Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} To the Heart of the Nile Lady Florence Baker and the Exploration of Central Africa by Pat Shipman To the Heart of the Nile: Lady Florence Baker and the Exploration of Central Africa by Pat Shipman. Member-Supported Public Media Serving Central Pennsylvania. Take Note: Heart of the Nile. Take Note: Heart of the Nile. Prepare to embark upon a breathtaking adventure, brimming with hair-raising rescues, impossible quests, danger, discovery, catastrophe, mutiny and uncompromising love-all the more remarkable because every word is true. In her new book, To the Heart of the Nile: Lady Florence Baker and the Exploration of Central Africa, nationally-acclaimed author Pat Shipman chronicles the dramatic lives of two Victorian adventurers a compulsive explorer and the courageous beauty he rescued from a Turkish harem. Shipman is the author of seven books, including The Man Who Found the Missing Link and Taking Wing, which won the Phi Beta Kappa Prize for science. To the Heart of the Nile by Pat Shipman. A woman and her husband defy the odds and travel, though not to Joseph Conrad’s Congo, certainly to the heart of darkness in their exploration of Central Africa. The Quest: discovering the source of the Nile. The Journey: dangerously severe. The Story: ironically regressive. Whether a result of minimal information directly from Florence Baker, the nominal subject of To the Heart of the Nile , or an intentional tool used by author Pat Shipman to reflect the oppression of women in Florence’s time, the work is written in complete yield to Samuel Baker, Florence’s husband and fellow explorer. This story, subtitled Lady Florence Baker and the Exploration of Central Africa does not merely address the gender inequalities of 19th Century Europe, it is actually written much more with Sam’s voice than with Florence’s voice. Expectedly, when Sam Baker bought Florence out of a life of slavery after a harem auction in 1859, their plans to discover the source of the Nile were considered Sam’s plans. Of course, the British consul general regarded Florence’s decision to brave Africa insensible, remarking that if Sam really cared for Florence, “he should order her to go home to England and live with his sisters while he carried out his explorations.” Of course it was Sam’s exploration then. But isn’t it supposed to be Florence’s exploration now, through Shipman’s book? If so, it’s difficult to understand why Sam’s journal is quoted 38 times to Florence’s 20 quotes, why she’s the seamstress but we learn of her work only through Sam, why she teaches him Arabic, but we hear him talk about using it, and why she witnesses the brutal female circumcision of a native woman, but his journal entry describes it. In reality, Florence probably lived an even less oppressed life than many English women of the 19th Century. She certainly lived a less oppressed life than she would have had she been forced into slavery as her fate wanted to dictate. It was not Sam who saw Florence as subservient. He felt the opposite, so much so that he fell in love with her “heart of a lion.” He knew her strength, and he knew they needed to go to Africa, because “in Africa they could be free.” He wanted Florence to be free. With every societal freedom that Africa allowed, the continent retracted with physical suppression. Florence, as a woman of 16 years, dealt with every ailment and physical hardship that Sam and his crew of men suffered through. Afflicted with heat exhaustion, physical exhaustion, frequent fevers, and malnutrition, Florence’s disposition is described through Sam’s nursing as “he rubbed her chest, hoping to strengthen her heartbeat, and the slave women rubbed her hands and feet. Except for omitting occasional choking noises, Florence might have been a corpse.” Not to diminish Oprah Winfrey’s recent journey to Africa, but surely she wasn’t likened to a corpse. Fortunately, we’ve come far enough in gender equality to allow a woman like Oprah to step up and talk about her experience, something Florence herself could never do. So, Pat Shipman tried to do it for her. Unfortunately, she leaves us with the idea that while it was part Florence’s journey, it was mostly Sam’s. The reader is left to question whether Florence’s diary even exists. But it does. Flip back to the note on archives and see that “Anne Baker holds the diaries of Florence Baker.” Perhaps this book serves as fuel for the argument that oppression of any sort bleeds into the contemporary, even when it seems we’ve come so far. Certainly that’s applicable to slavery, racism, ant-Semitism (as seen greatly by the stir over Mel Gibson’s new movie), and gender inequalities. Despite the lack of celebration of Florence, the book does tell a remarkable story, one that might spice up any college history course. It may just be deserving of a new subtitle, like, Sir Samuel Baker and the Exploration of Central Africa . Literary Transgressions. ‘To the Heart of the Nile’ by Pat Shipman. To the Heart of the Nile: Lady Florence Baker and the Exploration of Central Africa by Pat Shipman is a excellent example of why non-historians should not write history books. Or perhaps why non-historians interested in history should confine themselves to writing historical fiction since, apparently, there are people out there who fail to understand some basics of nonfiction. These include, but are not limited to: 1. No dialogue. There is simply no way to verify conversations between historical figures and a biography should not attempt to “recreate” them. 2. No first names. When referring to your subjects, it should be by last name, or first and last to save on confusion when dealing with a family who all have the same last names. 