing your next adventure in print. Chantal.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
"I can clearly remember receiving my first death threat."
It's hard to dislike a book with an opening line like that -- especially when it only gets better from there. Read more
Published 12 months ago by S. McGee
A great read!
" I have had the pleasure of meeting Tim Butcher several times in Cape
Town; he is the same knowledgable and sincere person you meet in both
the books written by him. Read more
Town; he is the same knowledgable and sincere person you meet in both
the books written by him. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Ivan Maritz
A first hand account of Africa at its most extreme
Tim Butcher's narrative of a walking trip through the remotest corners of Sierra Leone and Liberia gives an excellent first hand insight into a wild and dangerous part of Africa. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Kevin R Cousins
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