by Andrew Meldrum
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Product Description
Where We Have Hope is the gripping memoir of a young American journalist. In 1980, Andrew Meldrum arrived in a Zimbabwe flush with new independence, and he fell in love with the country and its optimism. But over the twenty years he lived there, Meldrum watched as President Robert Mugabe consolidated power and the government evolved into despotism. In May 2003, Meldrum, the last foreign journalist still working in the dangerous and chaotic nation, was illegally forced to leave his adopted home. His unflinching work describes the terror and intimidation Mugabe’s government exercised on both the press and citizens, and the resiliency of Zimbabweans determined to overturn Mugabe and demand the free society they were promised.
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Average Customer Review:
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 First-hand account of tyranny by a brave journalist, 2007-08-30
Andrew Meldrum was the last foreign journalist thrown out of Zimbabwe and, after spending 23 years in the country, is ideally placed to give the reader a first-hand account of the collapse of a once-prosperous country. Meldrum could have taken the easy cynical route and just described the calamity caused by Robert Mugabe and his increasingly corrupt and vicious inner circle. But he does more, by weaving in his own experiences, including a narrow escape from the intelligence forces when they came to his home to abduct him. He also does an excellent job of not just depressing the reader by harping on the problems (as some of the pop authors writing on Africa are apt to do) but by also writing about the resilience of so many Zimbabweans -- hence the (admittedly sappy) title. This is certainly not intended as a comprehensive history of the country. But it is a beautifully-written book by one very brave journalist.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
There is still hope for Zimbabwe, 2007-02-13
As a visitor to Zimbabwe - I love it there, the people, the landscape, the optimism everything. And to read a book which does echo how most of the people feel is rare. There is still hope that Mugabe will be removed and democracy prevail. The so called issue with white and blacks is not as the media and Mugabe portray at all. People just want their freedom and a decent economy so they can have a standard of living above the poverty line. Andrew Meldrum may be biased as he does love Zim and the people but its about time that the truth is highlighted as no one has tried to prevent this on the international scene. I'm glad someone has tried to show the world what is really happening in Zimbabwe.
2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
 Who has hope?, 2006-11-11
I expected much more from the book. Lacks a lot of information on the conflict before Mugawe, why was he so succesful in his fight. It is interesting but I really wanted something more in depth.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
Moved me deeply, 2006-03-03
As a Zimbabwean living abroad I sceptically picked up a copy of this book. I would read with dread Andrew Meldrums daily news reports on the dire and continually worsening situation in Zimbabwe on a Zimbabwean news website. I was very pleasantly surprised by the depth of feeling he developed for the country and his positive outlook in this book. I was moved by all his personal experiences and interactions with people there and the dangers he faced on a daily basis just doing his job. Someone needed to speak up and let the international community know about the teriible things that went happened in Zimbabwe from Gukurahundi to the farm invasions and I admire him for his bravery and perseverance. He chronicled our history from an eyewitness point of view and brought it all alive again. It allowed me to relive the 80's and 90's again. I cringe whenever I hear news of Zimbabwe on the television but this book made me feel proud to be Zimbabwean and I have recommended to my non-Zimbabwean friends as a way of understanding what happened to Zimbabwe. Excellent book!
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
 Good Memoir, So-So History, 2005-08-15
Andrew Meldrum is an American journalist who moved to Zimbabwe shortly after the country won its independence in 1980. He fell in love with the place and decided to put down roots, only to watch Robert Mugabe destroy Zimbabwe's economy and institutions in a bid to hang on to power. Meldrum was expelled in 2003 because of his critical reporting. To judge by his book, he got around the country, exposed human rights abuses, and showed courage in the face of harassment and a trumped up prosecution. Granted, his writing verges on treacle at times, and he's too politically "engaged" to be completely credible as a journalist -- but then it's hard to be fair and balanced when writing about a dictator like Mugabe. Meldrum has guts and his heart is in the right place.
That said, his book adds little to our knowledge of Zimbabwe. As a good journalist, Meldrum sticks closely to his personal experiences. Unfortunately, these consisted mostly of observing rallies and marches, interviewing opposition activists, consulting his maid about popular political attitudes, comparing notes with other journalists, and getting arrested. We learn little about the inner workings of ZANU-PF or the reasons for the economic collapse. Mugabe is no more than a stock villian. The rural Shona are a mystery. The role of white business in funding anti-Mugabe activity is alluded to but not discussed. We don't even learn about the contentious, often dysfunctional leadership of the opposition MDC party, or about MDC's rocky relationship with unions and civil society, even though Meldrum had friends and contacts in these camps.
Overall, there are too many anecdotes and too little analysis. Readers who want an introduction to Zimbabwe's modern history would be better off reading Martin Meredith's superb "Our Votes, Our Guns." But readers who want a lively personal story will enjoy "Where We Have Hope."
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