Twenty Chickens for a Saddle by Robyn Scott
Unusual Childhood.
Twenty Chickens for a Saddle by Robyn Scott is a memoir about a girl’s unusual childhood in Botswana when she moved there in 1987 at the age of seven. It was fascinating to learn about Robyn’s foreign environment, the harsh landscape with scorpions, spitting cobras, puff adders, hippos, and leopards.
But it was equally engrossing to discover more about her eccentric family such as her controlling, hot-tempered grandfather who lured moths to flutter on his face by letting a mixture of wine and grape juice dribble from his mouth. This is the same man who encouraged his boys to swim across a croc infested river and had a coffin manufacturing business among other ventures.
Robyn's father was a hardworking physician who had to accustom himself to the local cultures and superstitions and later deal with the AIDS epidemic. And her mother was a homemaker, aspiring author of holistic medicine—and their teacher. She insisted on homeschooling her three kids in a free-range kind of way—no syllabus, not many assignments, mostly encouraging learning by exploration.
But it was equally engrossing to discover more about her eccentric family such as her controlling, hot-tempered grandfather who lured moths to flutter on his face by letting a mixture of wine and grape juice dribble from his mouth. This is the same man who encouraged his boys to swim across a croc infested river and had a coffin manufacturing business among other ventures.
Robyn's father was a hardworking physician who had to accustom himself to the local cultures and superstitions and later deal with the AIDS epidemic. And her mother was a homemaker, aspiring author of holistic medicine—and their teacher. She insisted on homeschooling her three kids in a free-range kind of way—no syllabus, not many assignments, mostly encouraging learning by exploration.
This book was an enlightening peek into a different culture and experimental educational pursuits.
Happy Reading,
Annette
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