Twenty Chickens for A Saddle by Robyn Scott Non-Fic

In 1987when Robyn Scott was only six year old her parents moved to Botswana. Her biographical traces her memories for the next 20 year and documents some of her experiences of being raised by liberal minded, adventurous and sometimes eccentric parents. It is always interesting, at times fascinating, and occasionally disturbing as the reader gains insights as to both the positive accomplishments of the family and the upsetting issues of racism or the devastating rampage of the aids throughout the country.

Her grandfather was a well known individual in the country for his many unconventional enterprises and the uniqueness of his character. Her father is a flying doctor and the book testifies of the challenges of motivating the residence to move away from some of the traditional methods of treating medical problems and accepting more modern approaches.

The mother takes charge of the three children’s home schooling and it is clearly evident that she takes John Dewey’s philosophy to an extreme. Experiential learning is the foundation of the youngster’s education. In spite of many variances from more traditional “schooling” all the youngsters did well when they registered in private high schools, and all three of them eventually complete college degrees.

Ms. Scott does a most commendable job capturing the essence of their existence in a realistic and entertaining style. There is a wide diversity of events and challenges that they confront growing up in this unique environment. The later section of the book documents the painful devastation of a country had previously been safe, peaceful and flourishing.