Primarily set in the lushness of the Londolozi Game Preserve in South Africa, Cathedral of the Wild, Boyd Varty's memoir of his childhood and adolescence is full of tiny details and intimate moments that bring the African bush alive.
Started by Varty's great-grandfather as a hunting safari park, Londolozi was transformed by Varty's father and uncle into an ecotourism nature park, a place where animals could be observed and filmed, not hunted for trophies. Varty and his sister were raised amid the chaos of running a luxury safari business and quickly learned to entertain guests, help in the kitchen, drive Land Rovers and be self-sufficient from a very young age. They connected with nature in many profound and sometimes dangerous moments, working with their uncle as camera assistants and drivers as he created his world-famous documentaries on elephants, leopards and wildebeests. (They also enjoyed a friendship with Nelson Mandela, who stayed at Londolozi after his release from prison.)
For Varty, who survived a severe crocodile attack and a scary bout with malaria, the most dangerous animal was his fellow man: he was involved in an encounter with intruders on Londolozi's turf. But through his spiritual connection with the land, Varty was able to regain his sense of place, purpose and peace. Brimming with sensory details, Varty's reverence for his surroundings is deeply evident as he illuminates "the last fading taste of the old Africa," conserving these moments just like the animals who have flourished thanks to the Londolozi preserve. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer