Love, Africa: A Memoir of Romance, War, and Survival

A fascinating view at the world - especially Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya - through the eyes of an American newspaper correspondent. Jeffrey puts to paper the details and the feelings that weren't fit for newsprint. The resulting narrative is insightful, at times a bit brash, considering the gravity of events described, but certainly honest. He is honest about himself, his profession, and the sometimes disastrous effects of American foreign policy. Here are a few examples of the excellent writing in this book:

“A current shot up between us. That's exactly the sensation a good interview delivers: it gives you a surge, it makes you feel connected, it adds some purpose to life. Tewodros saw from how hard I was pressing my pen into my notebook that I was with him all the way.” [p.80]

“I didn't have the capacity to absorb all that was being asked of me, nor the courage to tell these men who were putting their hand on my heart the truth. I wasn't a conduit to a just world. I was simply a reporter.” [p.131]

“Elections are anxious in most of Africa, even in Kenya. They are not just a race. They are a test. They key question is never who wins. It's whether the loser accepts.” [p.255]

“As I watched him disappear toward the ocean, a diminishing, hunched-over figure in the unrelenting light, I realized that however crazy this world gets, however accustomed to misery someone may be, we are all the same. No one ever totally gives up hope, no one is made in such a way that he is grief-proof. Not even in Somalia. Everyone seeks, till the very end, to preserve whatever dignity he can. The old man went off to bury his little girl properly.” [p.288]