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George Zelt PhD

A Rock and a Hard Place: An American Geologist's Adventures in Africa Hardcover – September 17, 2019

by George Zelt PhD (Author)

14 ratings

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Deadly Snakes. Heatstroke. Scorpions.

These are just a few of the obstacles that George Zelt encounters as a graduate student in apartheid-era South Africa. In A Rock and a Hard Place, readers will follow George as he explores this contradictory, beautiful country during a time of growth and oppression. With tales of finding refuge in a desert sandstorm, being stalked by a leopard, and narrowly escaping a herd of rampaging Cape buffalo, George's story will leave readers breathless—their hearts racing, with the imagined grit of sand in their teeth!

Nature is not the only obstacle George encounters. When he makes a discovery that may disprove an established geologic theory, his graduate advisor (and developer of said theory) does everything in his power to prevent George from going public. George has to fight not only against nature but also the politics of university life, all while navigating the complexities of South African culture.

Who would have thought studying rocks could be so thrilling?

Print length

250 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Greenleaf Book Group
Publication date

September 17, 2019
Dimensions

6.3 x 1.3 x 9.1 inches
ISBN-10

1626345716
ISBN-13

978-1626345713
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

George left his Buffalo, New York, home in the 1960s when he was seventeen years old to hitchhike across the United States and Canada on such famous roads as Route 66 and the Alaskan Highway (sleeping in corn fields and hedges and among huge pine trees). In the 1970s and 1980s, he continued, building a shack on the shores of the Red Sea (which was burned down by vigilantes), traveling the coastal roads of Yugoslavia (where he ate with gypsies), and venturing farther north to the Arctic Circle to see the Laplander people before encountering his greatest challenge in Africa. He worked as an environmentalist and then developed his own company in the lawless 1990s in Russia and Kazakhstan when the Soviet Union disintegrated. He holds five degrees, including PhDs from universities in the United States, Finland, and South Africa and has published scientific articles. He recently moved to Texas with his wife and child after spending two years in Thailand, working on his books.

Product details

Publisher : Greenleaf Book Group (September 17, 2019)
Language : English
Hardcover : 250 pages
ISBN-10 : 1626345716
ISBN-13 : 978-1626345713
Item Weight : 1.28 pounds
Dimensions : 6.3 x 1.3 x 9.1 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,109,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,224 in Scientist Biographies
- #13,224 in Traveler & Explorer Biographies

Customer Reviews:
14 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		67%
4 star		17%
3 star		17%
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JW. Healy

Student in trouble

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is a true story of a PHD candidate who discovers that the long held belief of the department head which had been published in scientific journals is incorrect. The student is an American who is studying in South Africa. The story is about both the student's dilemma and about South Africa during apartheid. I found the story interesting and was impressed with the student's perseverance.

Helpful

terry schwaner

This guy really had an adventure - and he writes very well.

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2020

Verified Purchase

I liked the whole story.....I was unhappy that he has not written anything else!!!

Helpful

Emmanuelle Works

Mixed feelings about questionable but often fascinating memoir

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2019

This one bothers me. It's written like a novel but is supposed to be a memoir. The author writes himself like a hero. He sounds like a typical privileged entitled arrogant white man, not actively racist but he's clearly comfortable among the colonialists and the system they created, and the fact that they, he, still benefit from it, in fact sounding downright like a jilted supremacist when describing how the Africans managed to kick out them out in some of the neighboring countries. His criticism of Apartheid is barely skin-deep. Yet when he describes Africa and talks about his work as a geologist, he's finally genuine, passionate and fascinating.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

suzi badrena

This is a must read, a treasure of a shared experience.

Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2019

Found this book by accident, and it is the best read all year! All of the magnificence of Africa as seen by a single traveler and sharing it with visual description that transport you there. Great story, a character that you grow to feel close to, a brilliant guy with a love of life and adventure, and determine to pursue his goal. I think this book should be winning awards!

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Daryl

Interesting Adventure

Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2019

Not quite what I was expecting, but I enjoyed the chance to read Mr. Zelt's story. It's quite a wild ride.
I enjoyed the hunt for gems, the travelogue and adventure side of the story, along with the chance to learn a bit more about Africa.
Having grown up in the 1970's I was aware of the oppression of apartheid and how awful it was for the South African people. (In my humble opinion, the author made it clear how disturbing it was to him, along with other often overlooked forms of ethnic oppression which were happening).

I didn't care much for reading about his sexual adventures, but he was a young person at the time this book takes place. (I skipped these parts whenever possible. I'm not a complete prude, but the sexual accounts definitely weren't necessary to the story).

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Haunted Reader

Adventure, Danger, Delight

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2019

Delightfully adventurous, reading George Zelt's nonfiction narrative of his decades in geology and petrology is akin to enjoying the wild adventures of his heroes, such as Mark Twain, Jules Verne, and Jack London. Mr. Zelt is well blessed with both the "stories to tell" and the talent and wit to express them well for the edification of readers, many of whom are "armchair travellers" enjoying vicariously.

I reviewed a digital ARC generously provided by author and publisher via NetGalley at no cost, obligation, or remuneration. I opted to review this title.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

mother earth

its delightful reading

Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2019

i don't think for a minute that dr. Zeldt was acting privileged He was acting like the young person, he was taking risks because he was very interested in his field of study and havng and not having an interesting experiences As an amateur afficionado of south african botany and anthroplogy, i was rapt with George's romp

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Josephine H Burton

A great journey

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2020

I found this book by accident. It is written by a man I worked with many years ago. He was highly respected and amazed us all by his work done in foreign countries. I had a hard time putting the book down. Lots of adventures and detailed description of environment, history, legends, people, flora and fauna of this part of our world. Highly reccomend it.

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