Reviews

Glory in a Camel's Eye: A Perilous Trek Through the Greatest African Desert by Jeffrey Tayler

debnanceatreaderbuzz's review

5.0

Tayler along with two guides takes off across the Sahara Desert. I can add this trip to the list of trips I will never take. Worst of all was the picture Tayler gives of his stop in the home of a Muslim saint; flies covering the food…children with snotty noses…the smell of animal dung coming from the room next door…green meat…men picking their noses while they ate…the intense desert heat….In every village Tayler stopped, locals told him he was the first tourist they’d met. Mmmm…big surprise.

michaelnlibrarian's review

3.0

Probably Jeffrey Tayler doesn't come up with the silly titles for his books that emphasize the danger in his travel escapades. This is the second of his travel books that I have read and he does seem to like what might otherwise be considered ill-advised trips - but he survives to write (and publish) about it.

Tayler speaks Arabic (and Russian) and his descriptions of his interactions with his Arab guides are the most interesting aspect of this book. It took my about fifty pages to get into this but then I enjoyed it. He relates some history to provide context but this doesn't overpower things.