The ZinZin Road by Fletcher Knebel

The ZinZin Road Reviews

• 
  Paul Weiss

  A story of the Peace Corps in West Africa
  
  Fletcher Knebel is much better known for his 1960s thrillers SEVEN DAYS IN MAY and NIGHT OF CAMP DAVID but THE ZINZIN ROAD, a compelling story of the adventures of a group of young, idealistic Peace Corps volunteers in the fictional West African country of Kalya, is well worth seeking out in your local second hand book shop.
  
  The Forge, a small underground resistance group, is the tiniest seed of the opposition and ultimate revolution intended to depose Alexander Vining, the cruel, corrupt dictator, clearly modeled on other real life African dictators such as Jean Bedel Bokasa of the Central African Republic, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire and the biggest butcher of all, Idi Amin, late iron-fisted ruler of Uganda.
  
  Despite clear policy against such actions, a couple of the Peace Corps volunteers involve themselves with the Forge and soon find themselves up to their necks in trouble with their own Peace Corps administration, with the US Diplomatic Corps, the Secretary of State, the US ambassador to Kalya and even the President himself. Then, of course, there is the ever present threat of rotting in a Kalya jail or facing execution at the hands of a cruel leader who has begun to sniff out the danger of an incipient revolution against his rule.
  
  Aside from an exciting adventure story coupled with some interesting youthful romantic involvements in a foreign country, THE ZINZIN ROAD is positively brimful with the atmosphere of the 1960s - the absolute paranoia of the US government concerning the Communists; the CIAs political involvement in US embassies around the world; the taboos concerning inter-racial sex; the astonishing adulation that was given to John F Kennedy and the overwhelming grief felt around much of the world at his untimely assassination; and, of course, the left wing idealism of young university students following the ending of the Vietnam War.
  
  THE ZINZIN ROAD also addresses thought provoking questions about the efficacy and value of foreign aid, the ever present problem of figuring out how to use charitable contributions to teach a man how to fish as opposed to creating an ever-increasing dependency on fish simply given to him.
  
  Knebel also addresses the difficulties of Africa's struggling and frequently unwilling entry into the world of twentieth century technology:
  
  "The culture clash left the tribesfolk bewildered and often defenseless. They lived with the old and the new in baffling proximity. A mud hut might now have a transistor radio side by side with a vinzinja dog whose historic chore it was to eat the feces of babies from the earthen floor and to lick the naked baby's rump clean after a bowel movement. A youth would go to the Lebanese store and buy a Seven-Up, bottled under hygienic conditions, then come home and drink water hauled from a creek which festered with typhoid germs and schistosomiasis."
  
  I had this one on my reading list for over 30 years and was delighted to find that Knebel's writing stands up to the test of time and THE ZINZIN ROAD is still a powerful read that was thoroughly enjoyable. Highly recommended.
  
  Paul Weiss
• 
  Terry

  This book was banished in Liberia, West Africa which is the template for this novel. I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Liberia so, of course, there were several clandestine copies passed from [Peace Corps:] hand to [Peace Corps:] hand. It was a 'must read'....and there was the added thrill of not getting caught... Knebel did his homework, quite accurately describing much of the mundane Peace Corps details....In fact, this is where I learned how to 'fix' my kerosene-powered fridge!!! That alone was worth the read. The tribes of Liberia were thinly veiled....reversing letters or inventing close proximations; the Loma tribe, for example, is Mola in the book. He does the same with locations including the title ZinZin which, in fact, is Zorzor, an actual town in Liberia. We all knew it was complete fiction when the Country Director [Peace Corps staff head of each country's Peace Corps population. Quite often a low level political appointment:]....when the Country Director actually left the paved road and met with the volunteers.... We NEVER saw the director and certainly not 'up country'!!! I also learned about the country devils which I 'could not see'....that is, which we were forbidden from looking at. The children in my village would warn us when one was in town....we closed our shutters and stayed inside until the coast was clear. So, it's STILL a fun read and quite accurate....and a really tall tale....all in one!
• 
  Del B

  Not as well known Knebel work. Deals w/Peace Corp in Africa. It shows a realistic connection between Peace Corps, CIA and US gov't in international politics.
  
  Not as exciting as "7 days in May" but still pretty good if you like political novels. If you don't then you proably should steer clear of this one before you dive into knebel.
  
  Not his best but worth reading.
• 
  Mike

  This goes down as the worst book I've ever read. The author should have stuck to journalism.
• 
  Canavan

  ✭✭✭½