THE STRENGTH OF RUINS is about a small knot of men and women – black, white and mixed race – who share a dream of bringing justice and harmony to their Southern African country. It tells an unbiased story about the dramatic events that Zimbabwe has faced: dramas of universal magnitude that include racial tensions and guerrilla warfare; ethnic genocide and indoctrination camps; economic collapse, drought, epidemics, poverty and emigration. So long as there are dreamers like those in THE STRENGTH OF RUINS and visions of hope, the people will survive. This small, beautiful country that so rarely pops into the minds of most people is, in fact, a microcosm of what is happening in so many parts of the world.
The characters and plot are purely fictional, but the facts are real and have been carefully researched. I chose to write the book in novel form, because (not always like the trends of our times), fiction actually can be truer than fact. In recent years, Rhodesia and now Zimbabwe have been in the news for all the wrong reasons. I wanted to put the events into an historical perspective and to present the real people behind the headlines who, by nature are hospitable and gentle; extraordinarily long-suffering and courageous.
I have been asked about the significance of the title. The country has had three incarnations to date. Between the 11th and 14th centuries, Great Zimbabwe was an influential kingdom in Southern Africa, with well-worn trade routes to the east coast port of Sofala. By the time it was discovered by white explorers, it had been reduced to ruins, very impressive remains of massive stone walls that stand out like obelisks of time. It rose again as Rhodesia, once a jewel in the British Crown, whose obelisk marking the peak of its prosperity could be seen as the Kariba dam that created a huge manmade lake, the first of its kind. Rhodesia met its demise in 1980, when it was returned to African rule and renamed Zimbabwe, now, sadly, an impoverished shadow of both its predecessors. It will be a hard task, but I believe the spirit of the people will once again resurrect it from the ruins and restore it to its former strength.
It took me numerous years to complete THE STRENGTH OF RUINS. It started off as a desire to “set the record straight” and turned out to be surprisingly prophetic. My life-long passions are the pursuit of justice and harmony. In particular, where these apply to respecting the world’s different cultures, their wisdom and the people’s individual struggles; promoting animal welfare and justice; and protection of the biodiversity of wildlife and survival of our planet Earth – and therefore, the human species.
The Strength of Ruins
497 pages (spaced for ease of reading)
Price: $24.95
Order from: http://www.volumesdirect.com Telephone: 519.571.2665 Toll free: 1.888.571.2665
The Strength of Ruins may be of interest to the African Studies Departments of Colleges and Universities, for example. For 10 copies or more, please contact the author at amtrowell@execulink.com
I have been asked about the significance of the title. The country has had three incarnations to date. Between the 11th and 14th centuries, Great Zimbabwe was an influential kingdom in Southern Africa, with well-worn trade routes to the east coast port of Sofala. By the time it was discovered by white explorers, it had been reduced to ruins, very impressive remains of massive stone walls that stand out like obelisks of time. It rose again as Rhodesia, once a jewel in the British Crown, whose obelisk marking the peak of its prosperity could be seen as the Kariba dam that created a huge manmade lake, the first of its kind. Rhodesia met its demise in 1980, when it was returned to African rule and renamed Zimbabwe, now, sadly, an impoverished shadow of both its predecessors. It will be a hard task, but I believe the spirit of the people will once again resurrect it from the ruins and restore it to its former strength.
It took me numerous years to complete THE STRENGTH OF RUINS. It started off as a desire to “set the record straight” and turned out to be surprisingly prophetic. My life-long passions are the pursuit of justice and harmony. In particular, where these apply to respecting the world’s different cultures, their wisdom and the people’s individual struggles; promoting animal welfare and justice; and protection of the biodiversity of wildlife and survival of our planet Earth – and therefore, the human species.
The Strength of Ruins
497 pages (spaced for ease of reading)
Price: $24.95
Order from: http://www.volumesdirect.com Telephone: 519.571.2665 Toll free: 1.888.571.2665
The Strength of Ruins may be of interest to the African Studies Departments of Colleges and Universities, for example. For 10 copies or more, please contact the author at amtrowell@execulink.com
