The Last Train to Zona Verde

The Last Train to Zona Verde

<DIV>"Theroux is at his best when he tells [people€s] stories, happy and sad . . . Theroux€s great mission had always been to transport us beyond that reading chair, to challenge himself€"and thus, to challenge us." €" <I>Boston Globe</I><BR /><BR /> Paul Theroux€s best-selling <I>Dark Star Safari</I> chronicled his epic overland voyage from Cairo to Cape Town, providing an insider€s look at modern Africa. Now, with <I>The Last Train to Zona Verde</I>, he returns to discover how both he and Africa have changed in the ensuing years.<BR /><BR /> Traveling alone, Theroux sets out from Cape Town, going north through South Africa, Namibia, then into Angola, encountering a world increasingly removed from tourists€ itineraries and the hopes of postcolonial independence movements. After covering nearly 2,500 arduous miles, he cuts short his journey, a decision he chronicles with unsparing honesty in a chapter titled €œWhat Am I Doing Here?€ Vivid, witty, and beautifully evocative,<I> The Last Train to Zona Verde</I> is a fitting final African adventure from the writer whose gimlet eye and effortless prose have brought the world to generations of readers.<BR /><BR /> "Everything is under scrutiny in Paul Theroux€s latest travel book€"not just the people, landscapes and sociopolitical realities of the countries he visits, but his own motivations for going where he goes . . . His readers can only be grateful." €" <I>Seattle Times</I><BR /><BR /> €œIf this book is proof, age has not slowed Theroux or encouraged him to rest on his achievements . . . Gutsy, alert to Africa's struggles, its injustices and history.€ €" <I>San Francisco Chronicle</I></DIV>