Book Review: Twenty Chickens for a Saddle

A Memoir of Growing up in Botswana by Robyn Scott

Jul 11, 2009

Robyn Scott's debut work is simultaneously an engaging account of a life in Botswana, a study of racism/AIDS, and a testament to the need for innovation and perseverance

In the memoir Twenty Chickens for a Saddle, Robyn Scott combines her personal history in Botswana with an examination of the culture and society of Botswana, and an overarching discussion of the spread of AIDS and effects of post-colonial racism in Africa.

The title refers to an incident in the her childhood in Botswana when, eager for a new saddle, she struck a deal with her parents: she would earn money by rescuing twenty bedraggled chickens from a chicken farm and selling their eggs, and they would give her the money to set up her new "free range" egg business.

This combination of philanthropy, enterprise, a do-it-yourself attitude, and delayed gratification is typical of the rest of the book.

About Author Robyn Scott

Robyn Scott (a.k.a. "Robbie" or "Rob") is a writer and entrepreneur based in London, England. She was born in 1981 in England. At age six, she moved from New Zealand to Botswana with her family: father Keith (an airplane-flying doctor), mother Linda (incurable optimist and lover of whole grains), and younger siblings Damien and Lulu. The family lived in Botswana for the next 15 years.

Homeschooled until age 14, Scott attended high school in Zimbabwe, then the University of Auckland, and the University of Cambridge, where she graduated with a BSc in Bioinformatics and an MPhil in Bioscience Enterprise, respectively. She is the co-founder of Mothers For All and is involved with several other non-profit environment/health/education initiatives.

Eating, Shopping, Learning, Living "on the Fringe" in Botswana

Beginning in the town of Phikwe, Botswana, and then moving to the Tuli Block on the Limpopo River, Scott's personal narrative is intertwined with accounts of her father's enthusiasm for alternative medicine, her mother's haphazard approach to homeschooling, and her grandparents' sometimes unorthodox way of life. Twenty Chickens for a Saddle is often compared to the stories of Gerald Durrell, whose family had a similarly fly-in-the-face-of-convention attitude to life.

Guided by her fiercely independent parents, Scott helps convert a cowshed into the family home, staunchly rescues snakes, ticks and flies from precarious situations, and embarks on various childhood business ventures; at the same time, she sheepishly relishes going to school and other conventionalities. The Scott family's eccentricities often place them at odds with their neighbours.

A Memoir of Botswana: Culture, Society, Race, and HIV/AIDS

For much of the first half of the book, Scott is perturbed by the differences between her lifestyle and that of others her age. She touches on issues of race, culture and society occasionally, but as her experience broadens and as she sees more of Botswana, Scott's narrative increasingly turns to observations of society.

In a moving anecdote, Scott's grandfather tells of meeting Sir Seretse Khama, Botswana's revered first president: "Seretse Khama smiled. 'People here, Mr. McCourt, like to talk. If you don't let them talk, you have problems. I know this, and I let them talk.'" Throughout her story, Scott makes it clear that this desire for dialogue and new ideas is the key to Botswana's stability and peace. Much of the tension in the book lies in the persistence of dated and often harmful attitudes (of Batswana and Caucasians alike, of citizens and governments) towards medicine, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and race.

Robyn Scott writes with affection, passion and sensitivity in Twenty Chickens for a Saddle. The greater part of her narrative deals with family history and incidents, especially her parents' interests and occupations; as a result, the weighty issues of AIDS and racial prejudice are often described from their perspective. The magnitude of these problems and lack of government action is frustrating to both parents, and to the readers who might yearn for a more satisfying resolution. Ah, reality.

But it's fascinating to see the origins of Scott's interest in bioscience and medicine in the developing world in this memoir. Although she leaves Botswana at the end of the book for university and at a time when her parents are possibly at their most discouraged, the whole experience, from childhood to adulthood in Africa, obviously inspired her in her studies and later work. The enthusiasm and optimism of Scott's parents has apparently translated into her life and into this book.

At times, the book is difficult to follow, with few dates or indications of the passing of time. However, this lends to the nostalgia of Scott's storytelling and the reader is better able to appreciate the dreamlike quality of her stories.

Twenty Chickens for a Saddle will appeal to anyone who wants to learn more about the issues described above. Fans of Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency might enjoy this non-fiction book about life in Botswana. Finally, memoir and autobiography enthusiasts would certainly enjoy this lovely story about determination and childhood wonder.

The copyright of the article Book Review: Twenty Chickens for a Saddle in Biographies/Memoirs is owned by Liane Tsui. Permission to republish Book Review: Twenty Chickens for a Saddle in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.