When twenty-year-old Annie leaves her privileged life in suburban New York to set up a leather clothing factory in Ethiopia, she anticipates glorious savannas, magnificent animals, and colorful tribesmen. Her treasured childhood Africa scrapbook never prepared her for the isolated, barren mountains of northern Ethiopia, relentless poverty, and a ten-year drought and famine unacknowledged by the world.
Housed in a primitive mud hut with no electricity or indoor plumbing, falling in love with a handsome Italian, and forced to flee the military coup that toppled Haile Selassie, will Annie find the Africa of her childhood dreams or will she return home, disillusioned?
Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Gilbert, Alexandra Fuller, or Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen).
“With a title like this, of course, I was compelled to read this beautifully written book! A fascinating and adventurous life, spiced with danger, and with a love story thrown in. You can’t go wrong.†Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE. Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute. UN Messenger of Peace.
“This swept me away. Ann Schrank writes like a magical spider, spinning continental webs that ensnare the reader. There’s flavor, fragrance, wit, perseverance, and pinpoint observational awareness. Owning a great story doesn’t guarantee being able to tell it well. It’s a gift with which Ms. Schrank is lavishly endowed.†Richard Bangs. TV host and producer and author of numerous travel books.
“Each chapter brims with anticipation and springs alive with poignant description. A girl reveals in a glance the story of her desperate hunger, told in words so intense we can smell Africa, from the spices to the rotting fruit. Teeming with historical overview and literary flourish, Longing for Africa reads like Graham Greene plus romance.†Cathy Luchetti. Author of Women of the West, Children of the West, and Men of the West.
“A memorable story of love, loss and Italian cooking, Schrank’s descriptions of the Palmucci’s Sunday lunch table had me dining right there alongside her. Schrank is a skillful storyteller, writing with compassion and fondness for the people who care about Africa and those who have come to call the continent home.†Robyn Keene-Young. Author and wildlife documentary producer.
