Review of Dancing on Bones

[Itz Savaga]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Dancing on Bones" by Ross Gordon.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Dancing on Bones by Ross Gordon talks about the childhood up until adulthood of Ross Gordon, who lived in Zimbabwe, formerly known as Rhodesia, through the latter half of the twentieth century. It is a memoir of sorts, an autobiography. Ross recounts his adolescent years, events of the war, learning to shoot and learning how to speed up his education. The story of his early life was the most intriguing and rose-coloured section of the book. He is faced with various challenges involving his country and local communities
as he gets older, and his keen mind for learning helps him adapt and attempt to overcome these many obstacles throughout his lifetime.

While growing up, Ross remained optimistic; even when he faced many challenges, he would sometimes doubt himself but wouldn’t let it cloud his mind. He ensured his family was safe at all costs, trying his hardest to give them nothing but the best and always creating time for them despite his ever-so-hectic schedule.

Ross was just an extremely likeable character and easy to understand. He was definitely my favourite character in the book, as generic as it may seem. His resilience, irrespective of what was going on in his country and how it affected him, was nothing short of exemplary. Showing his children that he wouldn’t give their home up without a fight absolutely melted my heart. It also helped that the book had just two errors and was clearly professionally edited.

I didn't find much to dislike about this book except that it was written in a manner that seemed abstract to a degree, and the author seemed to be addressing different issues simultaneously, which didn't make for easy assimilation of the story.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. While reading it, I struggled to find grammatical errors and learned so many terms I had initially thought were errors were, in fact, correct. It is very vocational, and the author’s knowledge of war and the terms used in relation to war is extensive. It was a fascinating learning experience reading this book. The events of the Zimbabwe-Rhodesian terrorist attacks gave new insights into the history of Africa as a whole, especially the political aspect, as the author often referenced in the book— the African lie. I don't consider the negative points tangible enough to warrant the deduction of a star.

I recommend this book to lovers of adventure because the book jumps from one adventure to the next quite frequently. I also recommend it to teenagers and parents alike. This story of Ross' upbringing and personal development was as insightful as it was inspiring, and teenagers and parents can learn a lot from that.

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Dancing on Bones
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Uche Ibeh]

I see Ross as a man who would do all it takes to keep his family safe. That is a mark of an honorable man. You painted his personality so well that I can't wait to read about him.

[Ruthwriter]

What an amazing life experience. Ross Gordon's story is worthy of learning from. I will put this book on my shelf list. thanks for the review.

[Yasmine M]

This book seems to be a little grammatical treasure; the story is also very rich and captivating. I have never read on this part of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe 's History. I will definitely add this one to my shelves. Thank you for your review, I enjoyed reading it.

[Wren Michaels]

I don’t particularly enjoy memoirs typically so may give this one a miss. Great review

[Arlene Rouse]

Oh I love an adventure so yep I think I'll add it to my book shelf as my first book ever. Thank you for a good insight it's very intriguing. Gotta check it out.

[Kosisochukwu okoli]

I admire Ross love for his family . Delighting to read .

[Sou Hi]

Congrats on BOTD. Looks like this book will tell us a lot of useful things, especially about the history of Africa.

[Aan Granados]

I like reading memoirs especially if the setting is some exotic country as we learn about their culture and sometimes the political climate too. Thank you for your review!

[Timothy Rucinski]

I'm not into reading memoirs, so this book isn't for me. But I read several pages and admire the author's writing style. I think Mr. Gordon is a poet as his words flow beautifully around each description: the people, the landscape, and the animals. It's quite breathtaking. Congratulations to him on his accomplishment.

[Chinazo Anozie]

The author seems to have a great love for his country, despite its challenges. This book will be great for fans of memoirs and nonfiction. I don't fit into that category, so I'll pass on it.

[Nube Vargas]

There isn't much discussion of African cities in books, therefore this message surprised me by talking about it.

[ToniaSteve Gajdosik]

I look forward to reading this book about Ross. Folks growing up in different countries, with different cultures always intrigue me. That it is an autobiography makes it more appealing as it is a first-hand experience of life in a region of the vast continent of Africa, of which many different nations exist. Thank you for sharing this review.

[Margi zuu202]

BOOK of the day is non fiction and a memoir of ross experiencing white racism he grew up and become a white farmer in a war torn Zimbabwe she was born in the 60's his generation has seen it all he witness his dad and grandfather build a farm, his grandfather love trees . ross gives us a rare sight into racism towards white people many people would scoff at the thought of white experiencing racism the entire white population was wiped from Zimbabwe leaving everything and start a new life some where else, those who declined lost their lives ,,, this book made me sad it brought back bad memories to me .it was well written and reviewed i will recommend it white racism is so real even in the 21st century

[Ferdinand_Otieno]

This is an interesting inspirational non-fiction autobiography highlighting the author's teenage years in Zimbabwe, his education, and the dangerous life and skills he picked up. The book is temporarily discounted on Amazon Kindle and has an inciteful OnlineBookClub review.