Sam Kendon

Among the mostly ecstatic reviews I was unsurprised to find one or two reviewers trying to make a name for themselves by dissenting. One calls it Poverty Porn. No doubt the same could be said of David Copperfield. Or the Grapes of Wrath. For me a beautifully written compassionate tale of modern poverty in Appalachia, angry, funny and ultimately hopeful in a way that Dickens would surely approve.

You don't need any other books or the opinions of any one issue green zealots. Just read the book and update the figures as appropriate. As they say "do the maths".

Extraordinary spine-chilling tale of a terrifying journey through the lawless and totally unpredictable 'Democratic' Republic of the Congo. How Tim Butcher masters his fear is a mystery; but then again so is why he takes on such a trip in the first place. But I'm glad he did.