Men of Salt: Crossing the Sahara on the Caravan of White Gold

By Michael Benanav

Book Overview

Salt was once worth its weight in gold, and treks to mine salt slabs from the heart of the Sahara desert are still made as they were throughout centuries--on a caravan of camels. American writer Benanav was compelled to join the Caravan of White Gold and traveled with nomads, eating meals of sand-covered goat entrails, drinking rancid water, getting lost for a day or two at a time, and enduring blistering heat and freezing nights in the open air.

Along the way, he wrote fascinating stories about the perilous life of a camel, the family values of a real nomad, the treating of injured miners in a desert, and the cultural differences of labor and money. This is a well-reviewed travel narrative unlike any other, and it is accompanied by stunning full-color photographs. It will appeal to readers of Stiff, Salt, and fans of Jonathan Raban and Bill Bryson.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1599211645
• ISBN13: 9781599211640
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Lyons Press
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Salt Caravans -- An Inner World that Sustains the Outer World

Exotic space, broken languages, sand for toilet paper, 40 days away from what you know and whom you love, such is the inner and outer world of the Sahara desert that Michael Benanav draws you into in his book, Men of Salt. Unlike other adventure books that celebrate the challenge between the mind and the physical, Men of Salt is so much more than that. Benanev in order to enter the desert must leave behind who he is, his girlfriend, and his identity as a Jew. He must leave behind all manner physical comforts -- including when to wake, when to sleep and when to eat. As he learns to rein the literal camel that he is riding, he discovers that he must also rein in the stallion of his mind which would rather quit or be in control but can do neither. Benanev is a brilliant writer. While he unveils his story in language as simple and clear as an article in the National Geographic, he explores the territory of the Taureg people, their world where men cover their faces and women do not, and, the very stability of their harvest of salt in an era of the internet and cell phones. Gifted in languages, he speaks French fluently and is well versed in Arabic. Unfortunately, although the trekking company promised him a guide fluent in French, he finds that he must rely on Walid who speaks no French and his Arabic is more Taureg than conversational Egyptian. Like a mountaineer who discovers that his map of the route is incomplete but is is the only one he has, Benanev finds that he must take Walid as his compass, even if -- and they do -- get lost. Benanev also does a wonderful job of describing the salt trade and how its economy sustains the people and culture of Mali. Seemlessly, he weaves into his story his observations on the impact of globalism -- especially road building. However, rather than presenting a sermon, he leaves the reader with useful questions to ask, many of which may challenge basic assumptions. And yet, no matter how intellectually speculative Benanev becomes, he is ever ready to return to reality. Be it the saddle sores on his butt or the joy of finding a thorn tree in the empty space, our writer is always aware of the frailties of his own body -- and hilariously, his own ego. A master linguist, he finds himself again and again in situations where he has thought he has everything figured out, only to find that that he has said, while completely understood, was completely rejected and the only one who didn't get it was he. For the sake of credibility, I wish I could find a way to criticize this book but I cannot. Men of Salt is simply the best book I have read in a year and his capacity for story telling and reflection is totally on a par with Joe Simpson's "Touching the Void." Benanev's book will touch anyone who loves history, adventure, economics, or the uncharted areas of the heart. He may have started out as a stranger in a strange land, but when you join him in his return to Timbuktu, you, too, feel as if you've

Real life adventure turns into thriller

As an avid reader but seldom of non-fiction, I was completely surprised by an instant addiction to "Men of Salt" by Michael Benanav. His real life drama as it unfolds, sinks its teeth into the reader as much as a page turner as a thriller. Mr. Benanav looks for and finds so much that is positive in a very hostile environment and from a culture so different from his own. We can only hope for more from this talented writer.

Desert experience for the truly intrepid traveller

If you ever dreamed of crossing the desert on a camel, but will likely never really do it, this is about as close as you can get to truly being there... and maybe as close as you would WANT to get. Liberally sprinkled with suspense, humour, history, personal revelation and surprises, this book is a must for the armchair adventurer who wants to know what it's really like to travel the desert with ancient nomadic tribes. A compelling and illuminating read!

Men of Salt

The book "The Men of Salt" tells the story of an amazing adventure of a young man following the salt caravans across the sahara desert. Michael Benanav trusted his life to his Saharan guide as they crossed a thousand miles of desert. Had his guide decided to leave him at any time, he would never have been able to find his way to the next well. "The Men of Salt" is a story of an amazing modern day adventure. The book is beautifully written. I have never before read a book and then reread it immediately. The second read was just as interesting as it gave me an even better sense of the people he met and the dangers of the Sahara.