Once Upon a White Man (a Zimbabwe memoir); Beyond Savuti (a Botswana safari guide with Maps)

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING CHARGES - good news! Lulu has reduced its international shipping charges. As at Jan 2010, shipping costs are approx $8 to South Africa or Zimbabwe, and $5 to UK. Or order both books for cheaper pro rata rates.

NOTE: To PREVIEW A SAMPLE CHAPTER before you buy, click on the book title (underlined) below, then use the Preview button.

Attention AUSTRALIAN readers - I have copies of ONCE UPON A WHITE MAN available at a just A$25 plus $5 delivery within Australia only. E-mail me at g.atkins [at] iinet.net.au for details - (replace [at] with @ when you type my address).

You can DOWNLOAD YOUR OWN COPY NOW: ... you can avoid shipping costs by simply downloading the book to your computer! Click the 'ADD DOWNLOAD TO CART' button.

AUTHOR BIO: Graham Atkins was just 9 years old when the British colony of Southern Rhodesia declared independence from Britain in 1965. Graham attended Churchill High School in Salisbury (now Harare). He studied town planning at Wits University in South Africa where he also became editor of a campus newspaper and student residence chairman. In 1979, just as the 15 year long bush war reached its zenith, he found himself conscripted into the Rhodesian army as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1RR battalion. Scrambling to avoid enemy bullets and grenades, he saw first-hand the tragedy of a nation at war with itself and the horrors it wrought on combatants and civilians alike. After the war, Graham worked first as a government town planner, then as a safari camp manager, and finally as a senior business manager in commerce. Like many, he was proud of his young nation's can-do attitude and the country's beauty and potential. However, hopes for lasting peace and progress in Zimbabwe were shattered when Robert Mugabe launched a pogrom against white farmers and the emerging black opposition. With the consequent collapse of the economy and law and order, some 3 million Zimbabweans fled the country, Graham and his family amongst them. He is now a property investor in Perth.

READER FEEDBACK on "White Man":

"...you did a superb job of capturing the essence of how things were" - (Sean, Toronto, Canada)

"Such a good summary of what us whites went through ... The way you described certain things – like the Zambezi and your own garden, the bush, trees and birds brought a tear to my eye I must admit – spot on – there really is something so special about these things that only us Rhodies can appreciate. I’ll be flicking back to page number 1 to start it again! I even learnt one or two things that I didn’t even know about my own country which moved me. Thanks so much for sharing your story" - (Brendan, Sydney)

“I have just finished reading the last page of your book. I have to tell you I really enjoyed the whole experience - I have read one or two other books about our common past and I was left craving another approach. You nailed it on the head. Thank you for all the effort you made to put down your story and share it with us” – Tom, Malta

" We had 'book-club' last night. Claire read the last page of your book out aloud to us, and the four African ladies could not keep the tears from flowing, it was just superb. Claire said she had never cried so much in her life... " (Wendy, Perth)

" 'Makorokoto' for a job well done. I could comment at length on your insights and how well you've put them into words, but I'll leave it as a simple 'thank-you' - I thoroughly enjoyed it and still have a tear in my eye as I type... " (Brian, Darwin)

"As someone who has always lived outside Africa, this is the first time I've really understood what happened inside Rhodesia and Zimbabwe. The political history in the book is fascinating..." (Sarah, Perth)

“I laughed and cried a lot… so many memories” – Pam, Goulburn NSW

AUTHOR'S COMMENT: Commentators often summarize Rhodesia/Zimbabwe’s political history as a string of blunders, missed opportunities, and self-inflicted disasters. If they give us any credit at all, it is usually limited to citing our country as once being the “food basket” of the region. But those of us who lived there know that our little nation was much more than a simple producer of staple food. Here are just some of the local manufacturing industries/products which I remember our country used to have: Cement, bricks, roof sheets, structural timbers, plywood and chipboard, window and door frames, window glass, pipes and cables, nails and screws, hinges. Refrigerators, furniture, dinner ware, carpets. A vast range of cotton and textiles, clothing, suitcases, shoes and sandals. Breakfast cereals, cooking oils, sugar, nuts, beer, wine, spirits, fruit cordial, tea, coffee, processed meats, milk, butter, ice-cream, cheese, tinned food, dried food, toothpaste, toiletries, soap, shampoo. Polish, paper, envelopes, stamps, banknotes, medicines, cough syrup. Fertilisers, chemicals, paint, car tyres, coffins, boat building and batteries. Refined copper, tin, steel, asbestos, nickel and sheet metal. Agricultural implements, ploughs, water pumps, wheelbarrows. Jewellery made with local emeralds, sapphires, semi-precious stones and gold. Assembly of cars, bicycles, TV’s and radios. Together with the achievements of our once-celebrated wildlife industry and the disproportionately high number of world-quality sports and arts personalities that we produced relative to our small population, we can be rightfully proud of the past achievements of our country and its innovative, hard-working and friendly people. Were it not for the impact of our short-sighted politicians, Cold War intrigues, civil war, and the more recent gross corruption and mismanagement of our economy, by now our nation would probably be a social and economic jewel of Africa. Hopefully, when good governance is restored and race is no longer used as a political weapon, Zimbabwe’s economic potential will once again be realised.

I enjoy hearing from other Rhodies/Zimbos abroad. We share a common history and it's always interesting to hear your story too. If you want to send me a message, you can e-mail me direct at: g.atkins [at] iinet.net.au (replace [at] with @ when you type my e-mail address) - regards, Graham