Book Reviews of Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood

There are books and movies that I love, but can't bear to experience again, and this was without a doubt one of them.
Alexandra's childhood is so foreign to my own that I was spellbound by it. I went from horrified to angry to amused to heartbroken and back to horrified several times throughout. The book weighed on me like a sad movie for long afterward.
If you don't like books that are emotionally draining, this one isn't for you. But if you need an eye opener to dysfunction and danger, this definitely is.

Entertaining and honest. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The author's abilities never lead you to think that she is trying to impress you with her use of language. I related to her family experiences and the perspectives where told from a child's perspective. A good read.

This biography reminded me of "Running with Scissors " with is blunt descriptions of a harsh upbringing and highly difunctional parents. Ms. Fuller is able to retell the events of her life with insight and humor. A very good read.

This is a beautifully written memoir of a an English family's life in Africa. It is told by "Bobo", Alexandra Fuller, in a compelling and descriptive style that will have you hooked in the first chapter. This tale is sad; three of the five Fuller children do not survive infancy, but it is also humorous in parts. A wonderful read.

I didn't find this book interesting enough to finish. The author jumped around a lot and made it difficult to follow. The writing style was boring.

a very enjoyable read. having spent time in africa, i appreciated her honesty - admitting that she grew up in a family that believed in white superiority. i just wished i could have gotten a bit more insight into her parents - why they chose to live in zimbabwe during the midst of a war of independence.

This book is awsome, beautiful, terrible. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.

Interesting biography, I read it in a day. The author now lives in Wyoming which is where I live. It's nothing like Africa but can seem like it at times. I do recommend this book.

Great story of a poor British childhood in the former Rhodesia. A real treasure.

The autobiography of a woman who was brought to Africa as a child and spent her life there with difficult parents, and tribesmen in several counties

It was really interesting to me to read about a white child growing up in Africa. Her childhood was anything but normal. There is a lot of tragedy in this book. The author's parents are true characters. This is a good read. Not the best memoir I've ever read but still enjoyable.

Well written account of a young girl growing up in South Africa. Life is exposed with grimness at a time of unrest in the country.

A good read about a child growing up in Africa with unconvential parents. It is amazing that she survived. I could not put this book down.

I loved this book and hesitated a long time before passing it on.

loved this book

I laughed out loud many times while reading this book...felt like crying a few times as well. I look forward to reading Ms. Fuller's sequel to this book.

I enjoyed reading this book because it gave me a look into a totally different world than mine. I am not a fan of the authors plain writing style...but I would suggest reading the book...it is both sad and real...Linda

Well worn cover, but fantastic read!

interesting look into african life through the eyes of a white child looking back on her own life. i learned alot and also enjoyed the author's humor and good stroytelling skills.

This was the best book I have read in a long time. I couldn't put it down, I loved it!

Fascinating insight into Africa through memoir. Fuller's book is at once touching, funny and horrifying. The book will stay with you long after you have closed the final page.

I expected this to be as good as The Glass Castle, but found it disjointed and tedious.

Not bad, but slow.

Ms. Fuller gives the flavor of life in a hard-scrabble expatriate family living through the upheaval in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Malawi. I'm glad I read it.

Extremely well-written about life in Rhodesia during the turmoil of political transition.

Very discussable book for our book group.

This came highly recommended, and I wish I could say I really liked it. I didn't. I couldn't get past about 75 pages. The story is quite interesting, but the jumping time frame is disorienting, and the florid prose really turned me off: way, way too many adjectives for my taste. If you are fascinated by recent African history, and can overlook my objections, you may enjoy this book.

Alexandra Fuller's rich and unique writing style had me rereading sections just to savor her descriptions. From one honest circumstance to the next, you will find yourself immersed in a world that is at once thrilling, scary, and sad, wondering at the fortitude of the family who insisted on living in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia during some incredibly tumultuous times.

Could there possibly have been a childhood more dissimilar from my own? That made this book fascinating and wonderful! Raised in Africa with her sister, her daredevil farm manager father, and her strong, hard-drinking, bi-polar mother, Bobo Fuller lived more adventures in 20 years than most people will in a lifetime.
Though the family was unusual, I wouldn't call it dysfunctional since they truly cared for each other and made the most of their life together. I highly recommend this memoir if for no other reason than to discover a foreign country through the eyes of those who lived there as ex-pats.

Good book! I really got a picture of a life so foreign to mine in her story. It was an amazing experience that I can still vividly recall months after reading the book.

If you enjoyed the Liar's Club by Mary Karr or the Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, you'll probably enjoy this equally tragic, yet beautifully written memoir. I had already hoped Ms. Fuller would write another book and share her talent ... perhaps someday she will.

I have not read the book. The info. on the back of the book, was interesting. kind of drew me to it.

This is a story of growing up in Africa with a mother who is deep in the bottle. According to a friend who is from South Africa, it is right on the money. Humorous, poignant. You won't want to put it down.

Didn't like it

Amazing story.

very interesting book about a quirky family

Excellent

I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend. It is worth reading.

A candid look at her African childhood. "In wry adn sometimes hilarious prose, she stares down disater and looks back with rage and love at the life of an extraordinary family in an extraordinary time."

good read!

From cover: In this novel, Alexandra Fuller remembers her childhood in Africa with candor and sensitivity. Though it is a diary of an unruly life in an often unhospitable place, it is suffused with Fullers abiltiy to find humor, even when there was no reason to celebrate. An awesome read

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