Tick Bite Fever is the unconventional memoir of a very unconventional childhood. In the early Seventies, Dave Bennun's family transplanted themselves from Swindon to the wilds of Kenya. His father, who was a doctor, had lived in Africa before (but had felt it expedient to leave when the South African government realised he was carting explosives around in the boot of his car for the ANC). For Dave, Kenya was bemusingly new. It would be his home for the next 16 years. In Kenya, the childhood memoir takes on a rather surreal tone! On the way home from school, closed because a pair of lions are padding around the playground, Dave is mugged by baboons. Meet Dave's favourite pet Achilles, the almost indestructible dog! Find out about 'Nairobi snow' - and the national radio station that only has three records. And read about Dave and his Dad spending happy Sunday afternoons being chased by a herd of elephants. Enchantingly funny, Tick Bite Fever is a tale of the fading innocence of childhood, miles ahead of the competition.
About the Author
Born in Swindon in 1968, Dave Bennun's family moved to Zambia in 1971. In 1973 the family moved to Kenya where they lived for the next 16 years. He has worked at Melody Maker and at Loaded. He is now freelance and writes for The Guardian, Observer, Mail on Sunday, Sunday Telegraph and GQ.
Reviews
A hilarious memoir...Enchanting and amazing', The Daily Mail .'Laugh out loud is an understatement...a wonderful insight into life in Africa from a two-foot high point of view, witty, touching and above all affectionate', The Press Assocation .'Tick Bite Fever itches with mordant wit - there's at least one turn of phrase per paragraph that gets among your ribs like a feather duster. An excellent memoir', Uncut Magazine .'A delight', The Guardian .'Exotic hats off to David Bennun, who has written a book full of warmth and self-deprecating humour', Word Magazine
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Reviews
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In his book David Bennun claims, as a child, to have had the ’emotional depth and sensitivity of a potted cactus.’ This may be why he can look back and laugh so readily at his ineptitudes, his pratfalls and his skill at getting into trouble at every turn. He appears to have had an inborn - and useful - obtuseness. As he notes at one point: “I was puzzled at almost any turn of events.”
Though born in England, Bennun grew up in Kenya. In spite of his numerous escapades and meetings with various wild animals - and with some fairly wild humans - he somehow survived. This book covers his childhood, from the day he was discovered sitting behind the hooves of a wild pony to the day he almost hurtled into the path of a Mercedes-Benz truck. He has an ability to make the most trivial story entertaining, and to remind us that children have a nonchalance about the dangers of the world that can horrify their parents.
He can even make some fairly difficult times in his life seem less so by a turn of phrase, as when his father unexpectedly announces he’s leaving his family.
By the end of the book Bennun is on his way back to the UK, to study. He has subsequently worked as a journalist, writing first for Melody Maker and Loaded, and is now freelance. Steve Poole, from The Guardian, calls him ‘one of the country’s funniest writers.’
Tick Bite Fever is in no way world-shattering, but you can open it at any point and Bennun’s hare-brained humour and endless anecdotes about his life as a ‘baffled spectator’ who overcomes danger ‘through a mixture of blind luck and not falling over too often’ will entice you to read further.
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