About this item
Highlights
- In an Ivory Coast village where Christians and Muslims are squaring off for war, against a backdrop of bloody conflict and vibrant African life, Jack Diaz--an American relief worker--and Mamadou, his village guardian, learn that hate knows no color and that true heroism waits where we least expect it.
- Author(s): Tony D'Souza
- 288 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres,
Description
About the Book
Brimming with dangerous passions, ubiquitous genies, spirited proverbs, and the pressures of life in a time of war, this extraordinary debut novel about a maverick American relief worker deep in the West African bush is a tale of desire, isolation, humor, action, and fear.Book Synopsis
In an Ivory Coast village where Christians and Muslims are squaring off for war, against a backdrop of bloody conflict and vibrant African life, Jack Diaz--an American relief worker--and Mamadou, his village guardian, learn that hate knows no color and that true heroism waits where we least expect it. During lulls in the violence, Jack learns the cycles of Africa--of hunting in the rain forest, cultivating the yam, and navigating the nuances of the language; of witchcraft, storytelling, and chivalry. Despite the omnipresence of AIDS, he courts a stunning Peul girl, meets his neighbor's wife in the darkened forest, and desperately pursues the village flirt. Still, Jack spends many nights alone in his hut, longing for love in a place where his skin color excludes him.Brimming with dangerous passions and the pressures of life in a time of war, Whiteman is a stunning debut and a tale of desire, isolation, humor, action, and fear.
From the Back Cover
"What makes Whiteman so affecting is D Souza s understanding of what it s like to fall in love with people who will never be like you, with a place that will never be home and with a troubled continent that despite your best intentions you can do nothing to save." People (Critic s Choice, four stars)In a vibrant Ivory Coast village, Christians and Muslims are squaring off for war. Against this backdrop of bloody conflict, Jack Diaz an American relief worker--follows the cycles of Africa. From the villagers and his village guardian, Mamadou, he learns of hunting in the rain forest, cultivating the yam, and navigating the nuances of the language.He witnesses witchcraft, storytelling, and chivalry. And together, he and Mamadou realizethat hate knows no color and true heroism waits where weleast expect it. Brimming with dangerous passions and the pressures of life in a time of war, Whiteman is a stunning debut and a tale of desire, isolation, survival, fear, and humor.
"A powerful debut novel, full of insight and sly humor, about a man who desperately wants to belong to a place that has little need of him. This is a visit to Africa you will not soon forget." St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"It's the quality of vision that makes D'Souza's novel notable . . . In original, unfussy prose, Whiteman suggests, with force and restraint, why a young American serving abroad, however haplessly, might not relish the prospect of having to return home."--The New York Times Book Review (Editors Choice)
TONY D SOUZA s writing has appeared in the New Yorker, Playboy, Salon, Esquire, McSweeney's, and Tin House, among other publications. His story Djamilla earned a 2007 O Henry Prize. Tony is a recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and lives in Sarasota, Florida."
Review Quotes
PRAISE FOR WHITEMAN
"What makes Whiteman so affecting is D'Souza's understanding of what it's like to fall in love with people who will never be like you, with a place that will never be home and with a troubled continent that--despite your best intentions--you can do nothing to save."--PEOPLE (Critic's Choice) "Quirky, seductive and funny. The author has acquired the arts of a master storyteller, and each little tale nestled in this novel has an intoxicating, fireside charm."--LAURA MILLER, SALON --