The Last Resort: A Memoir of Mischief and Mayhem on a Family Farm in Africa

Most American's think of Zimbabwe, if at all, just long enough to shake their heads. The country has gone from breadbasket of Africa to a complete economic basket case, due entirely to the choices of its leaders. We hear of white farmers being dispossessed and their productive farms run into the ground, urban blacks being cast from their slums to go live...where? All the while with President Mugabe being honored at the Rome food conference and treated like a normal president by neighboring states. It is a place that cries out to be disregarded as too exhausting to think about. Douglas Rogers' wonderfully titled "The Last Resort" is a cure for that sensibility. It is a funny, moving and eye-opening story about today's surreal Zimbabwe. It tells the story of his parents, trying to hold on to their property that was once a famous backpacker's lodge and bar in the countryside that has now fallen on hard times along with every other part of the economy. But it is not just about them and certainly not just about the burdens of whites holding on amid chaos. It tells the tales of their employees and friends, black and white, as well as of their oppressors as they all try to navigate a Mad Max world. The book gives context to how migration, commerce, foreign intervention, war and modern racial politics has brought the country to this pass. It dispels the cartoon-like impression most American have of Africa and replaces it with a real sense of the people and their place, even if both sometimes seem more like a Monty Python skit than actual people in an actual country. It is a wonderful book and we should hope for a sequel.

An easy-going, enjoyable glimpse into the tenuous position of dwindling white farmers, and ordinary citizens, in Zimbabwe in recent years, told with the refreshing perspective of an expatriate who has lived outside the country for long enough to view the situation with objectivity and impartiality. This book has a positive slant: it reveals a growing solidarity, maturity and understanding between whites and blacks, a by-product of the chaos of Mugabes rule. Although there has been a slew of similar memoirs from white zimbabweans recently, this one is written in the best spirit and humour. The only thing I didn't like about it was the dialogues are full of expletives. I know this is the new trend in realism nowadays but not everyone wants that kind ofschoolboyish language thrown in their face continuously, and it lowers the book as a whole.

This is a story of proud Africans, corrupt dictators, civil war, displacement, blood diamonds, and one resilient couple who rode this crazytown ride, heads held high, dignity intact. When Mugabe allowed White farmers (and Black farmers, and anyone, really, who worked for the party of democracy) to be kicked off their land in order for it to be turned over to his cronies and kin, he extinguished Zimbabwe's esteemed reputation as the breadbasket of Africa. The world watched in horror at what was happening in Zimbabwe, none moreso than the author who gives us an idea of what it must be like to move a couple of stubborn parents out of harm's way. There is a deeply patriotic sense to this tale. The parents are doing their best, trying to go with the flow and adjust, even as the world around them spins faster out of control. Their families have been there since the turn of the last century and have deep roots in Zimbabwe, one of the most beautiful countries in the world. And so we watch, holding our breath, as the folks make deal after deal to keep their business alive. Rogers describes the characters with such subtle but telling detail that you immediately feel that you are there with him watching each new enterprise take root at Drifters Inn, the author's mother collecting the day's take in her little metal box. I enjoyed this book very much. I've sent it on to friends and recommended it to others. It is a stark, poignant, terrifying read. You will not want to put this book down until you learn the fate of this charming couple. Will they survive this? Can they? I was riveted to the page for two days straight. Is that Hollywood calling? Great read! Five stars!

This book was my first ever e-book purchase. And what a choice! Poetically penned by a native white Zimbabwean (Rogers,Douglas)who details his frequent visits to his parents' small backpackers lodge business while they stared straight in the eye some of the most daunting of circumstances which threatened their livlihood, and even their lives!I flew through this addictive and easily read non-fictional account of the peril's of life under the Mugabe regime for fourth-generation Rhodesians,namely the author's biological parents, who are forced out of necessity to adapt to the volitile political climate that has declared them (white landowners) de facto Enemies of the State. The ways in which they do this are clever, resourceful, and always entertaining; in part due to the incredible optimism and humor these last bittereinders retain, all the while facing down daily the most daunting of obstacles, not to mention the ever-present threat of state-sponsored forceable Occupation & Eviction from their farms by political thugs. White farmers (and all white land owners this couple soon discovered) became Mugabe's scapegoat for diverting blame away from abyssmal economic state of the country which sat in 80% unemployment and 10,000+% inflation ahead of the looming Presidential elections where the ruling ZANU-PF party faced viable opposition for the first time in decades. Vivid and accurate articulation of the pervaisive extent of corruption in Zimbabwe, and blatent abuse of democracy, as citizens see their constitution erroded while President Bob's power is increased as his cronies get enriched at the expense of the largely starving populace. The Amazing tale is truely the Rogers' remarkable faith in Zimbabwe's critically-wounded democratic system, their determination and unwavering resolve to eek out a livin and refusal to disown their native country that has turned their back on them. Lastly, let me say that this book is one of those "real life is stranger is Crazier than fiction" reads that makes me want to visit Drifter's Lodge outside of Mutare, Zimbabwe.

