Reviewed by Lori M for Readers' Favorite

What a joy it was to read Geoff Hobb's The Beauty and the Beasts: Living in Nairobi. Having spent some time in Kenya doing mission work with my church, I found it fun to compare notes of what I experienced to what the author describes in his book. Our purposes were different, and Hobbs stayed more in the city while I was out with the Masai Mesa near Narok, but his writing evoked fond memories for me of my brief visit to this African nation.

It's funny how Hobbs indicates that he wasn't in the least bit interested in working in Africa but was offered a deal he just couldn't refuse. No one can quite understand the abject poverty of such a country when he or she is from the UK or United States because we have nothing with which to compare it. This author describes well the illness, life-threatening conditions, and other hardships that are the daily life of so many people in Nairobi.

As did I, Hobbs fell in love with the happy, fun-loving people of Kenya and he indicates that his experiences there have forever changed his life.

This book was an easy read and fast paced while taking the reader from the beginning of his journey there to his sad but happy return to his homeland. Whether you haven't yet visited Africa or just want to reminisce about your travels there, this book will take you there.