I
Dreamed Of Africa
Kuki Gallmann
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (April 1, 2000)
ISBN: 0140287442
Overall Rating: 5 Stars 
Readability: 5 Stars
Content: 5 Stars
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“Although only within the silence and solitude of oneself
can one find the way out of suffering, my friends made sure I
always felt the warmth and comfort of their support and love.
They shared my gradual re-birth as they had my sorrow. Strong
links deepened . Here, where one could still attune life to the
ancient rhythms of nature, friendship and solidarity were nourished
by the vinculum of our common choice of Africa.” - Kuki
Gallmann
It is rare for a book about Africa to be truly about the human
experience, boiled down and purified to its very essence. I Dreamed
Of Africa is such a book, a book that delves into the blackest,
deepest, most disturbing and disruptive aspect of human existence,
death. I admit to not reading the book until after the movie was
released. I was reluctant, expecting a sappy story about a woman
crusading against legions of poachers, battling alone against
the black hordes of Africa. I was aware that this preconception
was the result of an atrocious thirty-second trailer I'd seen
in a movie preview, so I decided to withhold final judgement and
read the book. I Dreamed Of Africa is a book of tragedy, of a
woman cursed by fate, and her absolute refusal to give in to despair.
It is not a story of ill-fortune, wreaked on an unprepared woman
in Africa, but rather a story of a passionate woman who lives
life as it was meant to be led, yet still must face unimaginable
loss. Kuki Gallman, after suffering through a horrendous accident
that kills one of her best friends and nearly leaves her crippled,
moves to Africa with her second husband. They establish a home
and live a wonderful life, until he is killed in a car wreck.
A few years later, a venomous snake kills her only son. I Dreamed
Of Africa is a cathartic story of how Kuki overcame the deaths
of the most beloved people in her life, and rather than wallow
in misery, dedicated her life to the glory of their memory. The
story is inspirational, wonderfully set to the backdrop of Africa.
Both the pain and passion of Gallman's life ooze from the page,
and it is difficult not to weep at her losses. I Dream Of Africa
is wonderful, and as with all great books, I dread the movie.
