The roots of our ancestry lie in Africa. John Reader´s brilliant, panoramic survey traces the development of this huge continent from its earliest geological formation and the beginnings of life, through to the civil war and genocide that mark it today. He explores the complex, widely differing societies from the great inland estuaries of the Niger and the Okavango, to the rain forests of the Equator and the deserts of the North, the devastating impact of European exploitation on those societies and the recent emergence of independent nations. Challenging many widely held misconceptions, his illuminating account will change the way many people think about Africa.