Under the Camelthorn Tree - Raising a Family Among Lions (Paperback)

Reviews

"My review" by Breakaway R. - 22 July 2019

A must-read, haunting book. Kate Nicholls and her five young children, Emily, Travers, Angus, Maisie and Oakley (aged just eleven-months-old) moved to Botswana in 1994. As a biologist, Kate wanted to work with lions and decided that taking the children would broaden their horizons, life in the bush would be harsh, but give them something very few other children ever get to experience, living among wild animals. When Kate first moved to Maun, she started working with a group called War Against Rape. Botswana is one of the countries ravaged by HIV/AIDS. The population had the misconceived idea that raping a child could cure a man from the deadly disease, and as a result, the group were called in to help these extremely traumatised survivors as well as many women. Her work with the lions makes for fascinating reading. Living in the bush, with a machete close at hand to sort out deadly snakes, will live in my memory. It is the one phobia that I have of the bush. I also loved the elephants who visited the campsite. They lived in harmony with the family. Kate's homeschooled her children. These four words cannot describe the impact she made on their lives. They have all far exceeded all expectations in their chosen careers. All attended university. All have confidence and abilities that bounce off every page of the book. They all knew how to handle a Land Rover, change a tyre, and from a very early age were able to drive. Tracking and identifying lions were part of their daily lives. There is a very dark side to the book. Kate’s rape and her PTSD. She describes it with brutal honesty and how it affected her for years after she left Botswana and the impact her behaviour, as a result of the rape had on her children and partner, Pieter. It is part of her story and part of her life. What is more important is that she's written about it, and by writing and sharing this traumatic experience, she might have just helped someone else take that first step towards surviving as well. Our world would be a very dull place without people like Kate Nichols. She left the comfort of her very established life in England to follow a dream; working and studying lions. As a result, her five children were homeschooled under a Camelthorn tree, where they not only had possibly the best education possible but learnt life-lessons that most children nor adults ever get the chance to experience. Treebeard Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.