The Last Resort is a highly personal story about Douglas Rogers' return visits over a few years to Zimbabwe to visit his parents. It is a rich and penetrating portrait of Rogers' homeland and what is happening there under the rule of Robert Mugabe - not only what is happening to the remaining white settlers but to the native black population. Douglas Rogers' parents, Lyn and Ros have run a game farm and backpackers lodge for many years in the eastern part of the country. This is a moving story of their will to survive in their own home against odds that would overwhelm anyone. They are survivers who have learned to adapt to the dramatic changing condition of this calamitious land. From the opening pages describing Roger's plane landing at the airport at Harare when he first returned home one feel a cloud of dread as to what he will find as he thumbs rides to The Drifters, his parents resort. But what is overall the theme of the story is the desire of the human spirit to survive and to outlast the evil that is around them. The book is filled with dramatic happenings to these people but also with great humor. They did not lose their sense of life's joys. There are some very funny scenes of going to Miss Moneypenny who is the money changer, to get bundles of Zimbabwe dollars. The book reads much like a novel as you just don't know how it will end. I was disappointed that there were no photos in the book until I went to Douglas Rpgers' wedsite [...] and found the photos by Stefan Ruiz. Look at the photos before, during and after you read the book. They are of the characters and the area of the story. They show beautiful noble people. Also it would be great to stay at The Drifters. Even if one is not that intereted in Zimbabwe the book is a wonderful story of survival and the human desire and will to last. I would love to meet Lyn and Ros.

A great read, whether you are familiar with Zimbabwe's history in Africa or not. The tenacious couple who endure so many amusing and not-so-amusing intrusions on their rural paradise are well characterized as people who are both willing to adapt, and to fend off unwelcome attempts at repossession of the land they have always called home. Their son tells their story in such an entertaining and informative way. I delighted in reading the creative actions they took to protect their much loved property and life-style. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about hardships and solutions brave people will live though to remain on land they love. Their interactions and experiences with locals and visiters, alike tell a great deal about the ingenuity of the human spirit and love for home. They are a brave and entertaining couple who succeed using unusual and outlandish means to retain their much-loved home in one of Africa's challenging regimes. Their son tells a great story. This book was a spot-on recommendation from Amazon.com

One of the best books written on post-colonial Rhodesia/Zimbabwe that is every bit as good as When a Crocodile Eats the Sun and Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight because it answers the key question on this subject; why? Why do whites still remain in the country in the face of unrelenting danger and racism? Why does the population as a whole put up with a thug like Mugabe? How do people survive in a country with Weimar Republic style inflation? Rogers doesn't provide easy or simple answers and has an engaging way of educating the reader about the country without coming across as a political science lecture. The well-paced book examines his parents struggle to survive on a once thriving backpackers lodge in Mutare, located on the far eastern border of the country by Mozambique. He has the unique advantage of being raised in the country but who has also spent most of his adult life abroad; so when he returns to Zimbabwe he sees the country as both a foreigner and native. Again, it's a very engrossing book but it is not in the genre of Out of Africa, of European expats pining for colonial times. On the contrary, The Last Resort is a story of people, black and white, that are trying to make the best of impossible, and tragically comic situations that made a conscious choice to attempt ride out the storm for the lives they once had and the hazy promise of a better future.

I was prepared to give this book 5 stars right up to the end but was so disappointed in the abruptness of the ending. I felt like I had been walking along a path, engrossed in reading a good book and then just suddenly fell off a cliff. In the acknowledgements, the author gives a very vague and very brief update and there you are, scratching your head and wondering what happened. Overall, extremely interesting and informative, excellent writing and research, but that didn't make up for the poor ending, in my view.

J'ai donné 4 étoiles simplement parce que ce n'est pas un livre qui vous tient en haleine ou qu'il faut terminer au plus vite. Ceci dit, c'est très intéressant, bien raconté, et on apprend beaucoup sur l'histoire de ce pays et de sa culture.

This is a great book about people surviving, adapting and ultimately thriving in the face of adversity. It tells the story of the authors parents battling to survive and hold on to their game farm and tourist lodge in the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe in the face of the madness unleashed by the Mugabe regime. Rogers more than his parents lives in fear of the day the "war veterans" will arrive and throw them out of their home. It also details the way Zimbabwe has changed. The overland safari trucks full of European backpackers may have been frightened off but people still come to the lodge for albeit different reasons. It acts as a sanctuary for the displaced neighbouring white farmers and a hang out for the black smugglers and illegal miners on the recently discovered diamond fields nearby. Roger's to his amazement and amusement even finds his parents sub-letting out part of "Drifters" to ganja growers. Written with great humour and honesty this is a wonderful book.

Escrito con mucha soltura, salpicado de humor e ironía con altas dosis de tolerancia. Relata eventos sorprendentes donde la realidad supera a la ficción. Un país, Zimbabwe, en abandono total, donde los granjeros blancos son el enemigo a expoliar. Éstos recurren a todo para sobrevivir o abandonan el país a su suerte. Me gustaría que continuara.

This story was a great historical read for me and I learned a lot. Douglas Rogers has a great way with words and I now find myself craving for more of this great story. What happened to his parents and the people that they helped out? I hope there is a part two to this book and I will search for more books by the author. Highly recommended read. I have Africa on my bucket list and I just scratched off Zimbabwe as a place I want to go.

What could be a very dark and bleak saga comes to life amid much mayhem and humour in the hands of this extremely skilled wordsmith. Laugh out loud funny in parts, deeply absurd and surrealistic in others, it traces the unpredictable arc of Zimbabwe's bumpy road post-colonial road. But mainly it makes you want to pull up a barstool at Drifter's, inhale whatever's in the air, and enjoy the unlikely cast of real characters who gather there.