Tea, Scones, and Malaria

Title: Tea, Scones, and Malaria
Published by: Katlynn Brooke
Release Date: March 16, 2021
Pages: 306
ISBN13: 978-0-578-87615-3
ASIN: B08KGWSY8W
Buy the Book: Amazon

Winner of a Firebird Book Award for memoir, 2021

A B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree

"Tea, Scones, and Malaria is a fantastic read that explains much about the tragedy that would eventually unfold in modern-day Zimbabwe and, to top it off, it is a wonderfully written story that is incredibly easy to read and enjoy." Grant Leishman, Reader's Favorite

"This book is exemplary in its structure, organization, and pacing. All main characters (including antagonists) are unique and fully fleshed out with compelling, layered motivations and traits." Judge, 9th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published E-Book Awards.

Tea, Scones, and Malaria is the phenomenal true account of one girl's extraordinary upbringing in the rough and feral bushveld of 1950s and 60s Rhodesia. Moving from one makeshift camp to the next, the family follows Dad, a bridge builder for the government, deep into the heart of elephant and cheetah country.

"We ran barefoot in the bush, and swam in crocodile-infested rivers. We shared our camps with snakes, scorpions, and jerrymunglums. There was no electricity, no hospitals, and no schools in the bush. How I survived it all, I will never know."

Hilarious, touching, raw, and deeply honest, this memoir records the journey from child to teenager to woman against the backdrop of a vanishing world, as Rhodesia begins its long and tumultuous transition into the independent country of Zimbabwe.


"That kid must have a tapeworm," Ouma comments to Auntie Isabelle one day as they watch me down an apple, core and all. "I've never seen anyone so small eat so much."

"Like a goat," Auntie Isabelle sniffs, shaking her head. And she still uses the devil's hand."

(Excerpt from "Tea, Scones, and Malaria," Chapter 3, Ouma and Oupa)