To
Timbuktu
Mark Jenkins
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial (October 7, 1998)
ISBN: 0688163424
Overall Rating: 4 Stars 
Readability: 5 Stars
Content: 4 Stars
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To Timbuktu recounts the author's successful attempt to kayak
the headwaters of the Niger River. Compared to many, the adventure
seems tame; more a romantic journey of fulfillment than a rigorous,
meandering quest for discovery. Haunted by a sense of selfish
wanderlust, Mark Jenkins and three friends penetrate the jungles
of Guinea and Sierra Leon, eventually locating the source of the
Niger. Once the river has been located, the small team takes to
the water in collapsible kayaks. The adventure is interesting,
but rarely exciting. However, Jenkins is an excellent writer and
his prose flows naturally, enrapturing the reader, providing literary
spice to the duller sections of the book. To Timbuktu evolves
as it progresses, breaking into three distinct story lines. In
addition to the primary adventure, Jenkins intersperses the tale
with snippets that familiarize the reader with the history of
the European quest to reach the fabled city of Timbuktu. The historical
focus of the book is fascinating, and Jenkins does a superb job
of intertwining his adventure with those of the intrepid explorers
who journeyed to Timbuktu before him. The third and often most
interesting aspect of To Timbuktu are the many anecdotes of Jenkins
prior travels. Jenkins uses these anecdotes to justify his journey
to Niger, and while they fail to achieve their intended goal,
the stories are immensely interesting and contribute greatly to
the book. The three different sub-plots that Jenkins created meld
perfectly to crate a book that is both dynamic and fascinating.
