See list and excerpts here: http://www.uganda-crossroads.net/reviews-2/

Crossroads is an intriguing collection of human experiences that engage yet mesmerize the reader. A very good read that educates society about what different cultural experiences can bring to life. Mr. Conte explicitly nurtures the stories in a fantastic yet delicate basket. This is a cultural keepsake. (Mazzi Wampamba, author of “Like an Ocean: Poems in Prose”).

“A beautiful and thoughtful series of essays” that brings the Ugandan experience into “stunning relief . . . The collection is no-holds-barred: these women critique traditional culture, Western influence, the bureaucratic bloatedness of NGOs, religion, and gender roles, all with clarity and nuance. . . . The result is a well-rounded, compelling and edifying picture of the challenges that women face in modern Africa.” (Michelle Anne Schingler, Clarion Foreword Reviews. Schlingler awards Crossroads the magazine’s top, five-star rating — an honor the journal confers on just 8% of the books it reviews.

“Chilling, thrilling . . . stories of empowered Ugandan women. [Crossroads] presents the challenges they go through to accommodate their newly-found strength. The writers address issues dear to the typical Ugandan woman.” (Andrew Kaggwa, The Observer)

“A magnificent work. One of the most important things we are here to do no matter where we are on earth is to witness to life. . . . The lives of African women are really complicated because we are witnessing to life through a lens that says “different.” The lens says “different” — you’re female you’re not male; the lens says “different” — you’re African you’re not from anywhere else. You have really witnessed to this difference in the most magnificent manner.” (Tsitsi Dangarembga, Zimbabwean author who wrote “Nervous Conditions” and other acclaimed works)

A riveting read. Crossroads is a window on a subset of African women that banishes cliché. How can anyone read the testimonies in this book and look at Africa in the same old, same old way again?! (Julia Royall, Global Health Information Specialist, Fulbright Scholar)

“Perhaps the most insightful and enlightening non-fiction publication yet about the search for identity among women in Uganda… The authors are not afraid to show their vulnerability, and admit to their ongoing soul-searching… Most of the (relatively well-educated, urban) women do not necessarily end up embracing ‘Western’ values whilst rejecting ‘African’ ones, or the other way around. Rather, they shape their identities around aspects from either side that they deem relevant, attractive and useful. Presents a very interesting insight into the many challenges, opportunities and dilemmas that women in Uganda are confronted with these days — how to relate to Western influences, to the village life, to men, to society’s more ‘traditional’ expectations, and so on. This issue of ‘modernization and traditionalism’ is a dominant theme in urban Africa.” (Mark Schenkel, Africa regional correspondent for Het Financieele Dagblad, The Netherlands)

“Gives a real sense of the breadth of issues Ugandan women face today. I appreciated the many explorations of identity, the description of mourning, the importance of names, perspectives on the ‘developed’ world approaches to African countries, and the wonderful laying out of the issues in the ‘complicated landscape’ of Western ways and African ways, and NGOs. From the joyful to the terrifying, what comes through in this collection is the intelligence and thoughtfulness with which the authors articulate their struggles and manifest a heartening strength and resilience.” (Candace Wood, Amazon.com customer).