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Title: To Timbuktu for a Haircut
Subtitle: A Journey Through West Africa
Author: Rick Antonson
Narrator: James Conlan
Format: Unabridged
Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins
Language: English
Release date: 07-01-13
Publisher: Audible Studios
Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 6 votes
Genres: Travel & Adventure, Essays & Travelogues
Publisher's Summary:
"Although Timbuktu exists, there is a common belief that it is, in fact, nowhere."
Timbuktu: the African city known to legend as a land of scholars, splendor and mystery, a golden age in the Sahara Desert. But to many it is a vaguely recognizable name - a flippant tag for "the most remote place on earth." With this fabled city as his goal, author Rick Antonson began a month-long trek. His initial plan? To get a haircut.
Aided by an adventuresome spirit, Rick endures a forty-five hour train ride, a swindling travel agent, "Third World, three-lane" roads, rivers, and a flat deck ferry boat before finally reaching Timbuktu. Rick narrates the history of this elusive destination through the teachings of his Malian guide Zak, and encounters with stranded tourists, a camel owner, a riverboat captain, and the people who call Timbuktu home.
Antonsons eloquence and quiet wit highlight the citys myths - the centuries old capital and travelers dream - as well as its realities: A city gripped by poverty, where historic treasures lie close to the sands of destruction. Indeed, some 700,000 ancient manuscripts remain there, endangered. Both a travelogue and a history of a place long forgotten, To Timbuktu for a Haircut emerges as a plea to preserve the past and open cultural dialogues on a global scale.
The second edition of this important book outlines the volatile political situations in Timbuktu following the spring 2012 military coup in Mali and the subsequent capture of the city by Islamic extremists. Literally, it is a race against time to save the citys irreplaceable artifacts, mosques, and monuments, and to understand why Timbuktus past is essential to the future of Africa.
Editorial Reviews:
Narrator James Conlan's earnest performance will remind listeners of a well-traveled and loquacious friend with a thirst for adventure. Conlan imbues Antonson's story of his month-long trek to get a haircut in the elusive African city of Timbuktu with an intrepid spirit. In the process of Antonson's travels by train, four-wheel drive, river pinasse, camel, and foot, listeners will discover myths and learn about sad realities - one of which is that the city's cultural artifacts, including 700,000 ancient manuscripts, are in danger of disappearing. Although Antonson's stories are full of wry humor, he is serious about the need to preserve the past and open cultural dialogues on a global scale.
