The author has remarkably made a long and tortuous story short and simple without smothering complexities. His grasp of the travails of the continent is impressive, so is his objectivity and even handedness. His literary style is crisp and a sheer delight. His study is not intended to portray Africa as in a state of dystopia as most works do... This book should be amongst the prized collections of any library worth its salt on African issues. Canute A. Ngwa, Ph.D.