The Worst Date Ever or How it Took a Comedy Writer to Expose Africa's Secret War is a memoir written by the British comedy writer Jane Bussmann. The book exposes the war crimes and corruption of the Lord's Resistance Army and the Ugandan government army using black humour[1] and gonzo journalism.
 | |
| Author | Jane Bussmann |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Gonzo journalism, memoir |
| Published | 2009 (Macmillan) |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 371 |
| ISBN | 978-0-230-73712-9 |
| OCLC | 267172507 |
| 070.92 | |
| LC Class | DT433.227 .B87 2009 |
Overview
editAfter becoming frustrated with celebrity culture,[2][3] Bussmann became inspired by the American peace activist and conflict resolution expert John Prendergast. Bussmann traveled to Uganda and began investigating the war crimes of Joseph Kony. Part investigative journalism, part dark comedy and part romantic satire, the story is couched in the author's unrequited attempt to get a date with Prendergast.[4]
Reception
editReviewers consistently found the book to be truly funny, although some believed that her use of comedy in horrific situations was frequently inappropriate.[5]
In The New York Times, Daniel Bergner reported that John Prendergast enjoyed introducing himself to a person he spotted reading the book.[6]
References
edit- ^ Wrong, Michela (18 July 2009). "Black humour". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 28 November 2010. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
- ^ Donaldson, Andrew (13 September 2010). "Beg, borrow or buy this book". The Times. South Africa.
- ^ Lui, Elaine. "Intro for Sep 04, 2009". Lainey Gossip.
- ^ Long, Camilla (12 July 2009). "The Worst Date Ever: War Crimes, Hollywood Heart-throbs and Other Abominations by Jane Bussmann". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011.
- ^ Sherine, Ariane (25 July 2009). "Bussmann's holiday". The Observer. London.
- ^ Bergner, Daniel (2 December 2010). "Attention-Grabber for Sudan's Cause". The New York Times.