The books reads for several pages like a history book as the reader is given example after example of the plight of most citizens in Zimbabwe, and then the reader is treated to a tender account of Godwin as he tries to care for his parents. A rather touching moment occurs when Peter Godwin learns that his father is a Jew and all these years has kept it a secret to protect Peter and the rest of the family.

It seems that the book follows the falling health of the father and the rapid decline of the conditions in Zimbabwe.

While the book will no doubt be a solid hit for what it is, a memoir, the book will be read by many because of the recent attention that the Western powers have shown toward the conditions that exist in Zimbabwe. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has brought attention to the conditions in the country but has added, "The pressure has got to be applied within Africa, in particular with the African Union."

Even though the book is a memoir and a good one, the book is destined to become an important document in the solution to the chaos that exists in Zimbabwe.