"Don't eat the oranges: they're laced with knockout drops. That's what Westerners hear, but there is far more to the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) story than expatriate anxieties. Built from 1970 to 1975 with assistance from the People's Republic of China, TAZARA was a major international development project embodying Third World solidarity during the Cold War. Designed to end African nations' dependence on the southern African line of rail and provide a secure outlet for landlocked Zambia's copper exports, the railroad became crucial to the transport needs and livelihoods of Tanzanians along its route. Despite fears of foreign sabotage, political struggles concerning TAZARA mostly protested closing of local stations in the 1990s. Drawing on 20 years of research in Tanzania, Monson (history, Carleton College) details TAZARA's planning, construction, and economic impact, along with changing settlement patterns, land use, and vegetation cover. The book's main shortcoming, literally, is brevity; it is mostly about Tanzania, and broadened coverage of China and Zambia would be welcome. Still, depth of material and analysis makes this essential for development studies and especially Chinese-African relations as the People's Republic expands involvement in the continent. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic and large public libraries, undergraduates and above. — Choice"
~T. P. Johnson, University of Massachusetts
"[Africa's Freedom Railway] becomes the definitive multidisciplinary account. . . . [This book] is a model of transport historical geography. . . . [Monson] tells human stories about a massive transport project: its proponents, practitioners and petitioners take centre stage.18.4 July 2010"
~Journal of Transport Geography
"Africa's Freedom Railway is a valuable addition to the social history of postcolonial Tanzania. . . . This book provides and excellent example to follow.Vol. 50 2009"
~Emma Hunter, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
"An important contribution to the expanding field of Sino-African Studies. Vol. 200"
~The China Quarterly
"An interesting account of a remarkable chapter in the chequered history of Tanzania's development.# 94 Sept.-Dec. 2009"
~John Sankey, Tanzanian Affairs
"The depth of material and analysis makes this essential for development studies and especially Chinese-African relations as the People's Republic expands involvement in the continent.Feb. 2010"
~Choice
"This insightful account of transnational infrastructure cooperation will no doubt be welcome reading not only for academics and students, but most importantly for African leaders who have to make critical development choices for the benefit of their own people.Vol. 115 Feb. 2010"
~Peter A. Dumbuya, Fort Valley State University
"Africa's Freedom Railway is an insightful and well-informed book that bears testament to the experience of those Tanzanians and Chinese who worked on TAZARA railway as well as those whose lives have benefitted from its presence. By documenting the experience of those people affected by TAZARA, Monson effectively illustrates how the railway benefitted the majority of Tanzanians. Similarly, the book's wealth of sources enables Monson to write about contemporary Tanzania in a historical context, as TAZARA has shaped the present.Vol. 11.2-3 Spring 2010"
~Nicholas T. Smith, University of California
"An extremely nuanced and textured history of negotiated interests that includes international stakeholders, local actors, and—importantly—early Chinese policies of development assistance."
~James McCann, Boston University
"Blessedly economical and unpretentious . . . no one else is capable of writing about this region with such nuance."
~James Giblin, University of Iowa
