Where We Have Hope: A Memoir of Zimbabwe - Couverture souple

A moving account of a life lived in a world of extremes - of ugly tyranny and of the extraordinary friendships and passionate beliefs that it inspires (Western Mail)

Meldrum's writing is driven by a passion for the country and its people ... essential reading. (Observer)

Marvellous, rich and rewarding ... [A] compelling book (The Times)

Andrew Meldrum has been a witness to the unfolding, over the last quarter of a century, of one of the most remarkable stories of modern times. He has observed at close quarters the laying waste, in peacetime, of Zimbabwe...Meldrum's perspective is unique in a number of ways, and this makes his memoir an invaluable record as well as a compelling read...One of the most attractive aspects of Meldrum's brisk but vivid account of the next 23 years is the way it reveals his personal engagement in the process. He was an objective reporter - over the most significant period of his stay, for The Guardian - but he also lived, laughed and suffered with ordinary Zimbabweans. Most importantly, he did not allow any preconceptions he brought with him to interfere with his openness to what was going on around him...the account of Meldrum's own arrest, trial and illegal expulsion makes compulsive reading, while his portrayal of the many heroic Zimbabweans who represent, let us hope, the future of the country once the Mugabe dictatorship is buried, is generous, moving and inspiring. (The Tablet)

Accessible and comprehensive ... Meldrum's vivid and insightful reflections will enrich any reader's understanding of this sorry chapter of African history (Literary Review)

A story of disillusion, chaos, violence, extraordinary courage and some hope (The Guardian)

(Meldrum) shows that amidst the repression and cruelty of Mugabe's state, there is courage, dignity, and above all real hope (Rageh Omaar, BBC Correspondent)

What makes Meldrum's story compelling is his honesty: his early nervousness; the trials of his rickety Renault 4 (The Independent)

[Andrew Meldrum] is irrepressible in his quest to show how the spirit of Zimbabweans he meets ... makes a brighter future inevitable. (Joe Churcher (syndicated review))

What makes Meldrum's story compelling is his honesty: his early nervousness; (and) the trials of his rickety Renault 4. (The Independent)

Important book ... to be so reminded of this dire chapter in African history is a sad but salutary and, in the end, strangely hopeful experience (Traveller Magazine)

'His memoir is written with admirable control and clarity, shedding light on the complexity ... yet his passion for his adopted country never fails to shine through.' Nicola Barr (The Guardian)

So readable...His personable, matter-of-fact tone serves less to dismiss the extraordinary injustices the country and its people have suffered and more to highlight them by giving them context. (Observer)

He does not spare us from the brutality and wickedness that is gripping Zimbabwe, but by telling the stories of its people and allowing us to hear their voices, he shows that amidst the repression and cruelty of Mugabe's state, there is courage, dignity, and above all real hope (Rageh Omaar)

Meldrum's writing is driven by his love for Zimbabwe and its people, and he still believes the country has a future - but not with Mugabe. (Irish Times)

In May 2003 Guardian journalist Andrew Meldrum was seized by Mugabe's thugs and deported, forced to leave for writing 'bad things' about Mugabe's regime. This was the shocking end of a grim journey. For twenty years, Meldrum had lived through Zimbabwe's transformation - from the African beacon of hope to violent despotism.

This is his story. It is also a testament to the the power of hope. Throughout Zimbabwe, doctors, teachers, journalists and lawyers have refused to accept Mugabe's rule. Meldrum depicts their courage and heroism in moments of intense drama and tension.

Where We Have Hope is a moving account of a life lived in a world of extremes - of ugly tyranny and of the extraordinary friendships and passionate beliefs that it inspires.