Wangari Maathai's book "The Challenge for Africa" provides insight to the modern African experience. She neither defends nor accuses Africans of their plight, but instead explains why they think and behave certain ways both in the past and in our modern world. Her tone is so pleasant and readable; the book was a real page-turner. She is optimistic about Africa's future without being naive unlike many aid organizations. She clearly identifies the main problems Africans are facing today, why and how they came to be, and ways they can be solved. She does not complain about the situation, she provides suggestions and examples of how Africans can solve their own problems. She explains why Africans need to come up with their own solutions to problems and of course, why protecting the environment helps and affects everything. This book answered so many questions I had about Africans such as: What were African societies like before colonialization? Why do Africans keep electing such crummy leaders? Why are Africans so poor and sometimes appear to not do much about improving their lives? How can Africa modernize without destroying the environment? I finished this book with a renewed hope for Africa's future.

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