The Dung Beetles of Liberia
A Novel Based on True Events
by Daniel V. Meier
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Pub Date Sep 01 2019 | Archive Date Aug 31 2022
Boutique of Quality Books Inc. | BQB Publishing
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Description
2019 Grand Prize Winner - Red City Review
Based on the remarkable true account of a young American who landed in Liberia in 1961.
*****The story weaves drama, dark comedy, and romance throughout a rich tapestry of narration - The San Francisco Book Review
KEN VERRIER IS NOT HAPPY, NOR AT PEACE. He is experiencing the turbulence of Ishmael and the guilt of his brother's death. His sudden decision to drop out of college and deal with his demons shocks his family, his friends, and especially his girlfriend, soon to have been his fiancee. His destination: Liberia - The richest country in Africa both in monetary wealth and in natural resources.
NOTHING COULD HAVE PREPARED HIM FOR THE EXPERIENCES HE WAS ABOUT TO LIVE THORUGH. Ken quickly realizes that he has arrived in a place where he understands very little of what is considered normal, where the dignity of life has little meaning, and where he can trust no one.
Flying into the interior bush as a transport pilot, Ken learns quickly. He witnesses, first-hand, the disparate lives of the Liberian "Country People? and the "Congo People" also known as Americo-Liberians. These descendants of President Monroe's American Colonization Policy that sent freed slaves back to Africa in the 1800s have set up a strict hierarchical society not unlike the antebellum South.
Author Dan Meier describes Ken's many escapades, spanning from horrifying to whimsical, with engaging and fast-moving narrative that ultimately describes a society upon which the wealthy are feeding and in which the poor are being buried.
It's a novel that will stay with you long after the last word has been read.
A Note From the Publisher
Also available in eBook #9781945448386
Advance Praise
“Rugged, riveting, packed with exotic adventure and attitude, Meier’s Dung Beetles is non-stop entertainment.” — Douglas Rogers, author of The Last Resort
“. . . A fascinating evocation of 1960s Liberia, the novel explores the commonly accepted system of bribery and the arbitrary division between the masses. It will definitely appeal to fans of literary fiction as well as lovers of non-fiction. An engrossing read that is both informative and entertaining.” — The Prairies Book Review
“. . . With a gift for portraying dialect, character quirks, and the intricacies of combining salient details of his youthful adventures with fictional flights of fancy, Meier flies readers on this soaring, literary saga that will leave them clamoring for a sequel.” — Kate Robinson, The US Review of Books
Marketing Plan
• Social Media Campaign (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest
• Author website continual updates (Danielmeierauthor.com)
• Regular blogs to targeted list
• Extensive outreach to Book Clubs (Local, California, Florida, Northeast)
• Press releases to local newspapers plus the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun
• Press releases to local radio stations
• Speaking engagements at Service Clubs
• Speaking/Reading engagements at Bookstsores (Local/California/ Florida/Northeast)
• Appearances at Book events and festivals
• Podcast interviews
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781945448379 |
| PRICE | $16.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 312 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Words, Images, & Worlds (, Reviewer
The cover of this book was my first attraction to it. I was pleased to find, inside its pages, polished writing that kept me wanting to read.
The story has humor, well-written dialogue, tension, and attention to detail in its descriptions.
The Dung Beetles of Liberia is a book well worth reading, and I’m glad I had the chance to check it out.
Louise E, Reviewer
I like reading books that are a bit different. The cover is what attracted me to the book initially - it looked very interesting.. The book is also based on a true story.
I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book or not but I did. The author had a great way of telling it so I would keep on reading. Occasionally I got confused with the timeline and relationships but the story is good.
After Ken's brother dies, Kenneth doesn't know what he wants anymore. He has lost himself.
Ken was in college, had a beautiful girlfriend until one day he made the shocking announcement that he was leaving.
He did not split with his partner but told her he would be back. He got a job flying airplanes in Liberia, Flying planes is what Ken loves. But as soon as he clapped eyes on another woman I knew he wasn't keen to go back to his old life.
Life in Liberia is very different - corruption, smugglers and much more. Find out what happens to Ken and how he adjusts to life in Liberia.
Dora Archie O, Reviewer
How do you review or better yet, rate a book that's based on true events? Especially if you were never a witness of these events?
I am overly critical of books that are set in Africa, because one I am African and two there have been so many tales written that do not depict Africa as a friendly continent. So, believe me when I say that I was skeptical at first and kept reading this book waiting to call out the author on anything I felt offended by.
I had to set the book aside after the first chapter and read it for what the author or any author intends his/her work to be- a story. So, I read it and enjoyed Ken's insights, he starts off conflicted, the loss of his brother and his yearning for meaningful engagement sees him travel to Liberia. He's naive and expects the very best of people but he learns that not everyone welcomes struggle or the desire to advance and acquire wealth like he does, and slowly his experiences unravel just how far people can go to get what they want.
It's an intriguing read and I'd give it 4 stars.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.
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