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Dinner with Mugabe

The Untold Story of a Freedom Fighter Who Became a Tyrant

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Dinner with Mugabe

By: Heidi Holland
Narrated by: Deidre Rubenstein
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At a time when the world waits anxiously to see what will happen next in Zimbabwe – when there is little food in the country's shops, life expectancy is plunging and Zimbabweans are fleeing repression and unemployment - this book gets to grips with the man at the helm of a corrupt regime; the man behind the monster. Holland's tireless investigation begins with her having dinner with Mugabe the freedom fighter and ends in a searching interview with Zimbabwe's president in December 2007, more than 30 years later.©2008 Heidi Holland. (P)2011 Bolinda Publishing Africa Historical Military & War Politicians Politics & Activism Presidents & Heads of State Military
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Critic reviews

"The most intimate portrait yet produced of Zimbabwe’s clever but brutal leader." (The Economist)
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Mugabe is a fascinating mass of contradictions and Holland approaches him like a cross between a therapist and an FBI profiler. Sometimes the conclusions she draws seem a little glib - the Freudian angle gets plenty of exposure - but they're always thought-provoking. The book is really a collection of interviews with the important figures in Mugabe's career including politicians like Carrington and Ian Smith as well as friends and relatives. Each has a slightly different perspective on the man and each is assessed by the author at the end of their account to be more or less reliable. The result is a kind of composite that probably gets as close as we ever will get to the truth about him. The reader is listenable-to on the whole but her delivery is marred by some bizarre mispronunciations of well known African names that make you wince and wish she'd done some research.

Psychological profile of a dictator

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An awesome account on the rise and fall of a once great Statesman. This was well researched and unbiased book. I'm not a big fan of Mugabe and feel that most western media are unfair to him as they lack substance and accuracy.

Exceptional

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I found this to be a very well told & researched book. I really hope the aithor writes a further update not following the intervening 10 years and in particular the events of the November 2017 "not a coup coup". Highly recommended!

Very well told & researched book, recommended!

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