2a. Certainly never, ever use nicknames. 3. Support your statements. Quote your sources whenever possible. Don’t just say so-and-so was much taken with something if there is no evidence to support such a statement. If you’re assuming or imagining, say so . (And then delete the whole sentence, because you really shouldn’t be imagining in a nonfiction book. That’s for novels.) 4. Correctly assess your sources. If there isn’t enough source material to write a book on a topic or person, don’t write it. You should under no circumstances attempt such a book with spotty source material and just fill in the rest with what you imagined probably took place or was felt by your subject. 5. Leave feelings out of it. Both yours and the subject’s. Tell us what happened, postulate on why it happened, discuss the aftermath, but please don’t ever assume to know how everyone felt about it happening. And don’t get carried away by your own feelings on the matter to project onto your topic. I just found reading this book extremely trying, obviously. As just one example of all the above: “Florence and Sam were blissfully happy in Bucharest, though Sam described the city to Min as ‘a mass of filth, the streets everywhere are five inches deep in black mud’ and complained of ‘fleas as big as bantam cocks and bugs as large as turbots.’ The rustic nature of Bucharest did not bother Sam and Florence in the least…they lived in a world of their own.” [49-50] The sources seem to suggest that Florence and Samuel Baker were not blissfully happy nor were they not bothered by Bucharest. In fact, it sounds like they (and really, we’re just talking about Mr. Baker here) found it gross. And exactly what evidence is there to suggest they lived in a world of their own? However, once I set aside my notions of how one should write history (and this effort took me a good chunk of the book), I must admit I learned a few things from this book. Not about Florence or Samuel Baker, really, who came across more as characters from some kind of contemporary romance novel the way Shipman writes of them than actual people, but about the British in the Sudan and the politics of exploring and annexing that area of Africa in the late 19th century. It’s an area of history literally touching my specialty (the British in Egypt proper), but one of which I had only a sketchy understanding. Until Shipman’s book. Shipman, although I think she did a horrible job of writing a biography of Florence Baker—Florence is a largely imagined figure throughout the book, something which I can’t tell is due to a lack of sources or an overpowering fascination with her husband Samuel Baker taking over—actually does a very nice job of neatly and simply laying out the basics of the political situation in the Sudan. Thanks to her, I finally understood the whole Mad Mahdi/Gallant Gordon thing. It’s a slightly obscure piece of history, but one which I’d always wondered about. So, if you can get on board with an anthropologist apologetically writing a history book (she does sort of admit that the book is written in, shall we say, an unorthodox manner in the preface), go for it. But honestly, I don’t think this book is worth the effort of doing so. You can no doubt find a better book about the British in the Sudan and you can certainly find better written biographies. And, if it’s Florence Baker you’re after, her diaries were published in 1972 so you can go straight to the source. TO THE HEART OF THE NILE: Lady Florence Baker and the Exploration of Central Africa. Shipman ( The Man Who Found the Missing Link , etc.) recounts the courageous, adventurous life of Lady Florence Baker (1845–1916). Born in Transylvania and orphaned after the Hungarian revolution in 1848–1849, "Barbara" was taken to an Ottoman harem where her name was changed to "Florenz," and she lived "like an innocent flower blossoming in the sun." When she reached puberty, however, she was sold at slave auction to the pasha of Viddin in the Balkans and later abducted by the second-highest bidder, a wealthy middle-aged English adventurer named Samuel Baker, who renamed her "Florence." Independent, cultured and beautiful, Sam's 15-year-old acquisition possessed a fiery spirit and worldly curiosity that rivaled his own. So, in 1861, the unlikely couple set out for Africa to search for two English explorers who were on a quest to discover the Nile's source and to continue their soulful romance, free of the scrutiny Florence attracted for her "extreme youth and somewhat shadowy past." During their four years in Africa, the Bakers dealt with life-threatening illness, deception by tribal chiefs and mutiny—and witnessed some truly horrifying acts of human cruelty and degradation. But despite the hardships, including a return trip to attempt to dismantle the African slave trade, their love was unshaken. Combining journals, letters and photographs, Shipman's account shines with historical clarity and narrative fluency, although at times the invented dialogue between the couple rings a saccharine note. Overall, this portrait of bravery, altruism and stamina in the wilds of uncharted Africa is a reverent and careful tribute. 