99 Books That Capture the Spirit of Africa + 1 on the verge

From the desert of Algeria to the savannahs of Kenya and the jungles of Equatorial Guinea, A Basket of Leaves: 99 Books That Capture the Spirit of Africa is a quintessential reader's guide that includes reviews and excerpts from notable books for each of Africa's 54 countries.

This collection explores many of the best-known works on Africa, such as Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (Nigeria), All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes by Maya Angelou (Ghana), The Viceroy of Ouidah by Bruce Chatwin (Benin), Age of Iron by J.M. Coetzee (South Africa), Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey (Rwanda), and When Rain Clouds Gather by Bessie Head (Botswana). The book is published by South-African publisher Jacana Media (worth visiting).

Geoff Wisner is an essayist and book reviewer with a focus on Africa, the Caribbean, and environmental issues. He blogs about African literature in translation at Words Without Borders.

Book on the verge:
Call for Support for "African Lives" anthology
Currently Geoff Wisner is looking for support for his second book, African Lives: An Anthology of Memoirs and Autobiographies. The book will appear next spring from Lynne Rienner Publishers. In order to bring the anthology to print, he still needs to raise an estimated $3,000 by September 5, so far 56% are funded - visit Worlds Without Borders for more: African Lives