--- product_id: 2512564 title: "The Last Resort: A Memoir of Mischief and Mayhem on a Family Farm in Africa" price: "91.86 DT" currency: TND in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/2512564-the-last-resort-a-memoir-of-mischief-and-mayhem-on store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # The Last Resort: A Memoir of Mischief and Mayhem on a Family Farm in Africa **Price:** 91.86 DT **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Last Resort: A Memoir of Mischief and Mayhem on a Family Farm in Africa - **How much does it cost?** 91.86 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/2512564-the-last-resort-a-memoir-of-mischief-and-mayhem-on) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Thrilling, heartbreaking, and, at times, absurdly funny, The Last Resort is a remarkable true story about one family in a country under siege and a testament to the love, perseverance, and resilience of the human spirit. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Douglas Rogers is the son of white farmers living through that country’s long and tense transition from postcolonial rule. He escaped the dull future mapped out for him by his parents for one of adventure and excitement in Europe and the United States. But when Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe launched his violent program to reclaim white-owned land and Rogers’s parents were caught in the cross fire, everything changed. Lyn and Ros, the owners of Drifters–a famous game farm and backpacker lodge in the eastern mountains that was one of the most popular budget resorts in the country–found their home and resort under siege, their friends and neighbors expelled, and their lives in danger. But instead of leaving, as their son pleads with them to do, they haul out a shotgun and decide to stay. On returning to the country of his birth, Rogers finds his once orderly and progressive home transformed into something resembling a Marx Brothers romp crossed with Heart of Darkness : pot has supplanted maize in the fields; hookers have replaced college kids as guests; and soldiers, spies, and teenage diamond dealers guzzle beer at the bar. And yet, in spite of it all, Rogers’s parents–with the help of friends, farmworkers, lodge guests, and residents–among them black political dissidents and white refugee farmers–continue to hold on. But can they survive to the end? In the midst of a nation stuck between its stubborn past and an impatient future, Rogers soon begins to see his parents in a new light: unbowed, with passions and purpose renewed, even heroic. And, in the process, he learns that the "big story" he had relentlessly pursued his entire adult life as a roving journalist and travel writer was actually happening in his own backyard. Evoking elements of The Tender Bar and Absurdistan, The Last Resort is an inspiring, coming-of-age tale about home, love, hope, responsibility, and redemption. An edgy, roller-coaster adventure, it is also a deeply moving story about how to survive a corrupt Third World dictatorship with a little innovation, humor, bribery, and brothel management. Review: A funny, eye-opening view of Zimbabwe - 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. Review: Surviving the death throes of the Mugabe regime - 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. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #319,006 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #32 in Zimbabwe History #51 in Southern Africa History #110 in General Africa Travel Books | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,682 Reviews | ## Images ![The Last Resort: A Memoir of Mischief and Mayhem on a Family Farm in Africa - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51WZGftKMsL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A funny, eye-opening view of Zimbabwe *by J***S on February 17, 2010* 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. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Surviving the death throes of the Mugabe regime *by F***O on May 7, 2012* 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. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good Story. Well Told. *by J***R on July 11, 2011* 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! ## Frequently Bought Together - The Last Resort: A Memoir of Mischief and Mayhem on a Family Farm in Africa - The Fear - Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/2512564-the-last-resort-a-memoir-of-mischief-and-mayhem-on](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/2512564-the-last-resort-a-memoir-of-mischief-and-mayhem-on) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-10-19*