66 b&w illus. (Feb.) Forecast: National review attention, a 15-city NPR campaign, author appearances in New England and the Midwest and lecture tie-ins could stir up interest in this ambitious biography. Science historian chronicles true story of Lady Florence Baker. University Park, Pa. -- A new book titled "To the Heart of the Nile: Lady Florence Baker and the Exploration of Central Africa," to be published this month by William Morrow, traces the life of the remarkable Victorian woman who would become known as Lady Florence Baker. For the project, award-winning author Pat Shipman, adjunct professor of anthropology at Penn State, used a compelling prose style and authoritative documentation to tell the true story of a woman whose unconventional history was carefully concealed during her life in a most conventional era. From Baker's childhood devastated by war, she survived kidnapping, white slavery in an Ottoman harem, explorations of uncharted Africa, and a life-threatening military campaign to put down the black slave trade along the Nile. Against daunting odds, she shaped a life of lasting romance and adventure that won her acceptance at the highest levels of British society. Born Florence von Szasz, she was orphaned and forced from her childhood home in Transylvania by the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. Kidnapped from a refugee camp, she was raised in a harem in the Ottoman Empire, then put up for sale at puberty at an elite white-slave auction in 1859. She should have left the auction with the Pasha of Viddin, the governor of the province who was the highest bidder, who would doubtless insist she lead a claustrophobically restricted but comfortable life as one of his concubines until her looks faded. But Sam Baker, a wealthy English adventurer, happened to be in the audience and fell in love on sight with this very young, very beautiful, and very angry girl. Baker managed to steal her before the Pasha took possession of his new prize; together, they fled in desperation back into the safety of the AustroHungarian Empire. Unexpectedly, the instant attraction between them deepened into lasting love. Together, they would explore the dangerous African interior, participating in one of the great scientific quests of the day: the search for the source of the Nile. As his confidante, fellow explorer, and eventually his wife, Florence helped Sam Baker make geographic discoveries that proved crucial to England's ever-changing understanding of the African landscape, including Lake Albert and Murchison Falls. Their discoveries were amply rewarded, with a gold medal from the Royal Geographical Society and a knighthood for Sam, but soon they faced unanticipated dangers from straight-laced Victorian society. When vague rumors surfaced about Florence's unconventional past and the legitimacy of the Bakers' marriage, the duo conquered Victorian society with charm and grace by constructing a public persona for Florence as the perfect, demure and dutiful wife. Sir Sam and Lady Florence Baker ultimately were welcomed into British society by marquesses, dukes, and the Prince and Princess of Wales. Only Queen Victoria held herself aloof, believing that perhaps Florence had "been intimate with her husband before marriage," as indeed, she had. Wealthy, established and well accepted among the aristocracy, Florence and Sam had no further need to risk their lives, but a commission from the Viceroy of Egypt tempted them back to Africa again. They accepted the challenge of a nearly impossible task: to wipe out the vicious black slave trade that blighted the lives of thousands of Africans and fed the voracious Ottoman slave trade. Though provided with a small army and navy and abundant resources, Florence and Sam nearly lost their lives in this courageous campaign, which was nothing less than open warfare against a greedy and entrenched system. Shipman's telling of their personal experiences of the horrors of the black slave trade -- a fundamental component of the Ottoman Empire's economic and political system -- and their compassion for its victims sheds new light on this long-enduring traffic in human misery. Reconstructed through journals, documents, maps and photographs, and told in the unusual narrative style for which Shipman has received international acclaim, "To the Heart of the Nile" chronicles the life of a formidable, compassionate and unlikely explorer -- a woman who faced life, love and war alongside some of the toughest men in history. From the wilds of central Africa, where they braved malaria, mutiny, political intrigue and starvation, to the drawing rooms of Victorian England, they faced hardship with courage. Florence and Sam Baker not only survived but found love and contentment against all odds. "To the Heart of the Nile" has been hailed by reviewers in advance of its February 2004 publication date. In the Los Angeles Times, Michael Koehn called the book "an absorbing narrative" and Publisher's Weekly remarked, "Shipman's account shines with historical clarity and narrative fluency." Booklist, a publication of the International Library Association, gave the book its highest accolade, a starred review, and said, "With myriad life-or-death confrontations backed by keen social commentary on an African world poisoned by slavery and fractured by imperialism, an English society rife with misogyny and racism, and complex religious and cultural conflicts, Shipman presents a remarkably compelling tale of heroic love and epic endeavors." Pat Shipman is the author of seven previous books, which have won numerous honors and prizes. In 2001, "The Man Who Found the Missing Link" was a New York Times Notable Book. In 1998, her book "Taking Wing" won the Phi Beta Kappa Prize for science and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award. She has twice has been a finalist for the prestigious Rhone-Poulenc General Science Award, winning the prize in 1997 with "The Wisdom of the Bones" (with Alan Walker). Both "Taking Wing" and an earlier book, "The Neandertals" (co-authored with Erik Trinkaus in 1992), were featured on the covers of their respective issues of the New York Times Book Review section.