Book Review: Into Africa
Into Africa: Book Review Into Africa by Martin Dugard, is a unique retelling of one of David Livingstone’s last expeditions through Africa. Martin Dugard lives in Orange County, California and is an accomplished writer and adventurer. Martin Dugard accurately provides his readers with an inside look at his characters motivation and inner thoughts. Dugard has also written several other nonfictional history books that showcase his desire to display his characters psychological processing such as Killing Clinton, published in 2012, and Killing Lincoln, published in 2013. Into Africa was published in 2003, by Doubleday, a division of Random House, inc. in New York, NY. Dugard uses the book to prove his thesis that Henry Morton Stanley and David Livingstone sparked an unlikely turning point in history.
Into Africa starts with the Nile Duel, a debate between Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke. Speke had found a large lake that he named Lake Victoria. Although Speke did not circumnavigate Lake Victoria to completely prove his theory, he believed that it was the source of the Nile River. When Speke returned to camp and told Burton of the news, Burton wrote in his journal, “The fortunate discoverer’s conviction was strong, but his reasoning was weak.” (Dugard 25) The only proof Speke had was a map he had drawn based on the local populations opinions on Lake Victoria’s border. The four month journey back to the coast was filled with arguments concerning Speke’s assumption. When Speke got back to Britain, he announced that he had found the source of the Nile River. When Burton got back a week later the disputes continued. Each explorer had their own public speeches defending their opinions for the next four years until the Royal Geographical Society set the date for the Nile Duel, September 16, 1864. On the morning of the debate, Roderick Murchison, the president of Royal Geographic Society, announced Speke dead. He had been shot by his own rifle.
Two months
Into Africa starts with the Nile Duel, a debate between Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke. Speke had found a large lake that he named Lake Victoria. Although Speke did not circumnavigate Lake Victoria to completely prove his theory, he believed that it was the source of the Nile River. When Speke returned to camp and told Burton of the news, Burton wrote in his journal, “The fortunate discoverer’s conviction was strong, but his reasoning was weak.” (Dugard 25) The only proof Speke had was a map he had drawn based on the local populations opinions on Lake Victoria’s border. The four month journey back to the coast was filled with arguments concerning Speke’s assumption. When Speke got back to Britain, he announced that he had found the source of the Nile River. When Burton got back a week later the disputes continued. Each explorer had their own public speeches defending their opinions for the next four years until the Royal Geographical Society set the date for the Nile Duel, September 16, 1864. On the morning of the debate, Roderick Murchison, the president of Royal Geographic Society, announced Speke dead. He had been shot by his own rifle.
Two months
Cited: Dugard, Martin. Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley & Livingstone. 1st ed. New York, NY: Broadway, 2004. Print. Moody, Skye K. "Exploring the Minds of Stanley, Livingstone." SeattleTimes.com. The Seattle Times, 15 June 2003. Web. 23 Sept. 20