An unusual book because after U.S. Ambassador to Gabon Darlington discusses political and economic matters, his wife has the rest of the book to give her take on the life and people of Gabon. Darlington, a career State Department official who helped found the UN, liked President Mba but finds the small, newly independent nation will have hard going. "All French businesses were protected by the powerful Chamber of Commerce, which made sure that its members were not disturbed by newcomers. There were only two or three electricians, only three metalworkers, only one baker, and so on down the line. What means were employed to keep others out I do not know, but they worked."

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