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East Along the Equator: A Journey up the Congo and into Zaire (Traveler / Atlantic Monthly Press) | 
 enlarge | Author: Helen Winternitz
Creator: Ann Godoff
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy Used: $0.04
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Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 748313
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Pages: 274
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9 x 5.5 x 0.5
ISBN: 0871131625
Dewey Decimal Number: 916.751043
EAN: 9780871131621
ASIN: 0871131625
Publication Date: January 1, 1987
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Excellent story of travel to Heart of Moubutu's Zaire January 31, 2002
Ed Gibbon www.congocookbook.com (Washington DC)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
"East Along the Equator: A Journey Up the Congo and into Zaire" is an excellent account of a journey across Central Africa (in what was then Zaire) in the early 1980s. Winternitz and her companion traveled by river barge along the entire navigable portion of the Congo river, from Kinshasa to Kisangani. The Congo river barges are legendary among 'extreme' travelers. The end of Belgian colonization of the Congo meant the end of roads, making the river the only practical way to travel between Kinshasa and Kisangani. These river barges are (were?) floating villages, complete with markets and nightclubs populated by traders who make their livelihood onboard, as well as travelers going from place to place. From Kisangani the journey continues overland, to an eventual return to Kinshasa by air. In Kinshasa the pair are arrested and interrogated by the secret police after interviewing a politician opposed to president Moubutu. Winternitz gives an even-handed and interesting account of the journey, along with relevant history and background information. The book contains a good bibliography. This book was journalism when it was first published, and it is still worth reading today, as a document of the Congo under Moubutu.
Simply, A Great Book May 30, 2000
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book is a rarity. I have read histories of Africa and I've read travelogues set in Africa and on other continents. But never have I read such a readable and illuminating mix of the two. If you're interested in Africa, read this book. If you like fine writing, get this book.
Great Travel Writing January 20, 2000
blueotter (Chicago, Illinois United States)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
It has been many years since I read this book, but I was very glad to see it is still in print. It is entertaining and well-written, and gives insights into travel (and life)in Africa that I have not seen elsewhere.
 What an adventure! June 14, 2003
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book was truly fascinating. I read it shortly after reading The Poisonwood Bible, which had sparked my curiousity about central Africa. The author and her boyfriend set out on a trip across Zaire with no real idea of how they would get to their destination, and ended up dealing with situations that were so far beyond my frame of reference that I could scarcely imagine them. The author generally writes well and conveys a good sense of the tribulations and frustrations - as well as some moments of optimism - they encountered along the way as they got an unusually close-up view of the people and culture of the country. My only quibble with the book has to do with the inordinate number of typos.
a fabulous adventure & must read January 4, 2000
Arlene (Sacramento, CA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I'm delighted to see this book available as I thought it was long out of print. This is among the most astounding adventure travels that I have ever read. Although it's been years since I read it, many of her experiences remain vivid in my memory.
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