Written in direct and simple language, the author, while drawing from his own experiences and observations, discusses the pertinent issues in Germany towards the end of the twentieth century.

Osman arrives in Germany at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall - the reunification of East and West Germany. His first impressions of Germany is of a highly industrialised country with good infrastructure. However, he soon discovers that, even in this land of wealth and prosperity, poverty does exist. To his surprise, there is an unequal distribution of income, just like in his homeland Sierra Leone, although in no way are the levels of poverty in the two countries comparable. In Sierra Leone and in most of Africa, people continue to face increasing poverty due to unfavourable terms of trade coupled with mismanagement of resources, poor leadership as well as military dictatorships, corruption and political instability which are not suitable environment for economic development.

Contrary to popular belief back home, Germany is not the rosy place it is made out to be. Looking for a house for example, is an African's worst nightmare since some German landlords and landladies are not comfortable renting their houses to foreigners let alone black people. Some Germans would also not entertain the thought of having black neighbours. Even in apartments where Africans live, it may take a long time before Africans can establish any kind of contact with their German neighbours. In public transport and even in the universities, Africans tend to feel isolated in the initial period of their study and without the support of the family, relatives and friends, Germany is indeed a lonely place to live.

As the century comes to a close, Germany is increasingly facing economic difficulties. The once abundant job market is shrinking. Coupled with the opening up of the borders in Europe, there is an increased demand for jobs. Germans are presently competing for the 'black jobs' which were once the reserve of African students and other foreigners as well. In this kind of atmosphere, there is an increasing intolerance by Germans towards Africans and foreigners as a whole.

Most of the difficulties that Africans undergo in Germany, racial discrimination not withstanding, have to do with the stereotypes that Germans have of Africans. As is often portrayed in the Western media, Africa is a continent of poverty, starvation and endless wars. Hence most Africans are perceived as either criminals, illegal immigrants or economic refuges living at the expense of the German tax-payer. The author is also quick to point out that this does not mean that all Africans living in Germany are law-abiding. Africans are also often thought of as being 'foolish' and most Africans have to prove themselves in order to dispel this myth. Even in some German universities, certificates from African universities are looked upon with suspicion and more often than not, African students have to excel in order to gain admission in the courses they intend to study.

The author also points out that not all Germans are racists. The overwhelming support he got from many Germans during his daughter's major surgery, is a case in point. He is therefore of the opinion that both Africans and Germans are people and each should be judged from an individual perspective. He does not rule out the fact though, in spite of a minor increase in intermarriages between Germans and Africans, there are still problems of integrating the children of such mixed marriages in society.

In addition, the author also brings out the different cultural perceptions of the two communities. In Africa the role of the family as the backbone of the society is still strong. Both men and women have defined roles which are governed by the traditions and customs of the community.

This book is a good read and it encourages the reader to revisit some of the different perceptions they may hold of the African society and the German society as well.