When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa

Zimbabwe during the past thirty years seems to have been a miserable place to live. Inflation caused prices of even the most basic items and services to soar. The government instituted a program where white-owned farms were taken over by black farmers, leaving the white farmers without a home and without a job. Looting was commonplace. Riots were commonplace. Medical services were overwhelmed, especially with AIDS patients. Election fraud was rampant.

Despite all these problems, Godwin's parents continued to hope that things would change for the better. They did not.

Godwin's memoir of the years he spent outside Zimbabwe, yet with close Zimbabwe connections, tells the story of a bleak world. It left me thinking about decisions people make to stay or to go when the world around one seems to be steadily spirally down. How does one decide? And if one does decide to stay, are there things that can be done to improve the situation?