The Worst Date Ever

Who would have thought a book about human rights violations and government corruption in Northern Uganda could be so hilarious and 'unputdownable' (yeah it's a real word ..I know..I thought so too)? Jane Bussman's dry wit is outrageously British but I think everyone with a sense of humour can relate and will find themselves snorting with laughter inspite of their best efforts not to. I laughed so hard at this book which pulls no punches that I eventually had to confine my reading to indoors in case someone on the train  thought I'd lost the plot and decided to have me committed for acute insanity.

The main subject matter is the war in Northern Uganda but far from writing a typical book about an African tragedy that says 'these poor souls', Bussman mocks the situation and pokes fun at everyone from the international community read: donor governments like the UK and the USA to the NGO do-goders who she dubs ironically 'The Useful People' to the rebels themselves including their leader who she describes as a Rick James lookalike and lastly but by no means least the extremely corrupt Ugandan government. The situation is so shockingly tragic and the complicity of those involved so infuriating to the ordinary person that by telling the story in the farcical way she does, rather than feeling angry and helpless, we're propelled into wanting to do something. What's more she tells us that we can do something, we can ask questions of our local MP:  http://www.theyworkforyou.com/

This book is well worth a read, not only is it hilarious, it will teach you a great deal about humanitarian crises, bureaucracy and above all corruption that involves even those we think are there to help. There's also a good chunk on Hollywood where she worked as a showbiz writer and its bizarre stars and lifestyle. I will never look at Ashton Kutcher in the same way again.

By writing this book and raising our awareness of the plight of thousands of children in Northern Uganda, Jane Bussman has proven that she really is one of the useful people in the true sense of the word.
The Worst Date Ever: War Crimes, Hollywood Heart-Throbs and Other Abominations