27.3.08

Media That Informs Us

A short list of books and movies that at least some of us found enlightening, inspiring, or at least thought-provoking:

Books:

Africa:
Strength in What Remains, by Tracy Kidder (Burundi)
From Bloodshed to Hope in Burundi, by Ambassador Robert Kruger
No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith (Botswana)
What is the What? by Dave Eggers (South Sudan)
A Distant Grief, by F. Kefa Sempangi (Uganda)
Cry the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton (South Africa)
There is No Me Without You, by Melissa Fay Greene
Africa Friends and Money Matters, by David Maranz
The Fate of Africa, by Meredith Martin
Out of the Jaws of the Lion, by Homer Dowdy (Congo)
Into Africa: the Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone, by Martin Dugard

Theology:
Don't Waste your Life, by John Piper
Surprised by Hope, by N.T. Wright
Generous Justice, by Tim Keller
Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering, by Tim Keller
A Sacred Sorrow, by Michael Card
A Praying Life, by Paul Miller
Keeping the Sabbath Wholly, by Marva Dawn
Invitation to Silence and Solitude, by Ruth Haley Barton

Missions:
Eternity in Their Hearts, by Don Richardson
Peace Child, by Don Richardson
Let the Nations Be Glad, by John Piper
Miracle at Tenwek, by Gregg Lewis
Missions and Money, by Jonathan Bonk
Teaching Cross-Culturally, by Judith and Sherwood Lingenfelter
Third Culture Kids, by Pollock and Van Reken
Bruchko, by Bruce Olsen

Medicine/Aid/Development:
The End of Poverty, by Jeffery Sachs
Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder
Pathologies of Power, by Paul Farmer
The White Man's Burden, by William Easterly
Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond
When Helping Hurts, by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett
Better, by Atul Gawande
Wit, by Margarent Edson

Children's Books:
We All Went on Safari, by Laurie Krebs
For You Are a Kenyan Child, by Kelly Cunnane
Greedy Zebra, by Mwenye Hadithi
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears, by Verna Aardema
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain, by Verna Aardema

Miscellaneous:
The Wycliffe Cookbook
The More With Less Cookbook
The Sonship Course, by Serge/World Harvest Mission
The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom
Music by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, especially Paul Simon's "Graceland"
Fluenz Français language learning tools
Petit Futé Burundi (the only good guide book on Burundi, albeit in French)
Article: "As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God" by Matthew Parris The Times, click here

Movies:
The Mission
Invisible Children
The Devil Came on Horseback
Amazing Grace
Yesterday
Blood Diamond
War Dance
The Ghost and the Darkness
The Constant Gardener
Hotel Rwanda
The Lion King (we'd be lying to say it didn't inform us)

Recommended but Minimal Relevancy to Africa:
Toto's "Africa"
The Gods Must Be Crazy (I and II)
David Wilcox's "Johnny's Camaro"
The Tawny, Scrawny Lion, by Tengreen
The board game "Pandemic"
The awesome action sequence in Madagascar at the beginning of "Casino Royale"

No comments: