“Love Africa: A Memoir of Romance, War, and Survival” by Jeffrey Gettleman

“ My friend Jennifer and I have been walking at 8:15 am most Thursday mornings for the last 11 years. You cover a lot of good ground when you walk and talk more than a decade with a single person. I have seen her happy and I have seen her sad, but I have never seen her as happy as when she returns from a trip to Africa. She has been at least three times, and I think, without even needing to ask her, that it is her happy place. She just seems to glow with energy and excitement when she returns from a trip to Africa. So I was not a surprised when she recommended this book to me. “Love, Africa: A Memoir of Romance, War, and Survival” by Jeffrey Gettleman is the story of a young man who fell in love with Africa as a Cornell college student, and then decided to make a career by living in the country as a journalist. For the last decade he has served as the East Africa bureau chief for the “New York Times.” But this book is about his early years exploring the country, while also dating another Cornell student named Courtney. They fell in love and then their career journeys pulled them apart when she became a criminal lawyer in the U.S. Their relationship is interwoven with Gettleman’s own journey as a writer. They are very different people, with dreams and aspirations that are often at odds with each other. A confession about his many infidelities while living in Africa almost rips the couple apart. But when they finally move to Africa together, they find a way to create a stable, successful life and marriage abroad. I think my friend Jennifer and Gettleman would have the best time talking with each other if they ever met. To buy this book on Amazon click here.