Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles

Every time you try to say 'Africa is...' the words crumble and break. From every generalisation you must exclude at least five countries. And just as you think you've nailed down a certainty, you find the opposite is also true. Africa is full of surprises.

For the past three decades, Richard Dowden has travelled this vast and varied continent, listening, learning, and constantly re-evaluating all he thinks he knows. Country by country, he has sought out the local and the personal, the incidents, actions, and characters to tell a story of modern sub-Saharan Africa - an area affected by poverty, disease and war, but also a place of breathtaking beauty, generosity and possibility. The result is a landmark book, compelling, illuminating, and always surprising.

This revised edition has an additional chapter on Ethiopia and has been updated throughout to reflect changes such as the death of Mandela and the attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi. It also includes two new maps and a new final chapter considering the shape of Africa's future.